The Last, last post.............

I must learn to be a little more patient! It's not all my fault though,the forecast said it was going to be really cold. In practice the conditions are very similar to last night, so a quick reccy produced this. It's the first one since 18th January and a welcome surprise...........

Northern Winter Moth

The Last Post...........28/12

................Well, for this year at least. The temperature was at a virtually tropical 6°C after dark, so I was lucky enough to find 2 of these by the trap this morning......Happy New Year to all and good luck for 2011.

Winter Moth

Get 'em while you can!.....10/12

Before it gets unbearably cold again next week I decided to look around The Lodge (The RSPB's headquarters) for Winter flying moths. High on the priority list was the Mottled Umber, which I found 3 of. All clinging to the sides of the many buildings on the complex. The one pictured was on the Avocet building on a window.

Mottled Umber

 

As the temperature was stable all night at 6°C I also put out a 30w Actinic/UV at home. This resulted in my 2nd December Moth as well as another Winter Moth. I've put 2 traps out tonight in the hopes of finding a Mottled Umber for the garden.

 December Moth

This could be about it for a little while as we're back in the freezer again next week!

World's Hardiest Moths........4/12

These have to be some of the toughest moths alive after a week where temperatures have barely risen over freezing. After Karen found 1 on the outside of the glazed kitchen door I decided to put the trap on. Later on another appeared in the same place, though there was nothing in the trap the next morning. At the time they were found it was no warmer than 3°C so maybe after so much exceptionally cold weather they decided to come out as it felt comparatively warm? If you believe in reincarnation, you wouldn't want to come back as a Winter Moth! Imagine living through the festive period without being able to drink or eat..............

Winter Moth

These are the 1st ones I've seen since I caught a few in January and could well be the last moths of any species caught this year. Other than some indoor micros they are also the only moths I've caught in December.