Rhoose Point

Hoary Footman?

Mompha propinquella from a few days ago...

Not sure what this one is - can anyone help? Sorry about the photo!

ID help please

I thought this one would be easy! Been through the Tort thumbnails on UK Moths a couple of times but to avail.

Wenvoe BioBlitz

Yesterday's SEWBReC BioBlitz at Wenvoe Orchid Fields went well - after a dull start it brightened up nicely in the afternoon and there was plenty of moth and butterfly activity.

Highlights for me were this newly-emerged female Small Emerald















and Hypatima rhomboidella
















Also Cochylidia rupicola (3rd modern rec?), Evergestis pallidata, the hoverfly Leucozona laternaria (apparently quite scarce in Wales) and at least 14 species of butterfly. Dave will probably be able to add some more interesting sightings to this.

Sand Dart

Now is good time to record Sand Dart if you find yourself on a beach with strandline vegetation. These 5 larvae were found under a single plant of Sea Rocket at Blackpill and I found another 4 under another plant we sat down next to. There are hundreds of plants growing along the strandline there so there must be hundreds of larvae too I guess! Other plants are worth checking too, such as Sea Sandwort, Prickly Saltwort, etc.  Simply lift the branches of a likely looking plant and sift the top inch or two of sand with your fingers to find the larvae. If they're there you find them in <30 seconds!

Actinic at Kenfig north dunes last night.

Batia lunaris.
Epinotia ramella.
Yponomeuta rorella?
Phycita roborella?
3 moths unidentified, i have a Gelechid to look at later.
52 species in all with Large yellow underwing leading the count with 16 individuals, closely followed by Yellowtail, Lackey and Ear moth. Also - Rosy footman, Trachycera advenella, Bird cherry ermine, Bramble shoot moth and Cydia splendana.
Again, nearly half the catch were micros and Geometer numbers were very poor with just 11 moths of 6 species.

Mynydd Fochriw

Mike & myself went up country last night. Nothing out of the ordinary however a count of 184 for Antler Moth was a VC41 highest count. Also Beautiful Golden Y, Triple Sq-spot, Map-winged Swift & Burnished Brass.

Llandaff North query

Does anyone have any ideas about this one, taken last night? The closest I can get is Pseudatemelia sp. Sorry it's not the sharpest pic.












Also this Heliozela resplendella last night.

Llandaff North 27th July - a trap full of surprises

The first moth I noticed when I opened the trap this morning was a Blomer's Rivulet:
















Not the kind of moth I expected to see in a suburban garden. Lurking deeper in the trap was this small but smart micro Parectopa ononidis:
















A new species for VC41. And down in the dregs of the trap was Recurvaria leucatella:
















I think this is the 6th county record. All of these, plus Y rorrella (Willow Ermine, x5) new for the garden, making it a night to remember.

Senghenydd

52 spp last night: Highlights included 3 new spp - Buff Footman, Acleris forsskaleana and Udea prunalis. Also Dark Spectacle, Silver Y and Pinion-streaked Snout. Large Yellow Underwing and Triple-spotted Clay shared the honours for commonest spp with 11 apiece.

Actinic at Kenfig north dunes last night.

Cochylis hybridella.
Acleris variegana.
Acleris emargana.
Agapeta zoegana.
52 sp in total, 24 of which were micros and 12 of these were Tortrix.
Largest single species count was 7 Ruby tiger, also recorded - Brown line bright eye, Scalloped hook tip, Ear moth, Lackey, Yellowtail, Pyrausta aurata, Archips podana, Apotomis betulaetana, Eplblema incarnatana and Coleophora serratella.

Gorseinon

70 spp. in the garden trap last night with Large Yellow Underwing (49) finally taking over as the commonest species, with Dark Arches (17) now dropping to third, behind Common Rustic agg. (19).  Yponomeuta represented by 10 evonymella, 2 rorella & 1 padella/malinellus. Is it just me or has Epiphyas postvittana become scarcer during the last two years? Only my third record of the year today, this being one more than last year! I wonder if the cold winters have reduced their numbers?

Bumper night in Llanishen

There were over 70 species in the trap last night and although a few of them will be new to the garden list, albeit mainly micros - and I do really mean micros too! The two that stand out are Ectoedemia decentella, and what looks like Stigmella samiatella (I need to see the hindwings to be certain). Also Yponomeuta rorrella was a nice surprise. Quite a lot of Caddis too including good numbers of Sericostoma personatum and a small Rhycophilid I have yet to name. This has probably taken me over 500 Lep species for the garden.

Yponomeuta rorrella

Sericostoma personatum

Roath (central)

Highlights over the last few nights at Roath: (July)
Euzophera pinquis (Tabby Knot-horn) 19th
Currant Pug 19th
August Thorn 22nd & 23rd
Iron Prominent 26th (5th garden rec.)
Nut-tree Tussock 26th
Scarce Silverlines 27th
I have also had good numbers of Riband Wave, Timothy Tortrix, Cherry-bark Moth and Bird-cherry Ermine. Migrants: only Silver Y and in small numbers. Still no Small Ranunculus at MVL and no larvae when searching prickly lettuce locally too.
Had Dusky Thorn & Small Emerald at the Knap 22nd & MCP had another Brown-tail there recently.

Rhoose Point

30 species in the trap by midnight this evening. New things, including a couple from earlier this week, include Mompha propinquella, Epiblema foenella, Cochylis roseana, Batia lunaris and Trachycera advenella. Also second generation Pyrausta aurata appearing with 5 in the trap tonight.

Few migrants recently, with a few of Silver Y's, Diamond Back, Dark Sword-grass, and a Hummingbird HM visiting the garden at precisely 2.30pm each afternoon for about a week.

Llandaff North 25th July

An excellent catch of 52 species last night, the highlight being a Maple Pug:














According to my MapMate this the first county record for 10 years. It sooned dawned on me that my worn "Haworth's Pug" from 20th July (see earlier post) was also this species (oops), and I had another worn one on 22nd (dissected today).

Also last night Galium Carpet new for the garden:














plus Old Lady, Rosy Footman, Perinephela lancealis and Caloptilia stigmatella.

Nantyffyllon actinic last night.

Chinese character.
Orange footman.
Eucosma campoliliana.
68 species in total with 11 Antler moth topping the count. Also - Devon carpet, Gold spot, Scalloped shell, Straw underwing, Mother of pearl, Evergestis pallidata and Parornix betulae.

Tutt Head, Mumbles

Devonshire Wainscot

Highlights from 108 species recorded in two traps last night [of which 32 were new for SS68] were Tawny cockroach (1), Swammerdamia pyrella (1), Ypsolopha scabrella (1), Digitivalva pulicariae (2), Agonopterix kaekeritziana (2), Argolamprotes micella (1), Athrips mouffetella (7), Teleiodes sequax (8),  Aethes francillana (3), Agriphila inquinatella (2), Eudonia pallida (1), Pyrausta ostrinalis (3), Pyrausta cingulata (2), Udea ferrugalis (2), Grass Emerald (1), Annulet (2), Round-winged Muslin (1), Rosy Footman (2), Hoary Footman (1), Scarce Footman (12), Crescent Dart (1), Dark Sword-grass (2), Northern Rustic (1), Brown-line Bright Eye (10), Devonshire Wainscot (6), Double Kidney (1), Clouded Brindle (1), Confused  (1),  Slender Brindle (1) & Silver Y (2). I'd like to express my thanks to the staff at the coastguard station for arranging access at the site.  

Any help with this tiny moth appreciated...

Gorseinon

An interesting form of what presumably is Eudonia mercurella. I've seen dark ones before but not sure if they've been this dark?

Also more second generation Shuttle-shaped Dart starting to appear.

Nicholaston Burrows

Several Celypha cespitana seen flying around an area with lots of Burnet-rose & Willd Thyme, also Pyrausta ostrinalis, lots of Graylings and the odd Silvery Y. On the outcrop above the dunes a single Chalk Carpet.

Celypha cespitana

Gorseinon

Just 39 species in the garden trap last night and strangely the most abundant species was Timothy Tortrix (Aphelia paleana) with 33 counted with numerous other likely specimens flying off before I could identify them. Next commonest was Dark Arches (11). Still a few tardy migrants with 2 each of Udea ferrugalis, Dark Sword-grass and Silver Y. A Slender Brindle, but little else of interest.

Haworth's Pug @ Llandaff North

This worn specimen was in my MV trap this morning, and was new for the garden.

Looking at previous county records in my copy of MapMate, there were 20 individuals in 2006, 4 in 2007, only 1 in 2008, none at all in 2009, and then 2 in 2010. So it seems to have declined quickly after 2006 but may now be increasing again (I know Jake's had it this year). I've only been trapping here since 2007 so I missed the 2006 bumper year!

Other recent garden highlights: Batrachedra praeangusta (new for garden) and Euzophera pinguis (first since 2007).

Bryncethin

Two from my garden to-day. Tentatively id'd on ispot.



Timothy tortrix (Alphelia paleana)


Celypha striana

Senghenydd

33 species in the trap this morning: Highlight was this Bordered Sallow - new for me and for ST19 by the seem. Best of the rest: Grass Emerald, Shaded Broad-bar, Garden Tiger, Heart and Club, Burnished Brass, Phycitodes binaevella and Eucosma campoliliana.

Argyresthia goedartella.

Many examples of this common micro tapped from Alders in the llynfi valley this week.

Big Butterfly Count

Did the Big Butterfly Count in my garden today and strangely had my first garden record of Six-spot Burnet during the count (nectaring on Lavender). This is one of only two moth species included in the survey, the other being Silver Y. Butterflies seen in the 15 minute count were Holly Blue, Large White and Speckled Wood.

You have until 31st July to take part in the count, see:

http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/

Maresteg park today.

Scarce silver lines
Phyllonorycter quercifoliella.

Rhoose Point Pt 2

Cochylis hybridella?

Rhoose Point 13 July

Here are a few from earlier in the week. The first is Pammene facsiana I think;

Rosy Footman - first for the garden.

Not sure what this one is....

Paraswammerdamia lutarea?

And no idea what this one is either, despite extensive searching and a very distinctive white Y on the back!

Any thoughts on those I haven't been able to id would be welcomed!