Ynys-hir - 26th Feb

Well the overnight temperature last night was supposed to be 6C, wasn't far off that in Talybont but at Ynys-hir it was 1C but felt like -1C.
Never-the-less we intrepid moth-ers gave it a go... the result...
Twenty two species, 20 macro and 2 micro, the little ones have more sense in that temperature!
                           

Species

Twin-spotted Quaker, Dotted Border, Early Grey, Engrailed, Chestnut, Pale Brindled Beauty,     Satellite, Small Quaker, Brindled Pug, Mottled Grey, Clouded Drab, Oak Beauty, March Moth,
Hebrew Character, Yellow Horned, Common Quaker, Red Sword-grass, Oak Nycteoline,
Red Chestnut, Small Brindled Beauty, Tortricodes alternella, Ypsolopha ustella.

Things are getting better; 1 Pale Brindled Beauty, 4 Dotted Border, 2 hebrew Character, 1 Clouded Drab and 1 Common Quaker. Sarnau (SA44)

Clouded Drab

Common Quaker

Dotted Border

Hebrew Character

Pale Brindled Beauty

Moths at Nebo/Cross Inn!

Pale Brindled Beauty, Hebrew Character, and Spring Usher.

Pleased since they're the first moths for a while!!

Llanarth Garden

A windier than expected night brought in 29 moths of 15 species, 6 of which were new for year.
These included :-

Yellow Horned

Early Thorn

More Orange Underwings

Alerted by Tony and Ina's discovery of Orange Underwings at Cors Fochno, we went to a birch woodland this afternoon near Tre'r-ddol where we have seen them previously.  There they were flying in the sunshine high around the top of the birch canopy - three sightings of two definite moths, five weeks earlier than when we last saw them (04/04/15).

Carolyn & Evan

Return to Llawrcwrt - Pale Brindled Beauty

After an absence of 28 years, no fewer than four Pale Brindled Beautys in the trap this morning. As Tony commented - where have they been hiding.

Woodland 16, Garden 9

Good numbers of moths in woodland in the Rheidol Valley last night, despite the temperature falling to at about 1 degree. Chestnut, Small Quaker and Early Grey in double figures, single Small and Pale Brindled Beautys, Engrailed, Twin-spot Quaker and Spring Usher. Satellite (3) was new for my county list. In total 71 moths of 16 species.

The garden trap has been (unsurprisingly) less productive, mostly Common Quaker, Hebrew Character and Clouded Drab, with singles of Common Plume, Brindled Pug, Early Grey, Pale Brindled Beauty and a garden first Oak Beauty. Spotted my first Luffia ferchaultella for the year on the house this morning.

Although we had thick fog last night, managed to get 4 moths in the trap this morning, 2 Hebrew Character, 1 Dotted Border and 1 Early Moth.  Sarnau.

Dotted Border

Hebrew Character

Early Moth

Also, have seen reports of Hummingbird Hawkmoth on Primroses in Devon, if this weather continues may get some good migrants around.

Orange Underwing

About a dozen sightings but can only be sure of three individuals of Orange Underwing on Cors Fochno this afternoon in the sunshine.

Ina and Tony

Early Spring Moths

A warm night in the last week of meteorological winter produced 13 macro species from our usual two traps.  These included the first of our two favourite early spring moths - Oak Beauty and Early Grey, this melanic Engrailed and a very dark-coloured Chestnut. Also new for this year were March and Early Moths.

Carolyn & Evan

Oak Beauty

Early Grey

Engrailed

Chestnut

Talybont Garden.

Instead of wandering around various sites around the county we went for a 'home' moth trap last night. It was windy and did not feel too warm to us but the diptera  thought otherwise!
We did manage to attract 10 moths of seven species however, labelled photos below.
Ina and Tony

Brindled Pug

Chestnut

Clouded Drab

Common Quaker

Double-striped Pug

Early Moth

Mottled Grey

Red Chestnut

Mothing Weather!!

Migrants

Just a quick heads up to anyone thinking of putting a trap out in the next day or two.

There have been quite a few migrants arriving onto these shores over the last couple of night.

They usually manage to by-pass us but I know some have made it to Lancashire!!

So keep your eyes open - you never know what surprise is in the box!

Last nights catch, just two moths, a Chestnut and a Hebrew Character.

Chestnut

Hebrew Character

Both in UV moth trap in my back garden, Sarnau (SA44)

Red-green Carpet

Last night we ran 2 small actinic lights in some woodland close to the coast at Wallog. One of the traps caught 11 Chestnut and no other species. The other had Chestnut (8), Early moth (2), Dotted Border, Satellite, and Red-green carpet. Normally only the females of Red-green carpet over-winter and are usually seen in low numbers in April and May. There are 8 other county records for January and February, is it possible that some of these were males?
Tony & Ina

Early moth

Red-green carpet

Satellite

Talybont in February

Well here's a contrast for you.
After the number of moths in woodland yesterday we had the massive total of three moths in the garden last night.  More frogs in the pond than moths in the trap! (Should have photographed the spawn).  We did however have Common Quaker that was not in the previous night's catch.
Ina and Tony

Chestnut

Common Quaker

Pale Brindled Beauty

Ynys-hir in February

The first mild night for a while was very kind to us as far as moths were concerned.
Two of Tony's target favourites turned up...(hope you like the alliteration!) Oak Nycteoline and Small Brindled Beauty.  Other species were Pale Brindled Beauty, Spring Usher, Dotted Border, Chestnut, March Moth, Oak Beauty, Mottled Grey, Clouded Drab, Hebrew Character, Satellite and 2 Pugs Double-striped and Brindled
Micro species; Tortricodes alternella (181 almost one third of the catch), Acleris literana, A.cristana, A.ferrugana and/or A.notana, Agonopterix ocellana and yeatiana, Ypsolopha ustella.
Thirteen macro species and 7 or 8 micros.  In total we had 547 individuals 254 of these were in a 6w bucket in woodland, habitat is everything.
Ina and Tony.

Acleris cristana

Acleris literana

Agonopterix ocellana

Agonopterix yeatiana

Clouded Drab

March Moth

Oak Nycteoline

Small Brindled Beauty