5
The main requirement is a moth-trap. I do not
possess a trap myself but David Corke lent me one
for the season. The first step is to find sites
where the trap can be plugged in. One looks for
a farm or a house with a good garden or well
varied vegetation, neither too open nor too
enclosed. We began by calling on farmers who
had been helpful during the compilation of records
for the microlepidoptera (Essex Naturalist No. 6).
They welcomed us warmly and gave us introductions
to their friends in other squares where we wished
to record. Where we had no introduction, we
selected a suitable house and in great trepidation
knocked on the door. In every instance we
were given a friendly welcome and invited to
return as often as we pleased. We aimed to
revisit each site at about three-weekly intervals.
The procedure is to set up the trap in the evening
and ask our hosts to switch on at dusk. Then my
wife and I return to record the catch as soon as
possible after first light. Everyone knows that
dawn is the best part of a summer day, but few
experience it. On our outward journey we share
the road with blackbirds and pigeons, rabbits and
the occasional fox: to see another car is an
event. At our destination we are often joined
by our host and his family, since going through
the trap can be quite exciting. On a good
night in high summer there may be over 1,000
individuals representing about 170 species,
including the micros. The moths rest on egg
trays and there may be 50 moths on either side of
a tray. In Spring and Autumn they rest quietly
but in the warmth of July they are quick to fly
and speed in recording is essential, I am lucky
enough to have been given a pocket tape-recorder,
into which I sing a succession of Latin names.
These are easier to remember and quicker to utter
than their English equivalents; instead of racking
one's memory over whether it is "bright-line