Norfolk moths: Rockland St. Peter garden, 6 October 2013

After a glorious warm, sunny day, the night of 6 October was cloudless and cool with neither wind nor moon. After a day-time high of close to 20°C, the temperature had dropped to 10.2°C by 21h00 and was 7.5°C when I turned off the trap at 06h30. The only sound in the pre-dawn was the call of a solitary Redwing, flying south - the first of the year for Rocklands.

The cool night reduced moth activity slightly. There was only one new species, the long-awaited Merveille du Jour, which is every bit the marvel its name suggests. It came in early: by 21h00 it was perched on the perspex entrance to the trap, just below the light. I gently nudged it into the trap, but by dawn it was back in its original spot, having escaped! This common species, whose larvae feed on oak buds, flowers and leaves, is probably new for me since I have not trapped into the autumn in the UK before.

Merveille du Jour Dichonia aprilina

Macro-moths (62 moths of 18 spp.); no micros:-

Larentia clavaria	Mallow	1
Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	4
Thera obeliscata	Grey Pine Carpet	1
Colotois pennaria	Feathered Thorn	1
Noctua pronuba	Large Yellow Underwing	3
Xestia c-nigrum	Setaceous Hebrew Character	3
Aporophyla nigra	Black Rustic	3
Lithophane leautieri	Blair's Shoulder-knot	1
Allophyes oxyacanthae	Green-brindled Crescent	1
Dichonia aprilina	Merveille du Jour	1
Agrochola lota	Red-line Quaker	2
Agrochola litura	Brown-spot Pinion	4
Agrochola lychnidis	Beaded Chestnut	31
Omphaloscelis lunosa	Lunar Underwing	1
Xanthia aurago	Barred Sallow	1
Xanthia togata	Pink-barred Sallow	1
Xanthia icteritia	Sallow	2
Hydraecia micacea	Rosy Rustic	1