Tuesday 28 August 2018

Some Common Garden Moths

The common moths do seem to be overlooked on the blog so here are a few photos from last night.  Not the best examples but how often do we get perfect examples in a trap.  Also a couple we don't get very often.   Ina and Tony
Centre-barred Sallow

Common Marbled Carpet

Dusky Thorn

Epiphyas postvittana - LBAM

Flame Carpet

Flounced Rustic

Galium Carpet

Gold Spot

Hedge Rustic

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Pale Mottled Willow

Setaceous Hebrew Castle

Monday 27 August 2018

Feathered Gothics


Both male and female Feathered Gothics in the trap this morning despite quite heavy rain overnight. They do appear here from time to time, but it the first time I have been able to  put them side by side.

Sunday 19 August 2018

Psoricoptera gibbosella

We trapped at Ynys-hir last night and found a county first - Psoricoptera gibbosella, a Gelechiid which has been verified by Steve Palmer.
We also recorded the first Sharp-angled Peacock for the site.
Ina and Tony



Saturday 18 August 2018

Late Summer Moths

A reasonable catch last night included three Hedge Rustic, five Centre-barred Sallow and this fresh Dark/Grey Dagger possibly a second generation.

Carolyn & Evan
Hedge Rustic
Centre-barred Sallow
Dark/Grey Dagger agg.

Wednesday 15 August 2018

Bulrush Wainscot, Old Lady and Pebble Hook-Tip at Llawrcwrt



I caught this Bulrush Wainscot yesterday and I had moved the trap nearer to the pond where the Bulrushes grow. No more Wainscot but two more moths new to me this morning. Looking back I found an Old Lady on the blog from Carolyn and Evan. Oddly it had an identical piece missing from its starboard wing. (I'm not reading too much into that). There were also two Pebble Hook-Tips in the trap, one quite a lot darker than the other.  Exciting days.

Tuesday 14 August 2018

Cross Inn/ Nebo

Nice to see some records of Sallow Kitten on the blog - I had three in my trap last night...







Monday 13 August 2018

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

We came home this afternoon to find this well worn Hummingbird Hawk-moth resting in our conservatory.

Carolyn & Evan



Aberystwyth Garden

Angle Shades was my introduction to autumn this morning. Otherwise similar to Ina: half-a-dozen Heart and Darts, 25 Large Yellow Underwing, and a couple of Setaceous Hebrew Characters. A garden first was Caloptilia cuculipennella, and garden seconds were Lesser Wax Moth, Small Wainscot and a very tatty but probably sharp-angled Peacock. Also Matilella fusca and Mirificarma mulinella.




Talybont Garden

Autumn is on the way!  I know this because lots of our moths were sitting outside the trap...well that's my theory.
Of the twenty macro species the most numerous was, at last, Large Yellow Underwing (19) and Setaceous Hebrew Character (11). The first of the next generation of Heart and Dart was hiding under the windowsill being careful to avoid the resident spider.  Four Pugs, all Double-striped and the rest all singles unless otherwise stated. Orange Swift (First for the garden), Garden Carpet, Brimstone, Antler (4), Lesser Swallow Prominent, Scalloped Hook-tip, Common Carpet, Flame Shoulder, Spectacle, Flounced Rustic (2), L.B-b.Y/u, Rosy Rustic (3), Small Phoenix, Dark Arches, Ruby Tiger, Sallow Kitten (2)
As regards the nine micro species, Epiphyas postvittana has at last returned, 2m, 1f, I was beginning  to think the winter weather had wiped them out! The others - Agriphila tristella, Agriphila straminella, Phycita roborella, Eudonia mercurella, Apotomis betuletana,  Celypha striana, Blastobasis adustella and last but not least one to be confirmed but probably Phycitodes maritima.
Antler Moth

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Orange Swift

Sallow Kitten

Scalloped Hook-tip

Monday 6 August 2018

Bordered Beauty

We were delighted to find this Bordered  Beauty in our field trap this morning - a first for us here for some time.

Carolyn & Evan


White spotted Sable

Anania funebris. Blurry record shot of this lovely little micro on the coastal path at Aberporth this morning.  There are so many more flowery heathy patches on this southern section of the Cardigan bay coast which are worth exploring. I know Sarah saw one of these in recent times but not sure if recorded further north?


Good moves at Llawrcwrt



Moving the trap about 20 yards from its usual position resulted in no fewer than five Sallow Kittens. These are the first I have recorded here.


A few days earlier a similar move in a different direction resulted in my first Shuttle-shaped Dart. Clearly no need to leave the farm, just move around a bit more.

Sunday 5 August 2018

Nebo & Cross Inn - moth drought over

I stopped putting my trap out for a few weeks when my average catch plummeted to three per night which I put down to the dry weather and ground like concrete...

I resumed a couple of days ago and got a reasonable catch (or at least reasonable for here) of about 70moths/15 species.

Curiously last night things had dipped a little again but I had a large number of Pebble Prominent (25), Lesser Swallow Prominent (6) and not much else. I'm assuming they've just emerged.





Thursday 2 August 2018

Cors Fochno - Rosy is alive and well

Fifty seven Rosy Marsh Moths in three small actinic traps last night, following a good larval count earlier in the year. Around 50 macro species and 15 plus micro species.
Notable micros - Crambus silvella, Aristotelia ericinella and some still to be determined. A minimum of 25 Endotricha flammealis, 1 Epermenia falciformis and a very nicely marked Epinotia nisella.

And a spider for Mike B.

Ina and Tony

Aristotelia ericinella

Crambus silvella

Double Kidney

Epinotia nisella

Garden Tigers



Rosy Marsh Moths