Top 10

In my most humble of opinions, 2011 hasn't been a very good year for moths. Putting aside a brief period of mouth-watering migration moth activity back in early October, resident moths have been way down in numbers. In the garden alone, over 20 usually 'common' species simply never put in an appearance, and those that did decide to show their antennae, turned up only in ones or twos in most cases.

Despite this, the garden produced a healthy total of around 350 species, and I've just about managed to cut it down to make a little 'Top 10' for this year's garden moths...

10) One of the more stunning species to be on the wing in early spring, and fortunatly, one of the commonest, this Oak Beauty made me go back for a second glance when I caught it in early March...

9) Many-plume moth has about the same rarity status as a Blue tit, and so most moth-ers simply ignore it when going through a trap. On a cold morning in April, my trap was completely empty, apart from this fella. Not wanting to accept defeat I took a few shots of it for the record, and only then did the delicate individual feathered plumes really become visible...

8) No other moth can depict the colours of Autumn as well as the Barred Sallow. Despite this one not being in the best of shape, you can't help but admire the shades of pink, brown, orange and yellow that allow it to merge in with the dying leaves during its daytime roost. And just as you thought it couldn't get any better, it also happens to be a garden tick. Get in...

7) The name was enough to get this moth into the top 10, but the fact that its pretty rare is always a nice bonus. Just 10 years ago, Hoary Footman was confined to the sea cliffs of the South west coastline, but more recently, has taken to the London area by storm, with a recent upsurge of moths into Surrey. 4 were seen in the garden this year, one in July; two in August and one in September.

6) The Old Lady is up there with one of those animals that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Its built like a tank, and is the closest your going to get to the David Haye of the moth world. When I saw the silouette of the one below pelting towards me at 30mph, it did make me start to question my hobby for a few brief seconds before the moth impacted with my face. Still failing to see the resemblance between a moth and an elderly woman.

5) One of the rarer moths I've caught was this Small Ranunculus, a species that has been subject to massive population fluctuations in Britain. For 60 years, it was believed to be extinct, until a pair turned up in Kent in 1997, and a subsequent population established itself around the Thames. Since then, its managed to spread northwards, and so it was only going to be a matter of time before one turned up in the garden.

4) The prize for the most numerous moth of 2011 goes to this little bugger; or as its more scientifically known, Cameraria ohridella, the infamous Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner. In total, almost 1000 were caught from May-September, twice the number of all other species combined. As in hinted in the name, the caterpillar of the species mines the leaves of Horse Chestnut, causing them to lose their leaves early, and leaving the tree (no puns intended) more succeptible to disease. Originally sighted in Britain in 2003, you'll be lucky to find a tree that isn't infested with the moths, and the increase in numbers caught in the garden this year only reflect a national problem. Nuke 'em all, I say.  

3) Oak Processionary is another controversal character in the moth world, and like the above leaf miner, is believed to have been accidently imported when a batch of mainland European oak containing the toxic hair releasing caterpillar of the species, was delivered to a housing estate in Kew. The male depicted below is the second garden record, after I caught the first back on 7th August, and tried (very unfunnily) to make a joke out of the whole situation. Luckily, its not spreading as fast as the Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner, and is still relatively unknown in Britain. The males of the species have been known to migrate, so the jury is still out on whether this one is from Kew or Germany (although I secretly want it to be the latter)...

2) One of the undoubled highlights of the year was spending a June afternoon in the garden pretending to be a virgin female Clearwing. Just about bordering on the lines of what is generally considered socially acceptable, it did provided me with a rare opportunity to view these secretive moths. As well as the Yellow-legged Clearwings which came to the pheromones in force, a lone Orange-tailed Clearwing also crashed the party- one of the scarcer of the family usuall only found on chalk downland... 

1) There was never any competition for the moth that would top the table. This moth is the very definition of a rare immigrant, with only a few records beginning to emerge in the early part of the 21st century, and all originating from the across the Channel. When I caught it on 29th August, I knew it was something special, but I wasn't quite ready for the county recorder to tell me that I'd caught the first record of Jersey Mocha for Surrey. Almost made the 7am check through the trap worthwhile.

I've added a photo montage of even more of this year's highlights in a link on the right hand side of the page.