A Waved Carpet was outside the 15w actinic trap I set in the older part of the WWWT woodland outside Cardigan last night. A large number of Mottled Beauty and some smaller paler geometrids which were too flighty to pot also turned up to the party.
Tony, you say in your notes there was a sudden increase in records from 2017 and I am wondering if you can discern whether that was due to more recording in old woodlands or some other explanation?
Just short of 40 species in the trap last night including my first Scallop Shell for a few years and these three:
Found a couple of early instar Puss moth caterpillars on young suckers of my Aspen 'thicket'. Also had a good number of Mullein caterpillars shredding a couple of my greater mullein plants (which are pretty easy to grow from seed).
I've spent a few fruitless hours looking for Five-spot Burnets which seem to be late this year (don't have my records avaialble but normally 2nd week in June IIRC)
At least the first one (and only one!) posed on a convenient orchid.....
A warm midgy night produced 67 macro species from three traps, two of which were in our neighbour's woodland. Our high spot was our very first Silver Hook from the woodland. The Mottled Beauty was the first moth of this year to reach double figures. Included below is a selection of some of the more attractive moths.
Carolyn & Evan
 |
| Silver Hook |
 |
| July Belle |
 |
| Gold Swift |
 |
| Clay Triple-lines |
 |
| Beautiful Carpet |
After last nights catch in the garden we have reached 104 macro species for the year. On this date last year we had 131 but in 2019 it was 151. I hope our reduced species is due to covid which has prevented us from trapping in the more interesting sites and not due to moth numbers.
Tony & Ina
 |
| Buff-tip |
 |
| Ghost Moth (f) |
 |
| Middle-barred Minor |
 |
| Chrysoteuchia culmella |
 |
| Celypha striana |
I managed to find two Thrift Clearwings at Tanybwlch (Aberystwyth) on Sunday (despite the crowds). Both were by the side of the track before the bend in the river. Also Lobesia littoralis, Homoeosoma sinuella, and my first Chrystoteuchia culmella (Garden Grass Veneers) of the year.
 | |
| Thrift Clearwing |
 |
| Lobesia littoralis - colourful, but not as clearly marked as I expected. |
I put my LED trap just into the wood last night and was rewarded with over 90 moths of, I think, 37 species. I hope my identifications are correct!
Edit 15 June: I had Cloaked Minor for the third one, but noticed flight season is wrong, so now think another Middle-barred Minor.
 |
| Coronet |
 |
| Coronet, f. coronula |
 |
| Middle-barred Minor ? |
 |
| Waved Carpet |
 |
| Clouded Buff |
 |
| Scalloped Hook-tip |
 |
| Peach Blossom |
 |
| Middle-barred Minor (form pallida) |
 |
| May Highflyer |
 |
| Broken-barred Carpet |
I often am asked what are the best conditions for moth trapping. I always say warm drizzle is by far the best and last night proved the point.
Like lots of other moth-ers we have had a terrible start to the year. In fact it was often an occasion for celebration to have one moth!
So although not an over-large catch 25 species was wonderful. A few photos below, please excuse the quality as they were taken in a hurry. Ina and Tony
 |
| Alder Moth |
 |
| Anania hortulata |
 |
| Common Marbled Carpet |
 |
| Common Marbled Carpet - Underside |
 |
| Dagger agg, probably Grey |
 |
| Foxglove Pug |
 |
| Miller |
 |
| Rhyacionia pinivorana - Spotted Shoot Moth |
 |
| Rhyacionia pinivorana - Spotted Shoot Moth |
A rather cool night produced 22 macro species from our neighbour's woodland. Included was this mystery noctuid (fl 20mm). The nearest we can get is a Cabbage Moth but are not completely happy about it. Any suggestions?
Carolyn & Evan
 |
| ? |
 |
| Broom Moth |
 |
| Knot Grass |
 |
| Spectacle |
I set two traps on the outskirts of Aberystwyth last night and was rewarded with 50+ species. New for the year included Oak
Hooktip (6), Green Carpet (3), Scorched Wing (3), Chinese Character,
Miller (2), Shears, Common Lutestring, and Straw Dot. And
something I've labelled as Dusky Brocade but really not sure. The most micros I've caught for some time included Agapeta hamana (4),
Cydia pomonella, Homoeosoma sinuella, Rhyacionia pinivorana, and
Incurvaria oehlmanniella. Also a possible Cydia cosmophorana.
 |
| Shears |
 |
| Dusky Brocade? |
 |
| Cydia cosmophorana |
