“Proper” moth traps cost around £200 including electrics, so I thought I’d try to make one with stuff that was lying around as far as possible. I reckon I probably spent a little over £20. 

I spotted this wasp on the slate in the back garden this morning. It looked very sluggish so I made a mental note to check on it later. A few hours later it was still alive, still there and it didn’t protest when I popped it onto a porcelain tile to photograph. It’s a common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) – according to Nature Spot you can distinguish it from similar species (like the German wasp Vespula germanica) by the anchor shaped mark on its face. Obviously not in this picture you can’t.

The moth trap has been a bit quiet this month – the so-called “May lull”, hopefully. A total of just 3 moths (and an unidentified micro). 2 Double-striped Pugs (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) and a slightly worn Currant Pug (Eupithecia assimilata). 

It was nice of this hoverfly to hang around long enough for me to go and get my tripod and raynox. It’s a Episyrphus balteatus, according to a source more knowledgeable than me.