From zero to hero...Autumn kicks in Last night I ran the trap after a warm and breezy day with highs of 18 degrees, the night was expected to hold up at around 13 degrees minimum, in fact it went one degree better than that and today we have hit 20 degrees which is just lovely for the weekend.

The Humming-bird Hawk-moth continues to visit our Buddleia bush most nights here at around 5.30pm, in fact it has been so regular it's been turning up 10 out of the last 15 evenings including during the day-time today and occasionally early morning at 6.30am which i've never experienced before.

Onto the catch last night and it was pretty much breath-taking with 31 species by the morning. 11 Dusky Thorns was just silly, the most i've ever recorded in one trap with my previous highest just 4.

Black Rustic, Large Ranunculus and Brindled Green were all new for the year and all 3 I didn't record last year.

Beaded Chestnut was also a new moth for the year and my earliest ever recorded by 1 day. On the smaller moth front, another Acleris laterana comariana was most welcome and which is such a pretty little Tortrix with delicate scale tufts. They have done very well in my garden this year with 6 records and out of those i'm hoping at least one is Acleris comariana which will be a new garden record.

The one last night which I thought was one.... is a form of Acleris variegana that i've never seen before.

A second garden record of Hypsopygia glaucinalis was also great to see after only recording this species this year for the first time.

Catch Report - 22/09/17 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

1x Beaded Chestnut [NFY] 1x Black Rustic [NFY] 1x Brindled Green [NFY] 1x Large Ranunculus [NFY] 2x Angle Shades 3x Brimstone Moth 5x Common Marbled Carpet 11x Dusky Thorn 1x Garden Carpet 1x Humming-bird Hawk-moth (5.30pm) 27x Large Yellow Underwing 5x Lesser Yellow Underwing 2x Light Emerald 7x Lunar Underwing 2x Pale Mottled Willow 1x Sallow 5x Setaceous Hebrew Character 1x Snout 1x Straw Dot 3x Square-spot Rustic 2x Turnip Moth 3x Vine's Rustic 8x Willow Beauty

Micro Moths

1 Epinotia nisella [NFY] 1x Acleris variegana 1x Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1x Celypha lacunana 1x Emmelina monodactyla 5 Epiphyas postvittana 1x Hypsopygia glaucinalis