Comparatively good here last night, a late Oak Nycteoline (also a FFY) being a suprise even given the odd autumn weather.

Also December Moth(3, FFY), Cypress Carpet(1, a FFY), LBAM(1), Acleris sparsana(2), Common Marbled Carpet(1), Angle Shades(1), and Mottled Umber(1).

Terrible here in spite of better night, just one Yellow-line Quaker and a Rush Veneer. Plus a patch of elongated white eggs on the inside of the trap laid in regimented rows-?

At last, a night without gale force winds and a decent temp.(min.9c) yielded 20 moths of 7 species. 1 rusty dot pearl,6 December Moths,8 Mottled Umber, 2 yellow-line Quaker and singles of Red-green Carpet,Red-line Quaker and Grey Shoulder-knot.

Not satisfied with one December Moth the night before last, I just had to try again.  This time, 3 December Moths and 2 Winter Moths (again not FFY, as I had a couple in January)- much better !!  Forecast looks grim for tonight though, so I'll leave things for a day or so more.

My first trapping for a fortnight - weather's been a bit dire, to say the least.  Result ?  A promising start with one solitary December Moth (not quite a FFY, as I had one on Jan.5th) in the first egg-box from the actinic trap.  And that's all, folks.

Several 320 Phyllonorycter quercifoliella mines found on Oak at Netherclay today; a site first.

Last trapping session for a while I fear, just a Turnip, Red-lined Quaker and Com.Marbled Carpet on the macro front, but FFY 2 Acleris sparsana were a nice surprise.

Last nights moths 5 Mottled Umber, 1 Satellite, 1 December Moth, 4 Yellow- Line Quaker, 2 Feathered Thorn and a Merveille du Jour. Fiday night i had a micro, like a mini Merveille du Jour and I placed it in the fridge to look at later. However when i did, it had disappeared- the pot had a sliding lid. No sign of a live or dead moth in said fridge. Today i noticed it flying around the kitchen and it hopped into a pot after settling on the floor. It was an Acleris literana and is now safely back outside.

Just 10 moths of 7 spp, a Silver Y and Dark Sword-grass, 3 Red-green Carpets commonest sp.

An unusual collection of moths last night despite the strong winds. 2 very fresh Silver Ys were joined by a seasonal Feathered Thorn, an early Winter Moth and by a late Large Yellow Underwing and Barred Sallow.

Feathered Thorn(3)
Mottled Umber (3)
November Moth agg.
December Moth
Winter Moth
(no noctuids!)

Leaf mines of Ectoedemia subbimaculella, Ectoedemia heringi, Ectoedemia intimella (quite a nice find), Stigmella floslactella, Stigmella tityrella, Phyllonorycter nicellii.

Despite the wind i had 26 moths of 11 species , including 8 Mottled Umber, 6 Feathered Thorn, 3 December Moth and 2 Merveille du Jour. Singles of Grey Shoulder Knot, Red - Green Carpet, Epirrata agg. Yellow- Line Quaker, Chestnut, Barred Sallow and Spruce Carpet.

The latest electronic copy of e-Moth has arrived on my desktop - if anyone would like a copy please email me.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 11 degrees

Too windy to use the trap but the actinic in a window attracted a December Moth.  Not a FFY as we had one on January 5th !

5 Feathered Thorn, 3 Mottled Umber - all different colours, 1 Epirrata agg. 1 Merveille du Jour- one of my favourite moths to see and FFY. Also one December Moth - first one this Autumn

9 November
Silver Y 2, Scarce Bordered Straw 1, Common Marbled Carpet 3, November/Pale November 2, Blair's Shoulder-knot 2, Angle-shades 1

10 November
Silver Y 1, Blair's Shoulder-knot 1, Beaded Chestnut 2, Common Marbled Carpet 1

11 November
Rusty Dot Pearl 1, December Moth 1, Beaded Chestnut 1

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 8.3 degrees ( it was 12 degrees at 10 pm)

Six species including Chestnut (2), a first for the autumn our last being on April 6.

I couldn't resist putting the trap out last night, it being so mild. There were lots of very small insects, flies, ichneumon wasps, caddis flies, black beetles (almost akin to July) and 34 moths of 16 species. Unfortunately nothing of any great interest apart from two Vestal, five Yellow-line Quaker (a record), five Cypress Carpet and a very late Black Rustic - I trapped my last one three weeks ago.

Also quieter than expected here, but the migrant Palpita vitrealis (photo) turned up, so all was worthwhile! Also Silver Y(2) an Rusty-dot Pearl(2). Altogether 13 species - 7 macro and 6 micro - all of which were near the top end of the 'Whats on the wing tonight' list.

Only a slight improvement in numbers, in spite of the mild weather and new moon, which ought to have got the moths out and about. 15 moths of 10 species this time, with Red-green Carpet the only FFY. There we also 2 late Large YUs.,which like Rob's, are the latest ever recorded here.  Otherwise, not a lot of interest.

My trap was a waste of electricity last night as well - 2 Blair's Shoulder Knot and 2 Beaded Chestnut! However I did find a Spectacle Moth larva on Nettle regrowth while walking the dog yesterday afternoon. Great cryptic colouration.

5th instar larva of Spectacle Moth Abrostola triplasia.

I found these Apple leaves at Frieze Hill LNR today and am not entirely sure what is going on. The mines look to me like those of Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella); look closely and you'll see a L. clerkella cocoon towards the tip of the leaf in the first picture. Is the other feeding damage on both leaves that of Apple Leaf Skeletonizer (Choreutis pariana) or is the damage to both leaves the work of a single species? Grateful for any input from the experts. Thanks.

Several Phyllonorycter tristrigella mines on Elm suckers found at Roughmoor today.

I've tended not to trap this time of the year but last night gave it a go (must have been the enthusiasm generated by the AGM!). The result was 10 moths of 7 species. FFY were Feathered Thorn (2), December Moth (first for 6 years), The Chestnut and Yellow-lined Quaker (only my 2nd since 2011). Also of interest was my latest ever Large Yellow Underwing. Perhaps I need to trap more over winter!

Well that's two more than I got Paul! Absolutely nothing in or around the trap here this morning.

What a waste of time, effort and electricity - just 1 each Blair's Shoulder-knot and Beaded Chestnut were the sum total of last night's "catch".  Harrumph.

I made use of the couple of hours' bright sunlight after the AGM today to take a walk through Swell Woods and also along the river at Langport.

A number of leaf-miners on willows at Langport including the unusual Phyllocnistis saligna which mines the twigs as well as the leaves.

Plenty of green island leaf-mines in Swell Wood, including this Ectoedemia subbimaculella mine.  I did not notice the small Bucculatrix ulmella mine towards the left until I saw the photograph.

The Death's Head larva which Sally Pizii found in Fivehead in August emerged yesterday - just in time for our AGM this morning! Much admired by all - I'm grateful to Sally for allowing me to exhibit and later photograph the moth, a magnificent female, which I'll release this evening in the hope that it will find favourable winds and make it back to the Med!

Female Death's Head Hawk-moth Acherontia atropos from larva found in Fivehead

Detail of head of the moth - amazing claws!

A very wet and windy night for the last night of the summer GMS produced just four moths but one was FFY Feathered Thorn and one was a lifer for me 1157 Crocidosema plebejana.

No migrants here either apart from a Silver Y, but a reasonable show, 30 moths of 14 autumn species, including 2 Spruce Carpets, Cypress Carpet, 2 Yellow-line Quakers, FFY 2 Sprawlers and a Brick.

A good number of resident moths last night but no sign of the migrants that appear to be all over the rest of the county. I like looking at Potland Observatory's moth report because I often get a trickle of what they catch. They're catching good numbers of quality migrants but even with southerly winds I'm still not seeing even a single Silver Y.
The Oak Rustic is a great find. Hopefully now that it has reached Langport it can spread out over the whole of the county

Last night was a great improvement on a run of poorish catches - Cypress Carpet, Feathered Thorn and Sprawler all ffy among the residents - and several migrants; a Rush Veneer, 2 Silver Y, a Scarce Bordered Straw and a Pearly Underwing, but what appears to be the first Somerset record of Oak Rustic Dryobota labecula. I didn't see it this morning but as I was emptying the trap this evening it came out from under a dead leaf!

722.223 (BF 2246a) Oak Rustic Dryobota labecula from Langport, 4 November 2015. Sorry about the initial misspelling of the scientific name - my computer 'knows best'!

27 moths of 15 species last night including a Tebenna micalis that James McGill has kindly confirmed for me. My Micro Moth Field Guide says it is an 'immigrant that occasionally becomes temporarily established'.





Other species last night: Tachystola acroxantha, Crocidosema plebejana, Agonopterix alstromeriana, Eudonia angustea, Rush Veneer (2), Feathered Thorn (6), Green-brindled Crescent, November Moth agg. (5), Cypress Carpet (2), Red-green Carpet, Silver Y, Common Marbled Carpet (2), LYU and Lesser YU.

A damp night with T Min 12.2°C. Just nine moths of eight species including a nice fresh Silver Y and, like Paul, a late Willow Beauty; my latest by over three weeks in fact.

A slight improvement in numbers last night, but still not very exciting. 15 moths, of 8 species, were all that could be bothered to brave the drizzle, with Feathered Thorn (3) the only FFY, and a very late Willow Beauty was a bit of a surprise.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 12 degrees and still foggy.

46 moths of 21 species including FFY - a Gem, our first since 2006.  It was a good night for migrants as we also had P. vitrealis (2), Vestal (2) Rusty-dot Pearly (2 ) and a Pearly Underwing.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 10.2 degrees and foggy.

33 moths of 13 species. No migrants but we had a site first - a Brown-spot Pinion whish I was glad to get as I saw it regularly in Northumberland.  We also got a a Flounced Chestnut - a first since 2009.

I've not trapped for a couple of weeks but found a nice, pale Vestal on an outside drainpipe this morning.

Only nine moths of seven species last night: Large Wainscot, Merveille du Jour, Feathered Thorn (3), Yellow-line Quaker, Lunar Underwing, November Moth agg., and this beautifully coloured Vestal

Robin Clatworthy took a specimen of Spoladea (Hymenia) recurvalis in Merriott on Sunday night - just photographed it this afternoon. It would appear to be the first record for Somerset.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 11.3 degrees and very foggy.

51 moths of 21 species including several migrants, Vestal (2), Scarce Bordered Straw (2) and a very fresh Rush Veneer.

On saturday night I found a Ni Moth flying around in my Kitchen which must have come through the window from the previous nights trapping. It's the first one I've trapped since July 2006.

Ni Moth

22 moths 15 species. 2 FFGs - Pink barred sallow and a Golden twin-spot. I also am getting Setaceous hebrew characters in good numbers, 3 last night. Singles of Red and Yellow line Quaker, Feathered ranunculus, Feathered thorn and Green brindled crescent made for an interesting haul.

James McGill emailed me yesterday to say that he had been back in the county again last week and had trapped a Gem, Small Mottled Willow and a late Orange Sallow on Saturday night and found this beautifully fresh Convolvulus Hawk-moth on the fence in the morning. Last time he came back he had a Clifden Nonpareil! Talk about luck!

Exciting times - 10(!!) moths of 7 species, including a FFY Yellow-line Quaker, and very late Setaceous Hebrew Characters (2 - both lookng a bit care-worn), and a Rush Veneer in good condition. One pristine and beautifully marked Autumnal/November Moth I nearly didn't see, as it was very well camouflaged on the (lias) wall of the house near the trap. At least the birds didn't see it before I did.

Stuart Morling found a Clifden Nonpareil in his garden on 31st October.

Clifden Nonpareil Catocala fraxini ©Stuart Morling

Examples of Stigmella tityrella and S. hemargyrella mines on Beech from Hill Farm this afternoon.

Stigmella tityrella

Stigmella hemargyrella

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 8.5 degrees

13 species including a first of the autumn brood of Grey/dark Dagger.