Small Purple Barred

Surprised to find this in the box yesterday, just got round to looking at it closely. It has flown off strongly, presumably to find its way back to the bog and thanking its lucky stars it was my green light not Tillo's killer that attracted it!  ( Tony: At least I think Tillo's are the records shown for my tetrad?)

Llawrcwrt, Common Lutestring

I don't see many of these, but there were two in the trap this morning. 
A single Silver Y was the total of day flying moths on the reserve yesterday but the first Marsh Fritillaries were on the wing. I am hopeful of some recovery in numbers. There were 13 yesterday and the annual index for the whole of last year was only 17

Rhos Glendenys/ Nebo/ Cross Inn

Had a walk round Rhos Glendenys today - disturbed quite a few Silver Y (about a dozen i imagine, allowing for double counting)

Elephant Hawkmoth is from last night's trapping - never had one before AFAIK...

Cwm Rheidol (micros)

I think this case-bearer, feeding on Hazel near Cwm Rheidol reservoir, is Coleophora binderella:

Nearby I saw Hysterophora maculosana and my first Nettle tap and Pseudargyrotoza conwagana of the year.

In the garden trap last night were FFY Grey Dagger (agg), Ruby Tiger, Foxglove Pug and Pebble Hooktip. A garden first was White-pinion Spotted (2). Among the micros were Cork Moth, Epinotia rubiginosana, Oegoconia quadripuncta, and Plutella porrectella:

Also an Ancylis sp. which I'm not sure about. This is the best photo I got before it escaped:

The little black line at the end looks better for unculana rather than the much commoner badiana.
 
 

Caterpillar ID

Any ideas for this?

Several feeding on hazel (AFAIK, I'm not much better on trees than I am on caterpillars!!)

Nebo/ Cross Inn

Still not masses of moths - I seemed to get one of everything!

Flame, Knot Grass, Fox, Hebrew Character, White Ermine, Coronet, Pepper, Brown Silver-lines.

I've ID'd the pug as a Foxglove Pug but I'm open to suggestions......

Micropterix aruncella

After looking at hundreds of hawthorn flowers yesterday, I found four of these little beauties just sitting among the herbage on a hedge bank in Talybont.
Millimeter rule for scale. My eyesight can't be that bad then, can it?
Ina and Tony

Seraphim and Scalloped Hazel f. nigra

Highlights from the last few nights include this dark Scalloped Hazel in the garden trap on Monday:

and a Seraphim last night:

with FFY Elephant HM, Small Square-spot, Ingrailed Clay, Marbled Minor, Tawny Shears and Buff-tip.
These Capua vulganas (as well as the "standard" form) were on bilberry up above Penrhyncoch. Sterling and Parsons doesn't do justice to the range of colouring that they show:

Treble-bar

Last night was more productive than so far this year, we even had 3 micros! plus 15 macro species. The Treble-bar was only the 4th record for the garden, the last was in 2014. Amongst the rest was a Marbled Brown, Treble Lines, Iron Prominent, Small Square-spot, Brindled, Foxglove, and Oak-tree Pug, Flame Shoulder, Clouded Drab. The little 'uns were Bactra lancealana, Epiblema scutulana, and Glyphipterix fuscoviridella.
Tony & Ina

Treble-bar

Treble-bar (underside)

Treble Lines

Small Square-spot

Cwmtydu butterflies

On Saturday I visited Cwm Tydu. Walking up the coast path towards Craig Caerllan an unexpected male Brimstone butterfly flew past and the were many Speckled Yellow's around the gorse. Heading down the field below Pen-y-graig, better still two Dingy Skippers, one of which posed nicely. In the valley I saw about 6 Pearl-bordered Frits including a male and female together.

Talybont Woodland Moths

Not as good a catch as we were expecting last night but none the less for that.
The first Scoparia ambigualis I have seen this year and Epinotia immundana were the only micros.
Sixteen macro species; White-pinion Spotted, Brown Silver-line, Brindled Pug, Water Carpet, Scalloped Hazel, Brimstone, Flame Shoulder, Sandy Carpet, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Buff-tip, Clouded Silver, Bright-line Brown-eye, Least Black Arches, Pale Tussock and Muslin Moth.
Ina and Tony

Bright-line Brown-eye

Epinotia immundana

Least Black Arches - with Stigmella aurella mine

Lunar Thorn

Muslin Moth

Sandy Carpet

Shuttle-shaped Dart

ID puzzle for Monday morning.

Ynys-hir - female Emperor

Lots of moths last night in two traps.  Too many to count at the moment but just a few highlights with captions below.
Ina & Tony

Barred Umber

Broken-barred Carpet

Campion

Emperor - female

May Highflyer

Poplar Hawk-moth

Purple Bar

Rustic Shoulder-knot

Scorched Wing

Syndemis musculana

White-spotted Pug

Clouded Silver

White-pinion Spotted

Chamomile Shark

A first for my garden near New Quay last night was this Chamomile Shark. Unfortunately one wing seems damaged.

Chamomile Shark

dark streaks extending into fringes

Other new for the year :-

Foxglove Pug

Small Angle Shades