This little fella landed on my computer desk a little while ago. That's more moths than I've trapped for weeks. Fairly sure it's M. substrigella but I'm open to correction if it's not.

A report on Twitter of a December Moth, 6 Sprawlers & 2 Winter Moths around one outside light in Combwich this morning. Just confirms what a bad thing security lighting is for moths.

https://twitter.com/Jynx_37/status/803185716171718658

I found an example of Scrobipalpa costella at Ham Wall RSPB today. A poor photo but that's my thumb in the picture so I was holding the camera one handed. The sun brought out the Red Admirals too and eight were recorded on Ivy.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 4 degrees

Only three moths a Chestnut, a December Moth and FFY a Scarce Umber.

One male Winter Moth in the kitchen last night.  First for the season, but not FFY (actually only the second this year !)

Yesterday morning I was amazed to find a moth on the wall by our security light. It had managed to survive a very wet and windy night so I potted it for later release. It later played dead but came to life after dark, when I released it. To my surprise, it was an FFG Mottled Umber! Garden list is now up to 499.

Disturbed an Agonopterix arenella while gardening this afternoon. Not a common one here. Agon. heracliana agg and Agon. alstromeriana coming in with the fire wood.

Impossible to get a good photo due to the position of the moth between wall and ceiling and the limitations of my bridge camera. This Mompha subbistrigella has been living in my bedroom for a week now, they hibernate as adults so it may well spend the whole winter with me.

Yes, Jane, there has been a reported shortage of wasps this summer, although we have had two nests in our orchard area/small emerging woodland.  Oddly enough, although they were only about 30 yards apart, we actually saw relatively few comings and goings to and from the nests.  I suspect that numbers were depressed by the cold start to the summer.  On the other hand, our hornets' nest in the old bird-box seemed to have been quite successful - maybe they were preying on the smaller wasps !

Be glad Paul...I've only had wasps for weeks..many of them queens.  It's particularly odd as we feel we've had very few wasps around generally this year.  Today though I had a moth...x1 Acleris sparsana.

I had a surprisingly good night for November with 35 macros of 9 species. These included a Cypress Carpet, 2 Yellow Lined Quakers, 3 November Moths (agg), 3 Red-green Carpets, a Green Brindled Crescent, a Common Marbled Carpet, 2 December Moths and a late Barred Sallow. The bulk of the catch was made up of 21 Feathered Thorns. This is more than I have ever recorded in total for any year in just one night.

A slightly disappointing night, given the mildness and dampness, but the full(ish) moon doesn't help.  The catch just struggled into double figures - 12 moths of 6 species , all in the MV trap, including 5 Feathered Thorns, 2 each Light brown Apple Moths and Beaded Chestnuts, and singles of Green-brindled Crescent, November agg, and (FFY) Red-green Carpet.  The most remarkable thing however, was a Queen Common Wasp, clearly looking for somewhere to hibernate and took a wrong turning somewhere.

Just 4 Feathered Thorns, a Dark Chestnut and a Rusty-dot Pearl in the garden trap last night- quite a disappointment for a warm damp night. At least the Dark Chestnut was only the second for here. Don't put the trap to bed just yet Rob!

The forecast last night looked OK but I had just 8 moths of 4 species, 4 of them on the wall rather than in the trap - Diamond-back Moth (my first November record), Mompha subbistrigella, Light Brown Apple Moth (4) and Feathered Thorn (2). Perhaps it's time to put the trap to bed for the winter!

My species list this year is 282, surprisingly just 6 short of last year considering the conditions this year.

No trapping of late but I managed to find Acleris sparsana on the wall of the house today. Only my second record, and first in November.

15 moths of 6 species.  Spruce Carpet (3) ; Red-green Carpet (2) ; Common Marbled Carpet (2) ; November Moth agg. (1) ; Feathered Thorn (2) and Yellow-line Quaker (5)

A single actinic run in the woods.  A good night -

Feathered Thorn (18)
Red-green Carpet (7)
Yellow-line Quaker (6)
Brick
Common Plume
December Moth
Grey Pine Carpet
Satellite
Acleris sparsana

The forecast was for a dry, cold night with low but not frosty temperatures.  Not so !!  Early drizzle, later frost with light fog.  In the event it was barely worth the effort - just 3 Feathered Thorns and a Caddis in the MV trap, nothing at all in the Actinic.

Tenanted Stigmella tityrella mine on a fallen Beech leaf at Hatch Hill this afternoon.

Still warm and sunny here but not a lot of moths around the patio lamp, commonest - Dark Mottled Willow, Cypress Carpet, Grass Webworm and Palpita vitrealis.

Sub-zero temperatures last night. Caught NO MOTHS!

I have just found a Common Plume (E.monodactyla) in my greenhouse whilst clearing my tomato plants.

P. messaniella mines on Sweet Chestnut at Frieze Hill LNR today and those of P. schreberella and P. tristrigella on Elm at Netherclay LNR.

P. messaniella

P. schreberella

P. tristrigella

Just 9 moths of 7 species this time, and the only one of interest (to me) was a Dark Chestnut, the first here since March 2009.  I had fair numbers of this moth in 2005/6 when I first moved to Lydford, but since then this is only the third record.  No idea why this should be, as the larval food plants are readily available.  A little bit less interesting was an extremely late and quite badly worn Large Yellow Underwing, almost the latest one I have ever recorded.

Ian, you clearly do well with Black Rustic. It's much less common here. My figures for the last 5 years are:

2011 - 1, 2012 - 1, 2013 - 8, 2014 -2, 2015 - 3.

Fewer trapping sessions this autumn may be a factor, possibly also subtle habitat differences.  It's all fascinating!

Only 10 moths last night but this did include a male Gem.

Rob, I'm amazed that you haven't recorded a Black Rustic yet this year. We both live in similar countryside about 12 miles from each other and you seem to record similar moths to me. Every year Black Rustic is one of the most common autumn moths seen here. I recorded my first on 9th September and have recorded at least one in each of my last twenty trappings. Last night's singleton was my 80th of the year. Can anyone explain the discrepancy for such a common moth?

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 3.9 degrees

20 moths of ten species including FFY - a December Moth.

The forecast of overnight cloud failed to materialise, leaving a clear night. So my 13 moths of 7 species wasn't too bad! FFY were Red-green Carpet (first for 5 years and only my 3rd record), Feathered Thorn and Merveille du Jour (2, the first time I've had more than one, both were in the trap). A single Large Yellow Underwing was my second latest record for this species. Beaded Chestnut was the most numerous species (4). I've yet to get any Black Rustics this year.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 7.9 degrees

31 October

5 moths of four species including FFY - a Dark Chestnut.

Not as cold as I had thought it was going to be, and a new moon as well, but the moths still stayed away - just 5 singletons, Black Rustic, Beaded Chestnut, Yellow-line Quaker, Feathered Thorn, and Figure of Eight.