First butterfly

I saw my first butterfly of 2015 today - a Red Admiral flying weakly in the winter sunshine at Porthkerry Country Park this lunchtime.

Rubbish phone pic below!

Another Hibernating Lep

Searching the sandstone outcrops around Castell Nos, above Maerdy for a particular moss, yesterday, I came upon a hibernating Peacock Butterfly. It was about 50cm inside a deep cleft, the narrow entrance of which was well protected by a dense screen of Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant), keeping the interior of the crevices snug and humid.

Hibernating Moths

Mike Hogan, Beth Evans, Graham Watkeys and I visited two disused railway tunnels and a limestone cave, in the Merthyr Tydfil and Cynon valley area, today, counting the hibernating lepidoptera and surveying bats.
In general, the number of hibernating Herald moths was down on last time, but as illness and unavailability caused the count to be done about a month later than last time, it is difficult to draw direct comparisons, but I have included the counts for the previous survey anyway.

Pontsarn/Pantcadifor Tunnel:

01/12/2013 - 37 Herald Moths.
04/01/2015 - 36 Herald Moths.

Cefnglas Tunnel:

01/12/2013 - 82 Herald Moths.
04/01/2015 - 65 Herald Moths.

Morlais Quarry Cave:

26/12/2013 - 13 Herald Moths.
                       2 Tissue.
04/01/2015 -  9 Herald Moths.
                       3 Tissue.
                       2 Peacock Butterfly.