Tuesday 28 June 2022

Swallow-tailed Moth

 An impromptu mothing with two traps in our local oak woodland last night produced 39 macro species.  The star of the night was this very fresh Swallow-tailed Moth. Also included were two beautiful Scallop Shell and our first Barred Straw of this year.

Carolyn & Evan

Swallow-tailed Moth

Barred Straw

Scallop Shell

Thursday 23 June 2022

Waved Carpet in Llangeitho

 I disturbed this little moth this morning on the edge of the wood but it obligingly settled on an apple tree. It's just the second Waved Carpet I've had here.


I also had a Hummingbird Hawk-moth nectaring on Primula chungensis two days ago. Paid no attention to nearby white-flowered red valerian.

Reasons to be cheerful are....

 I am trapping in Devon this week and a casual perusal of the Devon moths blog turned up this recording of a talk about the reasons for some moths to be increasing in range and abundance nationally.  

In my Devon childhood I used to hate the irritating clouds of flies following me in the woods of mid summer but no such problem yesterday when visiting a friend's woodland nature reserve on the fringe of Dartmoor, so I was as usual moaning about insect armageddon but this video gives a more measured assessment of the situation as pertains to moths

 https://youtu.be/GMSQ6VkdsQw

I was on the blog site to check on Royal Mantle which I saw during a walk, new one for me. 

Devon tv news last evening featured a man rearing and releasing Privet HM's by the hundred; I think he must live nearby as I've had mutiples in my trap!😁

Saturday 18 June 2022

Small Mottled Willow

Like Simon we had a very productive night with over 200 moths including 52 macro species and our first ever migrant Small Mottled Willow. 

Carolyn & Evan



Rheidol Valley

I trapped on the WT reserve at Pant Da (in the Rheidol Valley) last night. A bit damp this morning, but over 50 species recorded, dominated by Mottled Beauty (25) and Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (35). Lots of firsts for the year, including  White-pinion Spotted, Burnished Brass, Green Silver-lines, Rustic, Brown Rustic, Purple Clay, Map-winged Swift and Double Square-spot; among the micros Archips xylosteana, Aleimma loeflingiana, Argyresthia conjugella, Cochylis nana, Eudonia delunella and (new for me) Strophedra nitidana.





Numbers in the garden trap are starting to rise (but still no Poplar Hawkmoth!), with Uncertain, Pale Mottled Willow, Bright-line Brown Eye and Fanfoot new for the year this week.

The leipdopteran highlights of a trip to Cors Fochno for the Nightjars on Wednesday were Pinion-streaked Snout, Four-dotted Footman and Ancylis geminana.


Not to be outdone, Aberystwyth skate park (not somewhere I spend alot of time, but surely there are Scarlet Tigers there in the Comfrey) produced Argyresthia spinosella and Epiblema foenella on Thursday evening, with Coleophora mayrella and Cochylis rupicola in the cemetery.





Friday 17 June 2022

Rhos Glendenys

Don't you just love the fickle nature of moths.... Yesterday I visited Rhos Glendenys (near Cross Inn/Nebo) to look for Six-spot Burnet. Result = 0 despite it being quite late ..IIRC as I have seen them a lot earlier in June. Saw 2 Blood Vein which weren't keen on posing for a photo. Today - a Five-spot Burnet and a more photgenic Blood Vein. If anyone visits the reserve - the orchids are in bloom and very nice - don't be seduced by the dry weather and wear some sensible footwear as it's still wet in places...

Nebo/Cross Inn 16/6/2022

Lobster Moth & Beautiful Golden Y

Sunday 12 June 2022

Talybont garden

 Our 60W Actinic light attracted 34 moth species to the garden last night, 9 of them were micros. The more notable and new for the year are shown below.

Tony & Ina

Small Elephant Hawk-moths

Ghost Moth (f)

Dark Arches

Large Yellow Underwing

Shark

Miller


Saturday 11 June 2022

Map-winged Swift

This Map-winged Swift was a new moth for me in the woodland at my house in Cross Inn last night. Also had my first Drinker for the year after seeing a Drinker caterpillar earlier on Trychrug.




I



Wednesday 8 June 2022

July Belle

 We caught this very fresh "Belle" along with 35 other macro species from our neighbour's arboretum last night.  On balance from its features we think it is a July rather than a Lead Belle.

Carolyn & Evan



Red-tipped Clearwing

 After a few unsuccessful searches for this moth, Ina finally attracted it to a pheromone lure near the willow carr on Cors Fochno.



Saturday 4 June 2022

Some Beautiful Moths

 A mild windy night produced 136 moths of 43 macro species from three traps in garden and woodland.  They included these three aptly named beautiful moths.

Carolyn & Evan

Beautiful Carpet

Beautiful Snout

Mottled Beauty


Mottled Beauty f. conversaria

Broom Moth

Treble Lines