From a moth trapping/recording perspective, our garden list increased by 25 new species, so that by the end of the year, the total number of species recorded from the garden was 457.

Our first moth of 2018 was Amblyptilia acanthadactyla to our garden MV on January 28th. It was an early record for any moth in our garden and was technically a good start to the year.

Cerastis rubricosa Red Chestnut and Anorthoa munda Twin-spotted Quaker both arrived on 18/04/18, and after an unexpectedly long wait, we finally added Conistra vaccinii Chestnut on 04/05/18. Soon after, we recorded singles of both Dyseriocrania subpurpurella on 08/05/18 and Lampropteryx suffumata Water Carpet on 11/05/18 for the first time and with Swammerdamia caesiella appearing on 15/05/18, Spring had turned out to be considerably more productive than our initial expectations.

Luquetia lobella is (we presume) an uncommon moth in Nottinghamshire, as the only other recent example we know of was attracted to MV light operated in Phil Lee's Misterton garden on 06/06/13, almost five years earlier to the day.

Surprisingly, our run of new species dried up until a month later, when garden additions and their occurrences included the following species. Protodeltote pygarga Marbled White Spot and Geometra papilionaria Large Emerald both on 04/07/18, Cataclysta lemnata Small China Mark 07/07/18, Euzophera pinguis 13/07/18 and Argyresthia bonnetella on 16/07/18.

Gold Spangle is a moth of north-western parts of the UK, but regarded as a migrant to southern and eastern counties. In Nottinghamshire, it occurs either as a rare wanderer from populations in the north-west of the UK, or possibly as a migrant. The county recorder currently regards it as a 'sporadic resident' but in view of two moths occurring at separate sites on the same date in July 2013 (these at the time being the first in Nottinghamshire since 1993) then it seems to us that any Gold Spangle in the county, could just as likely be of continental origin. However, there seemed to be very few other records from elsewhere in the UK at the time to back this up.

There was strong evidence of some dispersal/movement of typical wetland species, with Arenostola phragmitidis Fen Wainscot, Archanara dissoluta Brown-veined Wainscot and Lenisa geminipuncta Twin-spotted Wainscot trapped on 05/08/18. Both Fen Wainscot and Brown-veined Wainscot were new to the garden list, as were the two Epermenia falciformis which also arrived at the light. These were followed by another Epermenia falciformis and Agriphila latistria on 18/08/18.

The rest of the Autumn proved to be quiet and there were often very few moths flying on what seemed to be promising conditions. Phyllonorycter geniculella on 15/09/18 and Agrochola macilenta Yellow-line Quaker on 16/10/18, were the only other species to be recorded as new to the garden in 2018. But 25 new species for the year was a healthy total and we continue to creep slowly towards the 500 mark.

Less common moths we recorded at home in 2019 were Coenobia rufa Small Rufous on 16/07/18, Dypterygia scabriuscula Bird's-wing on 02/06/18, the appropriately named Laspeyria flexula Beautiful Hook-tip on 07/07/18 and the attractive Cyclophora punctaria Maiden's Blush and much less attractive Prays ruficeps on 01/09/18. A mild opening to December, provided a single Operophtera brunata Winter Moth on 01/12/18, which was not the last moth to be recorded. That honour went to a single Epiphyas postvittana Light Brown Apple Moth trapped on a very mild 26/12/18.

Despite 2019 being a good year nationally for migrants, the numbers we recorded were a little disappointing. A total of only 14 Plutella xylostella Diamond-back Moth turned up at our garden MV and just three Macroglossum stellatarum Hummingbird Hawk-moth, included adults nectaring at Valerian (Centranthus sp) in the garden on 07/06/18 and from Verbena bonariensis on 22/09/18 and again on 23/09/18. Another was recorded nectaring from Honeysuckle at Burns Lane in Market Warsop on 31/08/18, but we had expected more. A total of 205 Autographa gamma Silver Y were recorded on numerous dates between 24/05/18 (Clipstone Old Quarter) and 18/10/18 (garden) but most evening counts of nectaring individuals were only in single figures. Peak counts were at the end of May and early June.

There appear to be very few modern records listed for Lampronia luzella in Nottinghamshire that we can trace. Reported to be a scarce moth nationally, it is only recently been recorded from Misson Carr in the north of the county and from Wellow Park, which is much closer to home. Our second record from Wellow Park, came when we netted an adult on 03/06/18, just yards from the location of our other record there in 2011, both being caught during the day.

An adult Argyresthia cupressella was hastily potted when it finally settled on a Cupressocyparis leylandii hedge at Brookfield's Garden Centre at Mapperley on 05/06/18. We recorded this moth new to Nottinghamshire from our back garden in 2015 and recorded it in both subsequent years, but only had the one record this year on 08/06/18.

We recorded the Gelechid Apodia bifractella again from Fleabane flowers at Warsop Main Pit Top on 11/08/18, with another welcome record the Plume moth Hellinsia osteodactylus recorded there on 20/07/18. Another small colony of the distinctive Marasmarcha lunaedactyla, was found close by at Warsop Vale on 30/06/18 and the much more common Emmelina monodactyla was recorded within the confines of our garden on many dates between 19/02/18 and 26/12/18, which ironically were the same inclusive dates for Epiphyas postvittana Light Brown Apple Moth.

We again recorded Ephestia elutella Cacao Moth at home, with singles found indoors on 06/09/18 and 09/09/18. A much rarer Ephestia was Nottinghamshire's first documented record of Ephestia kuehniella Mediterranean Flour Moth (above right), found on the wall of the Idle Valley Visitor Centre by Melanie Newman in early December 2018. Thankfully the specimen was retained and the moth's identification was later determined by gen det examination by the county's micromoth recorder Dave Budworth.

Continuing with the 'new to Notts' theme and the long wait for Nottinghamshire's first record of Cydalima perspectalis Box Tree Moth came from Sean Tobin's MV light at Bestwood Village on 05/07/18. Originally an Asian species, Box Tree Moth was first recorded from the UK as recently as 2008 and was probably introduced here via the horticultural trade. It is firmly established in the London area and now seems to be spreading rapidly north. Regarded as a pest species of Box (Buxus sp), the Bestwood Village record occurred about a fortnight before another was recorded by David and Veronica McGeever at Ravenshead on 17/07/18. Then quite remarkably, a third was trapped by Rob Woodward on 10/10/18 at the Bagthorpe Garden Allotments in Sherwood, Nottingham.

Other adventive, or accidentally introduced moths will no doubt appear in the UK, colonise and spread north over the next few years. There are some moths already in the very process of doing this, but some species locally that are possibly showing signs of decline. It could just be natural fluctuations in local populations of some species and its certainly interesting to monitor numbers or species occurrences annually.

As far as we were concerned, 2018 saw low (or much reduced numbers) of a range of larger moths. Among the list were Opisthograptis luteolata Brimstone, Petrophora chlorosata Brown Silver-line, Hypena proboscidalis Snout, Herminia tarsipennalis Fan-foot, Eilema griseola Dingy Footman, Eilema lurideola Common Footman, Eilema complana Scarce Footman, Acronicta psi Grey Dagger, Cosmia trapezina Dun-bar, Mithimna impura Smoky Wainscot, Bryophila domestica Marbled Beauty and the Underwings Noctua pronuba Large Yellow Underwing, Noctua comes Lesser Yellow Underwing and Noctua janthe Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing.

Species not recorded during the 2018 included Mimas tiliae Lime Hawk-moth, Ecliptopera silaceata Small Phoenix, Herminia grisealis Small Fan-foot, Diachrysia chrysitis Burnished Brass, Rusina ferruginea Brown Rustic, Diarsia mendica Ingrailed Clay and Xestia triangulum Double Square-spot.