A pleasant surprise

Llandaff North: This Orange Footman was fluttering around the bulb when I checked the trap last night. Possibly new for ST17?

Kenfig pool North hide area this morning.

Hysterophopra maculosana.
Narrow bordered five spot burnet larva.
Lackey larvae.
Also - Crambus lathionellus, Elachista argentella, Adela reaumurella, Common wave and Common heath.

Garnwen, Maesteg.

Epinotia fraternana?
Netted this potential first for Glam on Tuesday. Any comments welcome.

Mynydd bach, Maesteg today.

Mother shipton.
Also - Small purple barred, Adela reaumurella, Clepsis senecionana, Leucoptera laburnella and 3 green hairstreak.

Newton Burrows, Porthcawl

2 Grizzled Skipper, 20+ Dingy Skipper as well as all the usual suspects. Also 20+ Pyrausta Purpuralis, 5 Pyrausta despicata & 100+ Micropterix calthella.

Heart&Dart

It was a poor trap last night by recent standards, but I guess the most noteworthy was my first Heart & Dart of the year. I make it the earliest county record apart from 2007 (22nd April).

Kenfig castle area today.

Small purple barred
Pyrausta purpuralis
Pyrausta cingulata.
Also Yellow belle, Common heath, Diamond back moth and 14 species of butterfly.

Glaucous Shears in Senghenydd

15 species in the trap last night, including my first ever Glaucous Shears. The first record for VC41 since 2005 I believe. New for the year were Red Twin-spot Carpet (2nd site record), Chocolate-tip, White Ermine, White-pinion Spotted, Small Phoenix and Garden Carpet.

A Latticed Heath was on Mynydd Eglwysilan this morning.

Nantyffyllon today.

Ancylis badiana.
Also Pyrausta purpuralis, Coleophora albicosta and Mother shipton.

Kenfig castle area today.

Yellow belle
Small blue.
A good afternoon produced - Oblique striped 4, Mother shipton 1, Cinnabar 1, Red twin spot carpet 5, Pyrausta purpuralis 50+, Pyrausta cingulata 20+, Grapholita jungiella 40+, Small blue 40+, Common blue 10, Dingy skipper 8, Small copper 3 and a Brown argus.

Coed Cae Pica, Abertridwr

A 3 hour session last night produced 14 species including May Highflyer, Grey Birch (3), Pebble Prominent, Knot Grass, Nut-tree Tussock (6) and 1st site record of Square Spot, taking the total number of macro-moth species for this site to 162. Most abundant species was Brown Silver-line (20+). A single Syndemis musculana was the only micro.

Nantyffyllon actinic last night.

White pinion spotted.
Also of note - Pebble hook tip, Pale tussock and a Female Emperor.

Agonopterix purpurea.

Netted near Kenfig castle on 21st. Confirmed by Dave Slade.

Rhoose Point

5 new moths for the year from this evening include Waved Umber, White-pinion Spotted, Dingy Shears, Common Carpet and Setaceous Hebrew Character.

Acleris hastiana/cristana?

Thanks Dave and Paul for your comments below. It's not the best of photos so I'm not sure if you can make out that the two white discal marks are actually small scale tufts - I had to enlarge the image to be certain. Does this feature help determine it as cristana?

Here's another photo with better view of wing shape.

Penygraig, 21 April 2011

Overnight 40W actinic in the garden

Pebble-hook Tip (1); Small Pheonix (1); Powdered Quaker (3); Brindled Pug (2); Small Quaker (1) and Hebrew Character (1).

Kenfig castle area today.

Oblique striped
Burnet companion
Dingy skipper.
Also on the wing one Small blue, Glyphipterix fuscorviridella and Grapholita jungiella.

Last night in Senghenydd

A total of 15 species in the trap this morning including my first ever Muslin Moth (2). Is this a new species for ST19? Also Shoulder Stripe, Water Carpet, Ruby Tiger, Nut-tree Tussock (5) Foxglove Pug and Flame Shoulder.

Am I correct in thinking this micro is Acleris cristana?

Rhoose Point

Four new moths on 19th:

• Treble Bar


• Pebble Hook-tip


• Chinese Character


• Brown Silver-line

and about 15 Brimstone.

Nantyffyllon actinic last night.

Coxcomb prominent
Small phoenix.
18 species inc - Pebble prominent 4, Shuttle shaped dart 3 and the first Brown silver lines of the season.

Nantyffyllon actinic last night.

Pale prominent
V-pug.
18 species in total inc - Golden rod pug 2, Water carpet 8, Red green carpet and Small phoenix.

Cwrtymynws wood, Maesteg, today.

Square spot
Agonopterix arenella
Cydia ulicetana.

Rhoose Point

A good catch of 21 species last night including Dark Sword-grass, 2x Ruby Tiger, Water Carpet, Treble Bar, Golden-rod Pug, Brindled Pug and Twenty-plume Moth all new for the year. Also 3 micros that I have had trouble identifying. The top one may be Cochylimorpha straminea, but seems small at 9mm. The second micro was a mere 4mm long, impossible even to tell which end the head was without a lens! The third was a more respectable 5mm. Would be grateful if anyone can help with names. Many thanks, Adam

Roath

Trap now up and running all night, however not much: Muslin Moth [17th] and Brimstone Moth 2 [18th]. Whitchurch Hosp.[17th]: Grey Pug, an early record. Also plenty of Holly Blue about, 7 in my garden since 6th.

Cwm nant gwyn, Llangynwyd this afternoon.

Adela cuprella
Eriocrania subpurpurella
Phyllonorycter harrisella
Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella

Nicholaston Burrows

Rhopobota stagnana disturbed from dune vegetation adjacent to Little Tor this morning. An uncommon species locally (<10 VC41 records), probably associated with Small Scabious at this site.

Rhopobota stagnana

Can anyone help with an id? Found on herb rich calcareous grassland, 9mm long and day flying. I have a vague idea it might be Pyrausta despicata, but it would be good to have a more experienced eye look at it.

Thanks,

Adam

Last night in Llanishen

Not much to report, but did get my first 'migrant' of the year in the form of a Dark Swordgrass.

Golden-rod Pug is another nice one, although apparently on the increase in the county.

Senghenydd

11 species last night: Purple Thorn, Lunar Marbled Brown and Bee Moth were new for the year. Also of note - Red Chestnut and Powdered Quaker.

Rhoose Point

A few new moths last night:

Least Black Arches

Common Wave

Common Carpet

And what I think is probably Coleophora albicosta

Plus a number of Incurvaria masculella flying during the day.

Llandaff North, new species for 2011

New for the year last night in my garden MV: Brimstone, Small Phoenix, White-shouldered House moth and this Epermenia chaerophyllella. Other recent highlights: Brindled Beauty (3) and Caloptilia stigmatella.

Green Hairstreak, Nantyffyllon today.

Howardian LNR

Adam and I trapped at the Howardian LNR last night, and there were probably as many members of the 'Friends of' group as there were species of moth. However, half of the moths caught were new to ST27 including, Lunar Marbled Brown, Golden-rod Pug, Early Thorn, Brindled Pug.
Also caught Agonpterix ciliella - which is a poorly recorded species.

Agonopterix ciliella

Lunar Marbled Brown