Creigiau - last night

GMS box out in what turned out to be a very wet night. Result ... not a lot - 12 moths of 8 species. Did include my first Blair's Shoulder-knot of the year of the year, so not all bad.

Llandaff - Garden - 28th September

Rain stopped play around 11 pm last night so was a pitiful night for moths in the garden.

Small catch of Pearly Underwing, Barred Sallow, Sallow, Blair's Shoulder-knot, Common Marbled Carpet, Angle Shades, Square-spot Rustic, a second gen Heart and Dart, Yellow Underwing and Lesser Yellow Underwing.

Sadly more heavy rain forecast for the next few nights.

Olive-tree Pearl [2] in Cardiff

Cardiff: The Olive-tree Pearls (P. vitrealis) from Llanishen (MCP) 27.ix.17 & Roath (DRWG) 29.ix.17. Also at Roath this am: Barred Sallow (3rd site rec.) & Meal Moth (4th site rec.). 

Cardiff

27/09/17. MCP trapped at Llanishen a Olive-tree Pearl (P. vitrealis) (3rd Cardiff rec.) & a Treble Brown Spot. The latter, according to the database, is the latest ever VC41 record for this species.

Roath: Good numbers of Large Ranunculus 10+ over the last few nights. First Blair's Shoulder-knots. Plus migrants Silver Y & Rusty-dot Pearl.

Moth Jigsaw Pieces

Big thanks to Mike & Emma

Llandaff - Garden - 26th September

It was a warm 15C and misty evening here in Llandaff.

A small catch with the highlight being a Red Underwing, now put to shame with the Clifden nonpareil. Other species being Blair's Shoulder-knot, Light Emerald, Dusky Thorn, Cameraria ohridella, Brimstone, Acleris sparsana, Sallow, Willow Beauty, Red-green Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Light brown Apple Moth, Large Ranunculus, Pandemis cinnamomeana, Small Square-spot, Square-spot Rustic and the usual glut of Large Yellow, Lesser Yellow Underwing etc.

Clifden Nonpareil last night in Bridgend!

One of those wow moments when after all those years mothing, crawling out of bed to empty the trap you get your reward. We were greeted this morning by a Clifden Nonpareil crawling across the lawn outside our moth trap. He looked a bit beaten up, maybe a cat, but rare nonetheless and most welcome!

The moth is safe and we will keep it all day in case anyone wants to see it (small price a contribution to our daughter's sponsored project to help save the Ladybird Spider!). Just FB me or Tweet Emma.

It was obviously a migrant night, Skylarks were calling overhead as we emptied the trap and we also recorded among the 44 moths of 15 species:- LB Apple moth, Common Marbled Carpet, Light Emerald, Willow Beauty, Green Carpet, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Square-spot Rustic, Large Ranunculus, Blair's Shoulder-knot, Pale Mottled Willow, Snout and Silver Y.

 Mike, Emma & Holly.

Llangynwyd last night.

                              Mervielle du jour

                              Pink barred sallow

                             Flounced chestnut.
                             17 sp in 3 hours, inc Turnip moth.

Creigiau - 23 September

A gusting wind on Saturday night, but the box still managed to attract 38 moths of 15 species, 2 of which were new for the year - Autumnal Rustic (1) and Large Ranunculus (3). Also had 2 tatty looking Pandemis cinnamomeana ( at least that's what I think they are - certainly have the white face).

Lavernock

A shortish (two and a half hour) session at Lavernock Nature Reserve with the MV light last night produced 21 species. Most of these arrived at around 8:30pm and it became very quiet after that - it was mild but with a nagging breeze. Nice to see a few autumn species starting to appear...

Brindled Green - one of two

L-album Wainscot

Centre-barred Sallow

Pink-barred Sallow

Epinotia nisella / cinereana

Aphodius sp. beetle attracted to the light

Roath

Overnight was mild with an easterly wind in Cardiff, which produced my 2nd Scarce Bordered Straw of 2017, an L-album Wainscot (3rd garden rec.) with Large Ranunculus (9), Dusky Thorn & Silver Y (2).

Gorseinon

Just 14 species in the garden trap last night, interest provided by 3 Dusky Thorn, 9 Large Ranunculus and 1 White-speck, this being the first garden record since 2003. The only NFYs were Black Rustic and Pink-barred Sallow despite this being the first trapping session since the 2nd Sept.

Death's Head Hawks at Kenfig

You may recall that some Death's Head caterpillars were found in Nottage back in August and taken to Kenfig Reserve centre. They soon pupated, and are now emerging. Geoff Hobbs has told me that:

There somebody will be at Kenfig tomorrow (Friday 22nd ) during the day if anyone wants access to see the moths until around 5pm. If they want access over the weekend they should call the reserve centre 01656 743386 in advance to speak to the reserve manager. Following this we will allow the moths to emerge and leave and we are not encouraging access

Best wishes, Dave

Caterpillar identification help

We'd be grateful if anyone can help trying to identify this one. Photo probably not good enough, but we think possibly Pug sp, on Potentilla flowers in our garden. Cheers, Mike

Parc Slip

Mild night last night - good numbers of bats circling before entering their office roost this morning. 50-odd moths of 20 species in the trap - an improvement on last week!
Highlights were our 5th ever autumnal rustic and 5th ever Pandemis cinnamomeana (a male). Also nice were fresh frosted orange (most numerous species with 8), fresh pink-barred sallow and a copper underwing. Non-moth interest was provided by a sexton beetle that keyed out as Nicrophorus interruptus.

Bridgend last night

Just 50 moths of 12 species last night. The catch was dominated by Large and Lesser Yellow Underwing and Square-spot Rustic, the highlight was our first Dusky Thorn of the Year (176th). We also caught a caddisfly which we think is Stenophylax permistus. Later on I found a new species of moth for the garden in Apple Leaf Skeletoniser (419th), considering we live right next to an apple tree not surprising, but it is weird that we haven't had one in the last 14 years living here!

Dotted Border Wave

Back in 1979, Tony White found what he thought was a Dotted Border Wave in Neath town centre. 25 years later myself, Barry and Jake took the decision to remove the species from the county list as without a specimen or photograph there was not enough evidence to support the species' presence in the county, and the fact that it had not been spotted during the 'golden years' of mothing in the county the record had to be treated with suspicion.

In March, I received a batch of data from Ian Wallace, formerly of Liverpool Museum from the cliff face Malaise traps that they operated on the Gower cliffs in 2004. These were the traps that added L-album Wainscot to the county list. What I did not spot until a couple of weeks ago was that this data set also contained a record of Dotted Border Wave. As Malaise traps are not particularly kind to moths, these are invariably dissected and Ian has confirmed that a female was taken at Fall Bay. He has not been able to send me a photograph of the slide as yet but will do so in due course.

In addition, Paul Brown of the Natural History Museum included it in a list from Bishopston - no precise date, but at some point since 2004. Whilst Paul is not a Lepidopterist by trade he knows enough about moths for the record to be respected.

Next year we will have to make a concerted effort to re-find this species on Gower. We have sites to look at and I'm sure we can galvanise enough interest to have a good crack at it.

And where does this leave Tony's 1979 record? Well, I think that the two recent records gives us enough evidence to reconsider it, which would be a nice gift to Tony as he prepares to leave Glamorgan.

Palm Moth 'near' Cardiff

For those of you on twitter, it appears that a Palm Moth (Paysandisia archon) has been found 'near' Cardiff - presumably near a garden centre. I'm hoping more details will be forwarded in due course of what is presumably the first Welsh record, regardless of which part of Cardiff (and therefore which VC) it is from! https://twitter.com/AndrewCooperBC/status/907522513986637825

Red Underwing

I finally added Red Underwing to the Llandaff North garden list on Friday night, when I ran the trap only because it was GMS night (the weather wasn't very promising). As is typical for this species it was on a wall rather than in the trap - actually right up under the eaves of the house, so this shot is heavily cropped.

Port Eynon

A week's visit to my parents in Port Eynon means an outing for the trap.

The catch hasn't been that varied, mainly Yellow Underwings and Setaceous Hebrew Characters, but Tuesday night's was spiced up with Cypress Pug (not had here before), Archer's Dart (don't get in VC24) and Magpie (one at home this year).

This morning I have been greeted by Shore Wainscot (not something on my home county list!), Yellow Belle (which is a lifer for me) and Mullein Wave.

Overflying Ravens and Choughs are also not that common for me at home!

Dave Morris (ex-Bucks)

Bridgend

Nothing earth shattering, we were hoping for some migrants, alas 62 moths of 12 species, dominated by usual Yellow Underwing species, Setaceous Hebrew Characters and Square spot Rustics. The highlight though a rather nice Magpie and a few Light Emerald.

Roath

A Scarce Bordered Straw this am (8th garden & first since influx of 2006). First time I've had B&F2400 & B&F2403 in same year in my garden. Last few nights highlights inc. Mouse Moth, Rosy Rustic & good numbers of Old Lady. 

Caswell Bay 1st September

Still hoping one day to see the Cliff Plume Agdistis meridionalis so I put a 15w actinic on the cliff, in spite of being clear with a 3/4 moon. It was calm though only 8 degrees in the morning. There were 42 moths of  18 species but no plumes. Best for me was a late (and worn) Aethes francillana, a coastal species,  along with 3 Mullein Wave.

49.124 Aethes francillana

70.023 Mullein Wave

Gorseinon

Just 23 species last night, the most numerous unsurprisingly being LYU with a total of 92. A single Scarce Bordered Straw was the only non-routine fare.