Everyone reported very low numbers of moths and on many occasions throughout the course of 2016, we (as did many others) turned the trap off early some nghts. Other nights we never even bothered, as after being such a poor Spring and Summer for moths, it was easy to find an excuse not to even switch the trap on in the first place.

And while conservation organisations continually go on about the decline in numbers of our moths and butterflies, it was almost certainly down to the weather producing lower numbers in 2016.

Larval cases of Dahlica lichenella were found early in the year on a small roadside bridge at Sookholme and on a wooden fence at Hills and Holes SSSI at Market Warsop, but then turned up later in the Summer on the road bridge running over Day Brook near Nottingham City Hospital. This was the first record of Dahlica lichenella from anywhere south of Mansfield.

Trapping from the confines of our terraced garden really did seem confined on some nights, but we again recorded Argyresthia cupressella (first recorded new to VC56 last year) from our Market Warsop garden, but a single Isophrictis striatella (above) to MV light on 21/07/16 was very unexpected and a moth we had recorded as new to Nottinghamshire in 2015. It is almost certainly under recorded in the county and the adults should be looked for on Tansy flowers late in the Summer.

The Plume moth Marasmarcha lunaedactyla seems to be increasing its Nottinghamshire range in recent years, where it is probably benefitting from the developing flora on our former collieries. We recorded a second garden record on 23/07/16. Other notable micros from the garden this year were a Galleria mellonella (Wax Moth) to MV light on 24/08/16 and Ephestia elutella (Cacao Moth) on 16/07/16.

The cases were originally thought to be those of Psychoides filicivora, which has been recorded from a nearby Mapperley garden and so a few were collected and reared through, producing adults in late May.

We have since recorded this Psychoides verhuella from Little Carter Lane at Mansfield and under a railway bridge at King's Clipstone.

The larval cases of Psychoides filicivora were also found again in a garden at Mapperley, King's Clipstone (alongside the cases of Psychoides verhuella) and in the grounds of Southwell Minster.

The larva initially mine the leaves, later forming a cone by rolling the leaf downwards from the tip. An adventive species, currently spreading north throughout the UK and now probably fairly widespread in parks and suburban gardens in Nottinghamshire.

Other notable records during the year were Coleophora limosipennella, which was first recorded as being new to Nottinghamshire in 2007, when a larval case was found at Bunny (per Dave Budworth). There appear to have been no further records until we found three larval cases at different stages of development, on a small Elm growing along Peafield Lane near Market Warsop in early June.

Late May saw the biggest arrival of Diamond-back Moths to hit the southern and eastern UK coasts since 2006 and by June 1st, they were widespread across much of Nottinghamshire. We recorded our first of the year with two at Mansfield Crematorium on 01/06/16, immediately followed by one in our Market Warsop garden the same day. We ran the moth trap for an hour between 23:30 and 00:30h later that night and recorded 21 Diamond-back Moths (Plutella xylostella) despite the very windy conditions and a few days later, recorded 50 Diamond-back Moths during the day at Rainworth Heath on 04/06/16.

Despite the vast numbers of Diamond-back Moths arriving in Spring, there was to be no sign of high numbers later in the Summer, so the pesticides used in agriculture certainly did their job this year.

Other notables recorded away from home, included a fine Pale Pinion (Lithophane socia) on the wall of a petrol station in Forest Town on 07/05/16 and three Juniper Carpet (Thera juniperata) near the entrance to the Endoscopy Unit at Nottingham City Hospital in October.

Several Burnet Companion (Euclidia glyphica) were noted at Gedling CP on two dates in May, with another at Warsop Main Pit Top on 15/06/16 - a site we have never recorded Burnet Companion from before and lastly, a fine male Oak Eggar (Lasiocampa quercus) was something of a surprise at Wellow Park on 17/07/16.