First Moths of the Year

Chestnut, Conistra vaccinii, left and Dark Chestnut, Conistra ligula, right.   In my garden in Hayes on 4 February 2013.

This is the first opportunity I have had this year to put out my garden moth trap.  It was over zero degrees, not covered with snow, and there was no rain and no high winds.  And I got two moths! Nothing unusual, but it's good to see there's life out there.

These two are typical winter moths, that come out on warmer nights to look for berries dripping juice.  There's plenty of ivy nearby and that is probably what brings them here.

The Chestnut is lighter in colour and has more rounded wingtips.  The Dark Chestnut is also glossier, and has light flecks on the leading edges of its wings. But they are not easy to tell apart, specially if you are only looking at one specimen.