Quite possibly....

.......My last moth of 2014!
I ran my trap the other night for a few hours, and when I got it in (about 11 PM to my surprise this beautiful Chestnut moth Conistra vaccinii, was sitting at the bottom. At first I thought it was dead, but it was well alive, so much so I began to wish I had left the trap out all night!
The Chestnut is widely distributed in the UK, being one of our commoner winter flying moths. It can be found on the wing any time from September to May especially during mild spells. There are a number of colour variations, but all show a distinctive rounded wing shape. The larvae feed on a range of trees including birch, another brilliant reason to keep my magnificent Silver birch in the front garden!