I've squirrelled myself away with a new project over the last few months and haven't spent as much time as I'd like in the branches.

My new, earth-bound obsession though, is moth-trapping. For those of you who've never done it, trapping involves putting a bright light in the back garden attached to a special container filled with egg boxes. You turn it on at dusk and head out at the crack of dawn to see what's landed in it overnight....

Why do I love it? I think it's discovering the sheer variety of life that goes about its business in the middle of the night. It's a window on a world we rarely glimpse, much like climbing trees.

I've only had the chance, and the right conditions, to trap twice this year but I was amazed by the catch; hawkmoths, buff tips, angle shades, every one entirely different and mesmerising. Here are some photos of my favourites -