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Winter Moths

What can you expect to find?

Mike Southall

December 2025

Winter moth-ing, as anyone who has tried it will know, can be a hit-or-miss affair. The number of moths coming to light is greatly affected by conditions: temperatures near or below freezing, high winds, heavy rain and even a full moon are all detrimental. Combine this with a limited number of species on the wing and trapping can be disappointing. The best way to find out what's flying at this time of year in our region is to go to the online West Midlands Moth Atlas. From the home page, select Flying Tonight? from the Arrivals tab.

  

This shows the number of records for each species in a weekly period, starting with the species you are most likely to see and including a link to the individual page for the species. Macro and micro records are listed on separate pages. A monthly total for the West Midlands is available, and the most-recorded-of-all-time section is fascinating.

The Crawling Tonight? option on the Arrivals tab shows some of the caterpillars that have been recorded at this time of year.

Note: The Notable Records and Migrant Records options require a small donation to become a Golden Cinnabar member, as explained on the site.

 

Photos: Angle Shades moth and December moths

As for the moths at this time of year, December Moth, Winter Moth and Mottled Umber are the most likely macros by far, and Light Brown Apple Moth the most likely micro. Although the main flight period of the Angle Shades is from May to October, it can be recorded all year (some as possible migrants); I took this photo in my Worcestershire garden on 29 November 2025. December moth often emerges in October and November, so its name can be misleading; the females are larger than the males and are not so frequently seen at light.

The list of moths recorded in our region includes some surprising out of season appearances and also the occasional rare migrant, so you never know what might turn up. It's rewarding to run the trap, or traps, to see moths that cannot be seen in other seasons - as they say in another sphere, 'If you don’t shoot, you don’t score.'

Good Luck and Happy Christmas!