Mother shipton

An eventful afternoon at Grogwynion nature reserve yesterday which started with me locking the car keys in the car. With no mobile signal in the area we were very fortunate to find someone at the nearby sawmill who allowed us to phone the RAC. The response was amazing with Llandovery Recovery arriving within the hour and quickly and efficiently sorting out the problem, which was that I closed the boot lid onto the key fob which activated the lock button.

We eventually started our search for day-flying moths and found this lovely Mother shipton, several grass moths, Crambus lationellus and a nice spider which we think may be Tibellus maritimus.

Tony & Ina

Seraphim

22 macro species from our usual three traps last night but very low in numbers.  The real high spot for us was this first ever Seraphim and it is perhaps relevant to note that we have a small grove of Aspen opposite our house.

Carolyn & Evan

Pale-shouldered Brocade

Two traps in the garden last night was something of a disappointment.
I checked the walls just after 5:00 in an attempt to beat the Great-tit, 3 Peppered moths on the walls and one in the garage!
One trap caught nothing apart from a caddis fly, but this was not in the best position. Another experiment failed? Tony said "No, at least it proved something". Don't put it there again!
The 30w Skinner that had attracted the Peppered moths contained one more Peppered, 1 Buff-tip, 1 Cinnabar, 3 Light Brown Apples moths and a FFY Pale-shouldered Brocade.

Ina and Tony

Devon carpet

We have received our first report for this year of Devon carpet. This comes from David Woolley at Rhos Llawr Cwrt, who has supplied the picture below, which compares the Devon carpet with a Water carpet he caught a few days ago. Devon carpet is a nationally scarce species which is recorded regularly in Ceredigion. David's first record for Devon carpet at Rhos Llawr Cwrt, was in 1988.

Devon carpet above and Water carpet

Tony

Speckled yellow and Yellow shell

We had a wander around Ynyslas earlier today in the hope of seeing a few butterflies and moths. Despite the windy conditions there were large numbers of Common Blues, Small Heaths and Wall Browns. We met a couple of visitors from Worcestershire who showed us a photo of a Painted Lady they had seen just before we met them. The moths were keeping well out of the wind and sight apart from one Speckled yellow and a Yellow shell. There were quite a lot of Lackey caterpillars too.

Tony & Ina

Shears and Brown rustics

The sun was just creeping over the dunes as we arrived to check the traps. The Small heaths were still sleeping clinging to low vegetation. We had 14 moth species including good numbers of Cinnabar, Green carpet, Brown rustic, Shears, and Purple bar. Also singles of Scalloped hazel, Brimstone, Broom moth, and Heart and dart (our first this year, no doubt quite a few to come). Two micros: Elachista argentella (several) Crambus pratella.

Shears

Brown rustic

Small heath

Tony & Ina

... & Two Micros

These two micros were part of our last catch.  I believe them to be Syndemis musculana & Epiblema scutulana but would be grateful for confirmation/correction.

Carolyn

Syndemis musculana (fl 8mm)

Epiblema scutulana (fl 9 mm)

Bordered Straw

Bordered Straw this morning was the star of 27 species in the garden trap...things are looking up!
And!! I'm afraid the Scoparias have begun, just one ambigualis today.  But tomorrow?

Poplar Hawkmoth & Others

24 macro species from our usual three traps but the numbers were low.  The only notable species numerically was the Brown Silver-line, not surprising in view of our abundant bracken.  New for us this season were Poplar Hawkmoth, Brimstone Moth, Silver-ground Carpet & Common Carpet.  Also included were these two other attractive species - Pale Prominent & Peppered Moth which put in their first appearance last week.

Carolyn & Evan

Poplar Hawkmoth

Brimstone Moth

Silver-ground Carpet

Pale Prominent

Peppered Moth

Ynyslas Ramble

After a climb up hill from Upper Borth produced nothing but good views, a walk round by the golf course at Ynyslas this afternoon proved quite productive.
A Silver-ground Carpet, Crambus lathoniellus - a female laying eggs, 2  Elachista argentella, 15 minimum Glyphipterix simpliciella on buttercups, and a lovely Garden Tiger larva.
Butterflies - Common Blues, Small Heaths and Wall Browns.

Ina and Tony

First Wave and Treble lines

Three Heath traps on Cors Fochno last night produced 16 species of macro moths and a formidable army of biting midges. Most numerous were Pale tussocks, firsts for us this year were Treble lines, Poplar hawkmoth, Common white wave and Small phoenix. Others were Clouded-bordered brindle, Sandy carpet, Pale prominent, Flame shoulder, Buff-tip, Brimstone moth, Scalloped hook tip, Brown silver-line, Broken-barred carpet, Lesser swallow prominent and Scalloped hazel.

Common white wave

Treble lines

Tony & Ina

What a Spectacle

The best night of the year so far for us with 40 species between 3 traps at Ynys-hir. What was particularly noticeable was the freshness of many of the moths, presumably emerged very recently. It was good to see a number of old favourites: Buff-tip, Peppered moth, Sandy carpet, Green carpet, Spectacle, Lesser swallow prominent, White ermine, Coxcomb prominent. Others included Brown silver-line, Barred umber, Great prominent (seems to be having a very good year), Pale tussock, Brimstone moth, Shuttle-shaped dart, Lychnis, Knot grass, Silver-ground carpet, Alder moth, May highflyer, Scorched wing, Tawny-barred angle, Common lutestring.

Green carpet

Tawny-barred angle

Shuttle-shaped dart

Lychnis

Alder moth

Spectacle

Tony & Ina

Early Thorn - Start of Pupation

My Early Thorn larvae have begun the next stage in their career...bless 'em.
They have started spinning leaves together for protection (pic 1). Another has fixed itself to the outside of the box (pic 2).
I think they would be better off in one of those small plastic fish tanks, but as I haven't got one I hope they survive in their box to emerge as adults.  Thirtyfive at last count but some were quite small.

Ina

Micro for ID

This micro (FL 8mm) was part of our weekend catch.  It looks obvious but I seem unable to identify it?  Please can you advise.

Carolyn

Great Prominent - board meeting.

A better night in the garden than of late.  Tony has a theory about street lights but maybe he should write about that.
4 Great Prominent, 2 Garden Carpet, 2 Flame shoulder, and one each of Buff-tip, Nut-tree Tussock, Common Pug, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Peppered Moth, Clouded Drab, Small Square-spot and Scalloped Hazel.

Board Meeting! (sorry)



Scalloped Hazel

Nut-tree Tussock

Small Square-spot

Common Pug

Clouded-bordered Brindle

Ina and Tony

Yellow-barred Brindle

A good night produced 34 macro species from three traps - garden and woodland.  The high spot for us was our first ever Yellow-barred Brindle which had a definite greenish hue on closer inspection.  We have attached photos of some of the more attractive moths.

Carolyn & Evan

Yellow-barred Brindle

Oak Hook-tip

Common Swift

Scorched Wing

Least Black Arches

Clouded Silver

Cinnabar

On a short walk at Ynyslas this afternoon we saw this Cinnabar moth which was obviously sheltering from the cold wind, a Common blue butterfly, several Small heaths and Carolyn and Evan.

Tony & Ina

Micro puzzles

I also took advantage of the sun yesterday evening, and took my net to the field behind our house. Five micros, and several question marks... help / confirmation welcome (with apologies for the quality of the photos):

FW: 6mm. Too big for a Micropterix (and the hairstyle is wrong)

Aspilapteryx tringipennella

FW: 5mm. My first thought was Borkhausenia fuscescens, but the pattern doesn't seem right

Gracillaria syringella

FW 9mm: From the length of the antennae I presume Nematopogon swammerdamella, but I can't see a "reticulated" pattern.

Thanks
Simon