Delighted to find a Small Purple-barred in my trap this morning. My only previous sightings were the odd day flier at Cors fochno years ago. Alder moth, Lobster and Satin Wave were also present. Earlier this week I had my first Lead Belle for many years.
Also had 2 Small Mottled Willow, Grass Rivulet,Alder moth,9xTreble Lines, Gold Spot,Poplar Grey plus Poplar Hawkmoth, a Dagger and pair of Muslins. BuffTip,White Ermine,Brown Rustic, Flame Shoulder and a couple of Oligia were supporting cast.
Last night was quite productive, with 20 species in the trap, in an open, grassy area. New to me was a Small Mottled Willow - which I see that Adam Dare in Carmarthenshire also had, the same night.
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| Small Mottled Willow |
Others good to see again included a Treble-bar, Clay Triple-lines, a Little Emerald and twenty-two Treble-lines.
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| Clay Triple-lines |
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| Treble Bar |
A bonus this morning was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth feeding on white-flowered Red Valerian.
A few more interesting moths in the garden trap last night, including my first Netted Pug here:
Other NFY were Puss Moth, Peppered Moth, Buff-tip, Treble Lines, Least Black Arches and a Marbled Beauty caterpillar. Both of the latter were high up on the wall of the house.
Pachyrhabda steropodes is out - see copies of emails from Sally Hall just S of the Teifi - what about north of the Teifi ie in Ceredigion? It was out today in some quantity near Llanelli (SE Carms). Worth vc46 recorders having a look perhaps? Remember that they are tiny and flit (`float`?) around the fern before re-settling. Pale yellowish white to the unaided eye.
27/4/26 Thanks Ian, I have
now found Pachyrhabda steropodes here (at our natural burial site/nature
reserve, Saron, Llandysul). I have been searching for this species and today
found well over 100 flying around a few soft shield ferns. It was confined to just
one area – with a lot of dog mercury – not sure if that is significant. I
didn’t have a camera but I did have my close focus binoculars so ID reliable.
21/4/26… this species must be spreading fast. Working in our woods over the last two days and 100s flying around the uncurling soft shield fern.
