Another public trapping.

Marvellous Moths

Date/Time
Date(s) - 20 Aug 2016
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

“Marvellous Moths” event at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre. With support from the Ceredigion Moth Group.

Did you know there are 2000 species of moth in the UK?

Come and meet some moths on Saturday 20th August at 10am. 

We’ll set moth traps the night before, then open them on Saturday morning to identify the moths we’ve found before we release them.

All welcome – ideal for children and beginners.

Booking not required.

Refreshments available (donations gratefully accepted to help with the management of our 40 acre nature reserve).

Mr & Mrs Four-spotted Footman

In her garden near Llanrhystud, Aline reported not one but two Four-spotted Footman, a male and a female in the same trap. There are only 20 previous county records for this nationally scarce moth and 8 of those have been recorded by Sarah at Aberporth in the last three years.



Female

Male

Tony


 

Distribution map for Ceredigion



Bordered Beauty

Found this Bordered Beauty on a wall in Talybont yesterday afternoon...never get them in the trap.
Who needs a moth trap anyway??!!  ;-)

Ina

Help needed to identify

Can anybody tell me if this is a Red Twin spot carpet or a Dark Barred? I think it is the former but I am learning!

Dingy Shears

Good variety last night, if low numbers (only two large yellow underwings!), in the garden trap. Highlights were a faded Dingy Shears, Pebble Hook-tip, Grey Arches and Herald.

Simon

A Random Selection

Moths from the last couple of days, mostly from raised bog areas.
I wanted to turn this into a quiz...but we have no prizes! Just enjoy.

Mother of Pearl - Pleuroptya ruralis

Diamond-back - Plutella xylostella

Blastobasis adustella

Northern Eggar - Lasiocampa quercus f. callunae. A female f/wing length a full 36mm even with some missing.

Rush Veneer - Nomophila noctuella

You know who we are!

A couple called 'Rosy'

Scarce Footman

Endotricha flammealis

Round-winged Muslin

Barred Rivulet

Dotted Clay

Lackey

Southern Wainscot - top

Southern Wainscot - front (headband just visible)

Marsh Oblique-barred (NOT a micro)

Hope you like them, pretty obvious this was me not Tony due to the number of micro photos!

Ina

Welsh Wave distribution map

In response to David's query here is the distribution map for Welsh wave in Ceredigion.

Tony

Rhos Glandenys, Cross Inn

I set up my trap (an 8W 12V Paul Batty Heath trap) at Rhos Glandenys last night. I see that the records for Magpie moths seem to have tumbled in the last 2 decades so I was delighted to find 2 there. Others were Large Yellow Underwing, Poplar Moth (x2), Flame Carpet, Dingy Footman, Straw Dot, Antler, Common Rustic, July Highflyer, Dotted Clay and Red Twinspot Carpet. (At least that is what I have identified them as, but it is a steep learning curve!). I must now make the effort to get to 'meet ups' in order to improve my id skills. I'm finding Common Rustics particularly difficult as they seem to show so much variation.

Welsh Wave and garden moths

Whilst Ina enjoyed some home comfort with the garden moth trap, I scaled the local hill through the rain to check for Welsh waves. I only caught one but I was relieved to know that they are still there. This is the 5th consecutive year that we have recorded them at this site. Welsh wave is the only moth known to have been discovered first in Ceredigion, in 1839, but it is not particularly common in the county with only 54 records before this year. The only other new moth for the year was a Dun-bar.

 In the garden Ina had 22 Large yellow underwing, 6 Silver Y, Iron prominent, Antler moth, a photogenic Ruby tiger and other regulars.


Welsh wave



Dun-bar

Brown china-mark



Antler

Ruby tiger

Ruby tiger

 Tony & Ina

I am trying to put photos into blogs so please bear with me. I can't remember finding it difficult a few years ago when I put some photos on another blog so wonder if the method has changed. I don't know if others have had problems doing so using an iPad but I have struggled. Anyway, here are 3 recent finds.

Magical Moths at Ynys-hir

The title is the RSPB's not mine, I will not be casting any spells!
We hope there will be plenty of species to see and for the 'Big Wild Sleepout' people to enjoy too!

Date; Sunday 31st July.
Time; Traps opened from 9am to 11am approximately.

Ina and Tony

Cross Inn

Apologies for the poor quality of this photo. Can anybody help me identify the moth which is behind the Barred Straw? I have only recently started trapping and hope that readers will be patient with me if I ask very simple questions!

Pretty Chalk Carpet….ALIVE!

In the trap this morning despite a chilly breeze early on.  I am quite excited as I really didn't think there could be a colony in one lone bush, and to think Timmy, my weed puller, said he'd give it a trim next week as its expanding fast!  Red says there is a plant up near Ystrad Meurig on the railway line and Arthur shows plants to the north and west but a long way away.  My plant was about 15cm high with 4 or 5 shoots when I planted it about 8 years ago so could have had eggs on it I suppose.
I've put it back under the plant and told it not to venture out to the south west and get in range of Tillo's Roth trap!

Thankyou Rosemary and Ian for encouraging words.  Previous records according to Fowles were in 1979/80 at Llechrhyd.

Two Larger Geometers

I'm rather more confident about these although I only see one or two a year. I don't know why I'm particularly pleased with green moths - but I always am.

PRETTY CHALK CARPET!

Found on our lounge windowsill today a dead Pretty Chalk Carpet!  At first glance I thought it was a Beautiful carpet then tried to fit it to Blue Bordered but its distinctive pattern can only be as titled.

There is a large mass of Traveller's Joy about 50 feet away from the window.  Grown over some years from a small plant Red gave me.
Could we have transported it here?  Only been to Anglesey in the last week.  Swansea the week before which is a possibility but I think I cleaned up between those dates!!
What are the rules on finding dead ones?  Ship assisted or escapee?!!
Trap will be out beside the plant tonight.

Ynys Las and Fochno Sunday 17th July

From the top:the beautiful Archer's Dart; Common Emerald; Shore Wainscot; Short Cloaked moth; Suspected; Thyme Pug.
Dr Marc Botham paid us another visit and we enjoyed a warm productive night down at Ynys Las sitting with a 60w actinic and 2 MV's whilst the 6w and 15w boxes were on Cors Fochno.  In addition to the above stars we had 3 or 4 Rosy Waves, dozens of Brown Plume, 8 Garden Tigers (in a Heath!), Bordered Sallow and Bordered Beauty,White Line dart, Barred Yellow and Galium Carpet among the 90 species caught.
Micros were numerous and Peter H will be receiving some winter amusement from Marc!  Don't worry Ina you'll get the full list.
Thanks to Jane Kelsall for additional help in setting up and accommodation, to Bri for safely releasing the boxfulls of moths after processing and Tony Cross for guest appearance though we hadn't caught any Sandwich terns!
Also thanks to Mike Bailey and NRW for permissions.

Satin Beauty

I had to seek a second opinion on this one and it seems to be a first for Llawrcwrt. There are not many conifers here -  a couple of tall but weedy conifers within 30m of the trap and the last few years Christmas trees in pots nearby. There is a small conifer copse perhaps 250m away. Plenty of Sycamore, Ash and Beech all around. Does this support Waring's report that they use other broad leaved trees? I wonder how far they venture?

A Couple of Waves

Single-dotted Wave

Small Fan-footed Wave

These two appeared in the trap in the last two days. I had difficulty in identifying both of them though they are reasonably straightforward when they are pointed out.

Small Blood-vein distribution map

Here is the distribution map and flight period for Small Blood-vein in Ceredigion. It's distribution is distinctly coastal and the flight period shows that there is a small second generation, as described in "Waring".

Tony

Small Blood-vein & another Crescent Dart

A bumper catch last night in Aberystwyth included two first moths for us - a Small Blood-vein & two Crescent Darts.

Carolyn & Evan

Small Blood-vein

Crescent Dart