The year in moths

Yes, it's the year in moths! Here we go, straight in, no long-winded preamble.

My January moth is this little squitter, Agonopteryx heracliana. And what a moth!

My February is this, the Brindled Beauty, a right handsome beast, first recorded 12th Feb.

March - well, it has to be, the March Moth, scarce in my garden but a nice one. First record 5th March!

My April is this Early Grey, very common at a time when other moths were quite scarce in a cold spring.

My May is the impressive Swallow Prominent, actually seen in small numbers all through the summer.

My June is the incomparable Elephant Hawk, now for me the moth of early summer evenings.

My July is the White Satin Moth. Can ya see it?

In August the moths often get a bit more drab, typified here by The Suspected. I was very excited by this one!

September's moths are mostly brown, but this sweetie is A Frosted Orange, good enough to eat.

October - most would choose the good old Merveille-du-Jour, but I went for this smashing Large Ranunculus, a real corker.

November - the nights draw in, and the geometers get drawn to the soft light of windows rather than the moth trap. This is my fave, a Scarce Umber.

December - a hibernating Herald Moth all ready for next spring. So am I!

So, all in all it ended up at 436 moths in the garden - amazed to see I crept in at sixth place on the Garden Moth Challenge scoreboard. What a year, cannae wait for 2014!