Norfolk moths: Rockland St. Peter garden, 16 November 2013

The night of 16 November was the warmest dry night for ten days or so and nearly windless. After an empty trap on 7 November, I had decided to avoid using it on the cold nights, and I steeled myself for the results. It was 8.1°C at 19h30, 6.0°C at 22h00 and 6.3°C at 06h30. A full moon made for a bright start to the night - it was still shining brightly when I turned in at 23h00 - but by 05h30 a light mist was falling on the trap and the moon was obscured.

Despite the reduced catch, there were two new species. By 19h00, I had already seen a couple of December Moths resting outside the trap. At 05h30 an attractive bright orange geometrid came into the light and then settled on the gravel a few feet from the trap. This proved to be a male Scarce Umber, which unfortunately flew away while I was trying to photograph it later in the morning.

♂ December Moth Poecilocampa populi

Macro-moths (4 moths of 3 spp.); no micros:-

Poecilocampa populi	December Moth	2
Colotois pennaria	Feathered Thorn	1
Agriopis aurantiaria	Scarce Umber	1