Another Warm Night

Another warm night produced 35 macro species from two traps over the weekend.  These three were new for us this season and the Lychnis obliged by protruding its proboscis at the time of the photo.

Carolyn & Evan

Buff Arches

Ingrailed Clay

 

 

Lychnis

Scarce Silver-lines

In the garden last night - 37 macros and a dozen or so micros.
The first garden Tiger of the year, a Four-dotted Footman, first Poplar H/m for the garden too.
Yet another Udea olivalis specially for Peter H.
The prize for me was the Scarce Silver-lines...coming from 'up-north' I haven't seen many.

Scarce Silver-lines

Garden Tiger

Dioryctria abietella

It's 'orrible

Cameraria ohridella - the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner, is now appearing as blotches over the leaves, so now is a good time to take a look at local trees and record this tiny moth. Peter Hall

Cameraria ohridella 29th June 2014

Small Dotted Buff

We found this Small Dotted Buff in our garden trap this morning which we last caught in 2011.  Its larval food plant, Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), is growing in abundance in our adjacent field.

We also caught this Hoplodrina sp.  Does its prominent central cross band make it almost certainly an Uncertain?

Carolyn & Evan

Small Dotted Buff (Fl 14 mm)

Uncertain?

Waved Carpet Distribution

Tony & Ina

It sounds as though you had quite a day!  Here is the distribution map for the Waved Carpet.

Evan

Another Waved carpet

We ran two traps at RSPB's Ynys-hir reserve last night, one in mixed woodland and the other in open, grassy woodland. This morning we recorded 67 macro species and 20 micros. It was interesting that we had a Waved carpet to add to that recorded by Carolyn and Evan recently. Also new for us this year were Scallop shell, Swallow-tailed moth, Small fan-footed wave, Satin lutestring, Small dotted buff, Minor shoulder knot, Blood vein, Barred straw, Common emerald, Clay, and a second Udea olivalis. All photographs had to be taken through glass because of the very close attention of several Robins and a family of Blackbirds.

Common emerald

Blood vein

Barred straw

Scallop shell

Waved carpet

Swallow-tailed moth

Tony & Ina

Clouded Brindle Map Distribution

Peter, 

Here is the distribution for the Clouded Brindle.  As you say, there haven't been many recent records!

Evan

One day training course

 Date for Your Diary:

 SEPT 21st Free one day course for intermediate moth-ers. Location and itinerary not yet confirmed.

Details will be posted as soon as arrangements are completed.

Large emerald

30W actinic skinner in the garden last night caught 27 macro species and 9 micros. We had our first Large emerald, Barred yellow, Yellow tail and Udea olivalis of the year.

Large emerald

Barred yellow

Tony & Ina

poplar lutestring

this poplar lutestring came to light early in the night in the ystwyth valley. the caterpillars feed mainly on aspen; there are a few mature aspen trees close to where it was caught. it would be interesting to know when and where this species has been recorded previously in the county.

poplar lutestring

clouded brindle

the highlight of last night's trap in the ystwyth valley was this clouded brindle, the first one to turn up in five years.

clouded brindle

Wetland moths

After the woodland moths of Ynys-hir two nights ago we set traps on Borth bog last night and had 41 species of macro moths. There were lots of Four-dotted footmen and Marbled white spot. Firsts for us this year were Drinker, Map-winged swift, True lover's knot, Grey scalloped bar, Lackey, Lime-speck pug, Narrow-winged pug, Striped, Smokey, and Common Wainscot, July highflyer, Ingrailed clay.

Lackey

Lime-speck pug

Grey scalloped bar

Tony & Ina

Watch out for Clouded buff

This was received by e-mail from a Carmarthenshire moth-er:

I always enjoy your moth blog site....great photos and many handy hints!

I had a clouded buff today (19.6.14) on the ridge of Craig Twrch, just a few hundred yards south of the county boundary between Carms and Ceredigion, near Llyn y Gwaith, at cSN675505.

As Adrian Fowles only mentions its occurence in N Ceredigion, it may be worth Ceredigion moth-ers having a look in the vc46 part of Craig Twrch.

 

Posted by Tony

National Moth Night

Moth Night 2014  -   3rd to the 5th of July.

As this year's theme for National Moth Night is 'Woodland Moths' we have been given the opportunity by the RSPB to trap on their Ynys-hir reserve. 
Predominantly oak, but also containing areas of mixed woodland there should be some interesting moths to find.
We will be operating traps there on the Saturday night and showing the results to the public from 10am on Sunday 6th July.

If anyone is willing and able to help with setting/emptying traps as well as talking about moths to the public, please get in touch via Ceredigion Moths.

Micros at Ynys-hir

Eighteen species of micro in the mv trap in mixed woodland at ynys-hir last night.
At least 10% of the catch went unrecorded - some escaped under their own steam, but several were helped on their way by the local Robin population!
Three people would have been handy, one to open the trap, one to record and another to fend off Erithacus rubecula.
Red-barred Tortrix, Green Oak Tortrix and Large Fruit-tree Tortrix were the most numerous, we stopped counting at ten in all three species.
I did spot a small black and gold micro that looked very interesting but, yes you guessed, the robin got there first.
Enough of the ones that got away, here are a few photos.

Lg Fruit-tree Tortrix

Aleimma loeflingiana

Aleimma loeflingiana

Green Oak Tortrix

Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix

We had a couple of bird droppings - Apotomis turbidana & Hedya nubiferana. At least 20 species if you include the ones we saw getting away - and this little horror....

 

 

Ina and Tony.

Lilac beauty

A very good night at RSPB Ynys-hir with one trap producing 56 macro species, including a Lilac beauty, which was a first for both of us, luckily Ina got a photo before it took off. Some firsts for the year for us were Double dart, Brussels lace, Coronet, Green arches, Fan foot, Snout, Spectacle, Gold spot. Only 3 Heart and dart and 5 Large yellow underwing was a bit of a (welcome) surprise.

Lilac beauty

Peach blossom

Brussels lace

Double dart

Green arches

Gold spot (selfie)

Tony & Ina

Micro for ID

I should be grateful for help with ID of this micro (FL 8mm) which I netted this last weekend in our field of unimproved grassland.

Carolyn

Lozotaenia forsterana

Found sitting amongst the lavender, but had probably been 'born & raised' in the ivy beyond.

The first record I have for this moth is 1939. No records then until 1983, then nothing until 2004, '05, '06, '07,  a gap then until 2012, 2013 and now 2014.

If anyone out there has micro records (not just this species) from previous years they have not submitted, please do.  Any records for missing years will be gratefully accepted.
inasmith64@googlemail.com

Lozotaenia forsterana

Double line

A good night for macro moths in the garden with 37 species recorded. By far the most numerous was Heart and dart. Firsts for the year for us were Bordered white, V-pug, Currant pug, Miller, Grey arches, Bright-line brown-eye, Broom moth, Double square-spot, Burnished brass, Poplar hawkmoth, and Double line. Only 2 species of micros Chrysoteuchia Culmella and Epiphyas postvittana.

Double line



Grey arches

Miller

Tony & Ina

 

Figure of Eighty & Small Argent and Sable

As requested by Liz here are the maps for the Figure of Eighty and the Argent and Sable.

Evan

Waved Carpet

After a warm balmy night we were rewarded this morning with 39 macro species.  High spots were this Geometer and a female Drinker, collected at midnight which then obligingly laid eggs in the pot before morning.

We initially reported the first on the blog as a Mullein Wave but Tony & Ina have kindly suggested that it is more likely to be a Waved Carpet.  On reviewing our records we note that we also have had a verified record of this in July of last year.

Carolyn & Evan

Saturday night….

What with England losing the football match and Wallender going down with Alzheimer's I would have been better off in the garden with a torch!
I have had female Ghost moths before but this is first male so wonder if they have a lek in the paddock, plenty of suitable habitat in my unkempt garden.
Also a pretty Light Knot grass and first Double lines, Beaut Golden Y, Riband Wave , Green and this Grey Arches.

 Down the road a bit Gillian has caught a Figure 80.

Beautiful moths

A single Heath trap in the conifers and bilberries in local woodland last night produced 22 species and still counting the micros. The Mottled beauties were many and very variable but the Beautiful snout was the star. Other firsts for the year for us were Barred red, Light emerald, Fox moth, Purple clay, Green carpet, Lobster moth, Northern spinach. We were hoping for Welsh waves but may be it's a bit early.

Beautiful snout

Mottled beauty

Mottled beauty

Tony & Ina