Neglected Rustic

 New for me in my garden at Troedrhiwseiri, Bontgoch

this morning a smart Neglected Rustic. Hardly heathland though I have a good bank of heather and moorland habitat not too far away.

Beautiful Brocade...probable

 Caught at Aberporth Sunday night, garden trap overlooking a valley to the sea (1km) organic fields recently cut to foreground.

Sorry about the photo quality...time pressure, just potted it quickly as I thought it was a strange looking Lychnis and let it go as the day was so warm.  Live and learn.

A puzzle lurking in my pics for 28th June

 Caught at light above Aberporth in a garden. 

The lines on paper are 8mm apart so about 10/12mm.

Any help appreciated.

Crescent Dart at Moelgolomen.

 Recorded from one of my traps last night on a very dry, grassy hillside east of Bont Goch. 

I would imagine it is a fairly common moth on the Ceredigion coast but a first for me.

22 other species but all ordinary for the habitat.

Scarce Silver Y

This week's highlight in the garden trap (Aberystwyth) was this Scarce Silver Y on Thursday night:

Catches have been quite small, but I also had three Small Mottled Willow and FFY Sallow Kitten, Flounced Rustic, Dusky Thorn and Agriphila selasella.

In the field behind our house, I was pleased to find Phyllonorycter trifasciella and Prays ruficeps. The former looks nicer, but the latter is more unusual:

Last night's trap in the Rheidol Valley was dominated by Black Arches and Apotomis betulatana (>20 of each). Also two August Thorn and two Cloaked Carpet, but nothing unusual.

Llanarth garden

 This large micro is Sitochroa palealis. It was last recorded in Ceredigion in 1956 at Gwbert. Possibly a migrant, although there are populations in the south of Britain.

Sitochroa palealis

Old Warren Hill

I trapped at Nanteos (Old Warren Hill) last night, and was surprised to find Italian Bark Moth (Metalampra italica):

They appeared to be most abundant at dusk and dawn, and I saw 20 in total.

Best of the rest were Clouded Magpie (11), Buff Footman, Tissue (my 5th of the year, and 6th ever, so a good year for them) and this Double Kidney:

 

Agnopterix Angelicella?

 According to the micro moth list this would seem to be the 8th for Ceredigion if correct

Angelica Brown

To MV light in Llechryd last night. Rural garden with mixed woodland and farmland adjacent

Least Carpet ?

 

Caught above Aberporth last night in garden and grass habitat.  Seems way out of area but I may be way out of date! 

Sorry about the pic my trusty Lumix has focussing problems like us all old 'uns.

Also this Grapholita flew into the kitchen last night...7mm so jungiella?

Four (?) Footmen of Llangeitho

 Trapping on 10th July, a mild dry night yielded over 150 moths, with 48 macros and numerous micros, largely Eudonia spp..

One Footman I am unsure about: Obsidentify says Orange Footman, 100%, but the flight season is late and the wing looks less angular. The Four-spotted is the second I have recorded here in Llangeitho.

Buff Footman

Dingy Footman

Orange (or Buff?) Footman

Four-spotted Footman

Cloaked Carpet

Of the micros, I think these are:

Calamotropha paludella

Beautiful China-mark

Beautiful China-mark

Apple Ermine: Yponomeuta malinellus

Gem, Dusky Sallow, Mouse Moth

In the garden trap on Thursday night, it was the turn of Cydia splendana to appear en masse: 43, including only 4 of the melanic form. A new-for-me Gem and 3 Small Mottled Willow were suggestive of migration. Also Marsh Oblique-barred, Hypsopygia glaucinalis and NFY Z. ratzeburgiana (2), Slender Pug and Endotricha flammealis.

Last night I trapped in Ponterwyd. Over 400 moths of 90 species. Good numbers of Large Yellow Underwing (51), True Lovers Knot (32), Dark Arches (52) and Agriphila straminella, and even Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (11). FFYs included Grass Emerald (3), Barred Straw, Chinese Character, Small Elephant Hawkmoth (2), Garden Tiger (3), Coxcomb Prominent, Dotted Clay, Bulrush Wainscot, Gold Spot (3), Small Rufous, Honeysuckle Moth, Mompha propinquella, Mompha raschkiella, and Eupoecilia angustana. New for my county list were Catoptria falsella, Mouse Moth and Dusky Sallow.

Thursday night at Cwmerfyn. 09/07/2026.

A rather humid, full night survey on a mixed grassy, scrubby slope c.280m above Cwmerfyn produced 70 species on Thursday night. 

The likelihood is this is a Red Underwing but I am stumped by the "inner central cross-line bends outwards so it usually touches pale central mark" (Waring, Townsend & Lewington) which is characteristic of a possible immigrant Dark Crimson Underwing (very similar to the example in Chris Manley) but does not have a convincing deep "W" on the outer cross-line. More like a "V".

Any help on this would be great.

Also recorded what I suspect to be a Northern Rustic? 

Not recorded this before so a confirmation would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Phil.

Additional photo received from Sam Grinsted who managed to get a shot of the red hindwing (apologies for the poor quality photo but it shows the important bit!)

Four-spotted moth spotted

 The highlight of last night's garden trap was this Double Lobed, my first for almost 5 years.

Also NFY Common Footman and Wormwood Pug among 37 sp.

On my route to work, a Large Emerald yesterday clinging to a building, and today this Four-spotted Footman, new for me, in the same place:

Night at Bwlch Corog, Glaspwyll.

 Hi all,

A very busy night on Friday with a site wide 91 species recorded for Coetir Anian including the following two micros:

Is this about right for Eudonia delunella? I have spent too much time staring at it!

 

and is this brownish enough for Apotomis capreana? Everything else looks right to separate it from A.betulana. There is a hint of a greyish tip to the tuft, well arched costa and the "hook" is present.

Photos have not been fiddled with except for cropping.

Any corrections/comments welcomed. 

Thanks.

Phil.

Bilberry Pug, Llangeitho

 The one distinguished item in a rather humdrum catch of 43 species last night was this Bilberry Pug - the first I've recorded here since July 2021.

Rheidol Valley

A trip to woodland in the Rheidol Valley last night. 88 moths of 34 species. Most numerous were Variagated Golden Tortrix (17+), Eudonia lacustrata (11+) and Aleimma loeflingiana (10). Highlights were Lilac Beauty, Beautiful Snout, Northern Spinach, Peach Blossom (3), Barred Yellow, Cydia fagiglandana and Eudonia delunella (2). New for me is what might be Celypha aurofasciana (although this one doesn't look very golden):

Aberystwyth garden

Last night was a bit breezy. 45 of 62 moths were Heart and Darts. Among the others, my first Shoulder-striped Wainscot for three years, and what I think is a Ni Moth.

A dark clouded silver

 A very dark clouded silver (or is it something else..?). Much darker than any other I have had. Aberaeron.

Ochreous pug

This one from Aberaeron a few nights ago. Described as "common" but I have only had one before but that was on the way up Pumlumon Fawr in daylight! The records to 2021 show 24 previous records in the county, mine on the mountain being the 25th. So this, according to Pete, is the 26th. Given the challenges of identifying pugs, perhaps they are under-recorded? 

Small mottled willow at Aberaeron

 A first for me last night in my garden in Aberaeron. 

Moths at Bontgoch

 Delighted to find a Small Purple-barred in my trap this morning. My only previous sightings were the odd day flier at Cors fochno years ago. Alder moth, Lobster and Satin Wave were also present. Earlier this week I had my first Lead Belle for many years.

 

Proof of breeding or a holiday romance?

 Striped Hawkmoths, new to me!  May 25/26th Aberporth garden trap. 

More from Aberporth

 Marbled Coronet , Netted pug and Tawny Shears...May 24th Aberporth.

Also had 2 Small Mottled Willow, Grass Rivulet,Alder moth,9xTreble Lines, Gold Spot,Poplar Grey plus Poplar Hawkmoth, a Dagger and pair of Muslins. BuffTip,White Ermine,Brown Rustic, Flame Shoulder and a couple of Oligia were supporting cast.

pugs again!

Is this a candidate for Cloaked Pug?  caught May 24th Aberporth
 

Small Mottled Willow

 Last night was quite productive, with 20 species in the trap, in an open, grassy area. New to me was a Small Mottled Willow - which I see that Adam Dare in Carmarthenshire also had, the same night.

Small Mottled Willow

Others good to see again included a Treble-bar, Clay Triple-lines, a Little Emerald and twenty-two Treble-lines. 

Clay Triple-lines

Treble Bar

A bonus this morning was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth feeding on white-flowered Red Valerian.

Looking up

A few more interesting moths in the garden trap last night, including my first Netted Pug here:

Other NFY were Puss Moth, Peppered Moth, Buff-tip, Treble Lines, Least Black Arches and a Marbled Beauty caterpillar. Both of the latter were high up on the wall of the house.