Just checked a couple of batches of teasel-heads I have collected over the last few weeks (and can now accommodate passengers in my car again as a result...).  Both held the larvae of this moth, which makes four successes from four batches - not scientific I know, but it does suggest this moth is pretty widespread and is at least heading towards being present everywhere the foodplant is. 

One site was a car-park in central Midsomer Norton where just a handful of teasels were to be found - the larvae were present in 10 of 12 teasel-heads collected. This seems not unusual for the species.  For some reason it seems to eschew the largest and most prominent teasel-heads yet is present in much smaller ones.

The moth seems to have a high dispersal ability, remarkable considering its size.  This would be very much advantageous for it as it depends on a biennial foodplant of disturbed ground, and cannot necessarily rely on foodplant being available on a single site for very many years.

Butterfly Conservation's report 'The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2013' has now come out and as macro recorder I have been sent a hard copy. It doesn't make particularly encouraging reading!

You can download a copy from http://butterfly-conservation.org/48-3355/moths-suffer-40-year-crash.html - scroll down to find the download link.

Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock were in the garden over the weekend along with several Siskins who have joined the Redpolls and the Goldfinches on the niger seed feeder. Recent moths have been dominated by relatively large numbers of Dark Chestnuts including 4 on Friday night.
An update on the possible Mottled Greys I mentioned last month. They were quickly identified by Robin as just well marked Winter Moths. He told me that if I do trap a Mottled Grey then they are easily identifiable and you would immediately be able to tell it apart from a Winter Moth.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp -1 degree

One FFY at actinic light in a window - an appropiately named Early Moth.

Not much news from me this year but a Silver Y on 3rd January plus Dark Chestnut and Cypress Carpet also in January. I ran a light whilst on holiday in Mauritius and got mainly micros a couple of which turn up in the UK: Hymenia recurvalis and Mung Moth Maruca vitrata. The bulb went on my garden trap recently so no news from this month. In the garden this afternoon I once again inspected the Cypress leylandii for Cypress Carpet and Cypress Pug larvae with no luck so I thought I'd cheat this time and use a beating tray and sure enough a larvae came out. Looking at the larvae photos of both I'd say it was a Cypress Pug.

Cypress Pug larvae

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 0 degrees

One moth on GMS night a FFY Oak Beauty on the outside of the trap.

Once again no moths - T min -1˚C.

Two fine days - Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blackcap (overwintered), Dunnock all singing. Roll on Spring!

Another poor night - just a singleton Hebrew Character braved the chill.  They say the weather is due to warm up soon - we live in hope.

I put my traps out on Saturday night, as it was milder and only drizzling, but woke on Sunday morning to heavy rain and no moths (again), I think your diving beetle would have very much at home, Peter !!

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 4 degrees

Another Hebrew Character in the trap and a Water Beetle (Dytiscus marginalis) while at the actinic light in a window a FFY Pale Brindled Beauty.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 3 degrees

GMS night produced our first Common Quaker for the year and what may be the last Winter Moth for this season.

Yet another blank Garden Moth Survey night!

A singleton Agonopterix heracliana came to the kitchen window in the early evening, so I thought there might be a moth or two out there waiting to be trapped.  Result ? Another nil return !!  Mind you, the weather is still not conducive to moths, or much else for that matter.

First for the year Early thorn this morning on the sitting room floor...not looking very perky but good to find

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At last, some moths.  Well, two anyway - a Pale Brindled Beauty, and a Hebrew Character.  More to come hopefully in due course.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 2 degrees

Nothing on GMS night but one Dark Chestnut last night at an actinic light in a window.

Garden Moth Survey last night. Clear skies, T min 2˚C, no moths!

Another nil return. Although the temperature was just about freezing by the end of the night, it was less windy, so I had hopes that something might turn up.  Wrong !

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 4 degrees

Wet and windy and nothing in the trap but one Agnopterix arenella at an actinic light in a window. The last one we had was on 15 October.