Country diary: The muted beauty of moth-trapping in November | Susie White

Allendale, Northumberland: It's not too late to set the trap for some wonderful species - not least the remarkable angle shades mothLast night was forecast to be wet, but I set the moth trap anyway, hoping a temperature of 10C would encourage species that are active in November. Some moths can fly in the rain, thanks to the super-hydrophobicity of their wings, which are angled like sloping roofs, their microscopic scales the overlapping tiles so that water droplets simply roll off. Wind may be a problem for them, but rain isn't.First I check the wall next to the trap and am delighted to find my first December moth of the season. Despite its name, I'm more likely to find the handsome Poecilocampa populi in November. I can tell this is a male from its resplendent antennae, comb?shaped to increase the surface area with which to detect female pheromones at a great distance. A furry head like a Cossack hat, wings cloaked in charcoal grey and russet with cream cross lines, it is well insulated against the cold. My garden being close to woodland and, with their larvae feeding on broad-leaved trees, I've recorded December moths every winter since I've been sending data to the Garden Moth Scheme. Continue reading...