Caswell Bay, 25th July

Mecyna asinalis



Epischnia bankesiella



Chalk Carpet



Annulet



Crescent Dart



Devonshire Wainscot



Scarce Burnished Brass

 Wednesday night after the hot day was productive at Caswell Bay, Gower, and the temperature was still 18 degrees at 5am! Highlights were perhaps Mecyna asinalis, Epischnia bankesiella, Devonshire Wainscot, Chalk Carpet, Annulet, Crescent Dart and, last moth in the trap, Scarce Burnished Brass. It was a real pleasure to get a proper night's trapping!

South View, Tongwynlais

Chalk Carpet (3) & Silver Y (1)

This is the only known inland site for Chalk Carpet, a nationally notable species, in Glamorgan. It was last seen at this site in 2008. This species was found here in the early 1930s by W. Edney Cox & rediscovered in 2004. It is usually found in VC41 on limestone along the Heritage Coast and south Gower. Also 4 flowering spikes of Broad-leaved Helleborine.

Senghenydd

I've not been very well of late so not had the trap out as often as I would have liked over this past couple of weeks.
Had to miss a couple of recent  GMS nights, but the trap was up and running on 25th for week 22 , which produced my best catch of the year so far with a total of 43 species. Nothing very exciting, the pick being - Swallow-tailed Moth, Coxcomb Prom, Cabbage Moth, Light Arches, Small Rufous, and my best counts to date of Dot Moth (7),  and Shaded Broad-bar (7). Also had this Gelchid which I think is Mirificarma mulinella - thoughts appreciated.

Central Roath highlights

After no trapping in my garden since early June, I started again from 20th July, posted are the highlights from that date.

Burnished Brass (20th - rare visitor to my garden), Gothic, Old Lady & Sycamore (latter, 1st rec. garden, 3rd VC41 all 22nd), Dingy Shears (23rd), Small Emerald (24th), August Thorn (26th) & O. glaucinalis [Double-striped Tabby] & Narrow-winged Pug (27th, both 2nd recs for my garden). Migrants Diamond-back & Silver Y in very small numbers.

Pics from Rhoose

Small Ranunculus - slightly squashed unfortunately!

Acleris logiana/kochiella??

Chilo phragmitella or Calomotropha paludella.  Probably the former?

Dusky Sallow - not a common moth in Glamorgan?

Abercregan last night.

                                    Catoptria pinella

                                      Iron prominent.
                                      34 species, the highlights being one Heath rustic,
                                      3 Small rufous and 22 True lovers knot.

Llandaff North last night

With a minimum temperature of 17.6 C last night was bound to be good - 64 species was my highest total for the garden to date. Highlights were three species new for the site: Plain Golden Y (quite a scarce species in Cardiff), Small Rufous (new ST17) and Eulamprotes atrella.

Small Rufous

Eulamprotes atrella

Other highlights were Phoenix, Yellow-tail, Zelleria hepariella, Cydia splendana and Batrachedra praeangusta.

GMRG Bosch Survey

A good night with 66 species ID and a few for DJS. There were 4 species new for ST07: A. selasella, Brown-tail, Round-winged Muslin & Brussels Lace (per GMRG database). The commonest species were Water Veneer c500, Ringed China-mark c250 & Small Fan-footed Wave c50. Other species of note were: Leopard Moth, Small Emerald, Devon Carpet, Waved Carpet, Black Arches,  Rosy Footman, Miller, Slender Brindle & Beautiful Hook-tip.

And a few more from Rhoose...

A very good catch last night with low 80's for the species count (still a few I need to look at).

Without a doubt the pick of the bunch were Small Ranunculus and Acleris logiana/kochiella.  I will pop a photo of both up later.  Would it be a good idea to dissect the Acleris Dave?

Others new for the garden record were:

• Endothenia marginana
• Gypsonoma dealbana
• Ringed China-mark
• Scoparia subfusca
• Hypsopygia glaucinalis
• Dot Moth
• Dusky Sallow
• July Highflyer
• and finally what looks like Chilo phragmitella or Calomotropha paludella.  Again I'll post a pic of that one.

It's almost like the insect population has just been waiting for a bit of heat - there was also a huge variety of flies, lacewings, caddis, beetles (about 40 ground beetles flew in) and parasitic wasps.  Let's hope it stays like this!

Llanishen Caddis

A good night in the trap last night, with lots of moths, but also a couple of Caddis that I thought I'd share for a change:

Lepidostoma hirtum is a pretty common species and pretty distinctive

And this big pale species is Oecetis lacustris

There are also a lot of Sericostoma personatum on the wing at the moment - a large chocolate coloured caddis with a venacular name of 'Welshman's Button'. I posted a photo of a male last year here.

Llandaff North recent highlights

Slightly disappointing catches the last couple of nights, but the temperature has dropped to around 13.5 C each night, so not particularly barmy.

43 species on 23rd and 36 species last night. Two new species for the garden - Endothenia marginana and this Mompha, I can't decide whether it's propinqella or lacteella. The colouring seems to look better for lacteella, but there are only two county records of this. Any thoughts anyone?

Mompha propinquella / lacteella

Endothenia marginana

Better than all the moths was the Lord of the Flies, Tabanus sudeticus, in the trap on 23rd. I've usually seen these in the Welsh uplands, but did see one in Roath Park a few years ago. A real monster - wouldn't fancy a bite from one of those.

Tabanus sudeticus

Also my first damselfly in the garden today after 6 years here, Beautiful Demoiselle.

Sycamore in Roath

Jake caught this Sycamore on 22nd July, only the third VC41 record.

Rhoose again!

Another good trapping session at home last night with specied count in the high 60's.  Highlights include Single-dotted Wave (first for garden record) plus the pics below:



Oidaematophorus lithodactyla - the largest Plume I have seen to date.

 

Four-dotted Footman.  Also Common and Dingy Footman (Footmen?) last night.










Struggling to put a name to this one.  Can anyone help with that?

Brynllywarth, Llangynwyd last night.

                          Epinotia brunnichana

                           Dingy shell.
                           57 species including Dot moth, Single dotted wave, Sandy
                           carpet, Iron prominent, Archips podana, Water veneer
                           and singles of Silver Y and Diamond back moth.

Gorseinon

Our 4th garden record of Scarce Burnished Brass (the last being in 2002) was the best of just 45 species last night, other highlights being Bordered Beauty, Oak Nycteoline, Bordered Sallow and Double Line. Mainly singles Dark Arches being the only species in decent numbers (c40).

Acleris forsskaleana

Scarce Burnished Brass

Rhoose last night pt 2

71 species last night, which I think is the highest total for the garden record!
Highlights included another Recurvaria leucatella and first appearance for the year for Cochylis roseana. New to the garden record include Twin-spot Carpet, Meal Moth, Codling Moth, Pandemis heparana, Clouded Border, and the moth below, which I hope is a Brussels Lace but have popped the pic up just to be sure. Certainly the size is right.

Brussels Lace??

Dave, I also have a tiny (4mm long max) moth from last night which is so small I can't get a useable photo of it with my camera. It's metallic silvery black with white markings on it, and very distinctive fluffy black labial palps or scales on its head. I can't find a match, but if I were guessing I would say it might be one of the Tineidae perhaps from the body shape. It would be interesting to know what it is as I have not seen one before. Would you like to have a look if I post it to you? No problem if you don't have time, just let me know.

Rhoose last night

Could this be Eucosma obumbratana? A few more pics to follow later...

Nantyffyllon this morning.

                                      Ebulea crocealis.

                                      Leucoptera spartifoliella on Broom.

Belated News...

This Oxyptilus parvidactylus was photographed on the limestone grassland near St Brides Major by Phil Barden of Devon on the 8th July. He subsequently sent me the specimen for confirmation. This is only the second county record for this small plume, the first being taken by R.G. Warren in 1979.

Nantyffyllon last night.

                                       Poplar hawkmoth

                                      Scarce burnished brass

                                    Chamomile shark larva on Chamomile.
                                    The two species above are new for the Llynfi valley.
                                    47 species in all, with only 3 micro sp.

Werfa, Cwmbach

Last night, I ran my Skinner trap at a disused colliery site, at Werfa, Cwmbach. I trapped from 21:40 until 03:35 and under overcast skies, with a minimum temperature of 11.00C, recorded sixty species. While that was good going for this or any other recent July catches, just ten years ago I would have looked upon it as a very poor catch for the time of year and weather conditions.
Anyway, that was probably as good as it is going to get this year and the catch included not many Noctuids and didn't include any of the yellow underwings or darts.
Highlights included:
Caloptilia stigmatella, Epinotia brunnichana, Evergestis pallidata, Catoptria margaritella, Scoparia pyralella, Satin Lutestring, Large Emerald, Welsh Wave, Satin Beauty, Swallow-tailed Moth, Buff Footman, Beautiful Golden Y and Gold Spot.
The catch included a Tortricid that I think may be a Eucosma, but I'm unable to go much further with it, so apologies for the poor photo, as it shot of as the flash fired, when taking the first and only shot of it and I never saw it again, but suggestions of a possible I.D would be welcome. I wondered whether it might be E. conterminana, but is seems to be a bit out of its area for it to be that, though there was a small patch of Blue Lettuce (Lactuca perennis) about 100m away.

Epinotia brunnichana

George; I think this must be the culprit for those Birch leaf rolls, I found on this site, back in May.

Large Emerald

Gold Spot

Eucosma?

Welsh Wave

Kenfig pool this morning.

                                    Pammene aurana.

Cwmbach

In a nettle patch, near a client's garden, this afternoon, I came across this Comma larva that seems to be getting ready to pupate. It has already attached itself to the nettle with a silk pad. I will try and find it again, once it has formed a chrysalis.
This was the second Comma larva I'd seen in nettles today.

Comma Larva

Gowerton 16 July

New for my garden last night were Beautiful Carpet and Grey Arches.
Also unidentified micro, c 7mm long, any suggestions welcome!


Beautiful Carpet




Grey Arches




Query for ID c. 7mm long



Also a recent pic from Hungary in temperatures close to 40 degrees, just to cheer us all up! Maybe next week when the pesky jet stream has moved on.... Also seen were Burren Green, Hornet Moth, Light and Dark Crimson Underwings were common!

Rhoose

This Ringlet was the second of only two butterflies I saw all weekend, the other being a Small Skipper.  Unusually for me the photo came out rather well!

Llandaff North last night

My first garden trapping since June produced a respectable (by 2012 standards) 32 species, highlights being Oak Nycteoline new for the site, and the second garden record of Buff Footman. Also of note were 3 Common Emerald - I've only ever had singletons previously.

Oak Nycteoline

Buff Footman