Top Mothing Nights

Following one of Ben's comments, I had a trawl back through my records to see what the top nights have been in my garden traps in terms of both numbers of species and numbers of individuals.

I've run a 125W MV trap of one sort or another since 2000, and in 2007 I also started running an 80W actinic. The following are the top nights so far:

I think I'll need to retain a few micros for dissection to beat 112 species in one night in the garden, whilst the 615 individuals in one night is largely down to the late summer noctuids (especially Large Yellow Underwing which seems to really go for the actinic).

I've also looked back at out of garden trapping, both solo efforts and joint sessions with others, and the best out of county nights (though these are all at Wicken Fen despite trapping at Dungeness, Gibraltar Point, Portland, Durlston, Hazleborough Wood and Old Sulehay).

6438 of 276 species is going to take some beating anywhere, and 3192 of 233 species from just 6 traps is also highly notable.