.jpg)
AUTUMN MOTHING In Autumn, the numbers in the garden moth trap begin to dwindle as colder nights, more frequent rain and stronger winds mean fewer moths on the wing. The chances of getting zero species, or a 'Wogan' ('Blankety Blank' ) as it is known in mothing parlance, increases considerably. However, the mothing community is a very sympathetic one and online solace can soon be found as long as one does not spend too long looking enviously at the incredible hauls being displayed elsewhere. Thus far, I have been spared the empty trap but, rather like watching the 'Pointless' countdown, the egg boxes which fill the trap as cover for the moths, have lately been removed, one by one, with a growing sense of dismay and it has only been right at the bottom that a few hardy individuals have graced the process. To be fair to the moths, the garden nectar bank is beginning to run into the red by October, with only the few sturdy flowerings of cosmos, evening primrose,...