Sharing the results from my latest Moth Trap Session. I have written posts about setting up a moth trap and on collecting the results if you want some more background info on how and why I use a Moth Trap
Its been a long old Winter (and Covid hasn't helped) but tonight is the first session of Moth Trapping again, and I have really missed it. Its still quite cold here in the UK at the moment, but the sun is shining, and I have seen some insects basking in the afternoon sunshine, so Spring is around the corner!
Date: 5th March 2021
Weather: Fairly chilly but expected considering the time of year. There is light cloud cover with a low chance of rain expected and a cold breeze from the East. Conditions aren't brilliant to be honest, but I did see a small Plume Moth on the way to work the other day, and the first Butterflies have been spotted so its time I got started.
Cloudy but dry weather forecast...
Moth Pots at the ready
(as I see moths I put them in small pots as the evening progresses, which helps me to identify them and count them)
They will all be released later this evening or tomorrow evening.
Dusk is falling, time to light up!
This is the first session, and at this time of year there are only a few species of moth to be seen, most of them are linked to established Woodland Habitats, but there is always a chance to see something... so I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Results: 1 moth of 1 species
Summary of Results:
Success! I actually have a moth!
This is a Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)
Just the one moth, and very common round here but no matter, they all count! I can now add this to my spreadsheet for this years records
Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
While I am here I will share an image of a Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla (which I took last year). This was seen while walking home from work a few nights ago.
And thats that! It was good to get off the mark with my Moth recording for 2021, I'll be back next week to see if I can see any others!
Notes on Pictures: Since I started moth trapping 4 years ago, I have been slowly building up collection of Library Images. The idea being that once I have taken a picture of a particular species of Moth, I don't need another picture of the same species a year later. It’s a waste of time and energy. I only take pictures of new species, or of moths that are difficult to ID, so I can get the records verified.
While in my care, all individuals are looked after, and after Photographs have been taken, they are all released safely outside.
All names confirmed and checked via Wikispieces
Thank you for reading, I hope you found it interesting.
If you have any thoughts or opinions on this article then I'd love to see your comments.
And if you really like the content then maybe you would like to upvote or re-hive it.
All Photos taken by 
Check out my website for more of my work.