Hi, having just joined I thought I'd better introduce myself. My name is Jo and I live in Basingstoke, Hampshire (that sounds like Alcoholics Anonymous!) and I have been interested in Lepidoptera for a few years now but only started moth trapping this year, previously using a light suspended over a sheet . This did produce a few nice moths but I decided to build a trap last month which has much better results but nowhere near as good as some of the lists I've seen on here!
I also walk a transect for Butterfly Conservation on the outskirts of Basingstoke and have a general interest in everything from insects to fungi.I work full time as a school Caretaker (if you hadn't guessed!) and I also have 2 dogs with whom I compete at agility so as you can imagine between working, training and competing with the dogs, walking the transect and moth trapping I'm quite busy!
As I've not been trapping too long I will no doubt inundate the ID boards with requests, though I do seem to be OK with identifying the macros so far as I don't get too many with the majority of my counts being micros which are causing me a few headaches .
Anyway, enough of my ramblings!
Jo

Hi Jo and welcome to the site

_________________
Denise. 22w Actinic "Gladiator". 125W MV "Hawk" (Robinson style trap)

Yep hi Jo, and sorry for not enabling your ID earlier. To be honest, I took 'Miss Caretaker' as being likely to be one of the many less sulubrious types who try to gain access to this forum on a regular basis

Keep on trying with the micros, so much more fun than those boring big things

Mike

_________________
Please visit the Hantsmoths website at http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk

Jo, I've just been on Field Records Forum to speak to you. Welcome, indeed, from Graham & me. I hope that moth-ing will become more important in your life as moths need a better press. Like bats, our obsession as diurnal creatures focusses on day fliers; the night is still slightly taboo, hence, all the crazy night-time illumination. Night is brilliant because it hones our other senses of hearing & amazingly feelings. You can hear birds shuffling about in the branches, owls calling, foxes barking (male), that weird scream of the vixen, (we have one born around or in our own garden). These sounds become friendly. The amazing snuffle & other noises of our ancient hedgehog - if you are lucky enough to have one in your garden. The tiny sounds of wood mice, the rasping of garden snails in the plants & the plop as they eat through whatever they are sat on.

Macro moths appear easy, but we all struggle at times with definitive ids - that's the challenge Jean & Graham

ps. And I just said that Mike is our 'exhalted host' Oh dear! Jean

Thanks for the welcome, I suppose "Miss Caretaker" could be taken in more than one way ! Even in my little garden I have spotted a mouse pottering about and watched our one resident frog gobbling the slugs whilst watching the trap, though I have yet to come across foxes or hedgehogs!