Any expectations I had regarding the testing of my new bulb were immediately overshadowed by the sight that unfolded the following morning as I looked outside into the back garden.
I had never seen so many insects in one place, they were everywhere some flying headlong towards the light whilst others had settled around the trap.
This eclipse of moths that confronted me consisted of all shapes, sizes with a myriad of colours, a spectacle which had me mesmerised for quite some time.
And when I finally took a glimpse into the trap itself a sudden realisation came to me that I may well have bitten off more than I could chew if I had any thought of documenting them all.
How on earth was I going to take pictures of all these prospective candidates?
Well I have never been a person to shy away from a challenge so the first thing was to switch off the light and start by taking pictures of any of the settled moths outside the trap.
Unfortunately this was not as easy a task as it sounds as my subjects had settled for the most part in the most awkward of places making a clear shot almost impossible.
When I had managed however to take a picture I then tried to encourage the moths to leave so as not to take multiple shots some of which eagerly complied whilst others seemed rather reluctant and quite keen to stay put.
After what appeared an age I was confident that I had completed this task to the best of my ability and immediately started on phase two which would be much easier as ones left they were settled in the egg boxes I'd kindly supplied.
This was not the case as when I removed the first pane of glass I was bombarded with escapees who had lost interest in my project probably due to the time it had taken me to get round to them.
Well with a win some lose some attitude I began the task of cataloguing my friends in the trap which again turned out to be rather more difficult than I had first thought it would be as a clear picture of something so small hiding in the depths of an egg box was hardly likely to do much for any sort of identification later.
The only way was to tap them out gently into a pot I found the kitchen with a view to getting a more useful image.
The trouble was that during this operation they suddenly changed from docile to hyperactive with a keen intent of leaving as soon as insectly possible.
On conclusion of my best attempt as a fledgling mother it became obvious that a more structured approach was necessary if I were to continue with my new hobby as it was now well into the afternoon and I was still preparing pictures for dispatch to my mentor.