Late Little thorn.

                            A second generation or migrant? It was potted at Parc
                            slip yesterday by Vaughn. Not sure if it was in the light
                            trap or not.

Creigiau - Monday night (28 August)

Couldn't do the weekend so put the box out for GMS last night. Total catch was lower than expected at 96, with 34 species recorded. Three were new for the year, assuming my IDs are correct - Feathered Gothic, Small square-spot and Square-spot Rustic. The first images show my second Dioryctria sp in as many weeks - could this be D. abietella ?

Parc Slip etc.

Fairly cool when I trapped last week so only 72 moths of less than 40 species. Highlights were only my 3rd ever six-striped rustic, flounced rustic, purple bar and a smart female broad-bordered yellow underwing. There was also this micro. Is it Scrobipalpa costella??

Also, a fresh red underwing on the wall of the Visitor Centre and a hummingbird hawkmoth attracting interest in the centre of Bridgend on Saturday...

Gorseinon

The traps been collecting dust this year, but it had an outing in the garden last night and this morning held 375 individuals of 43 spp.. Nothing remarkable with interest provided by Setaceous Hebrew Character (the most abundant sp. with 134 counted), 2 Ringed China-marks and singletons of Agriphila geniculea, Epermenia falciformis (new for the garden), Palpita vitrealis (2 Silver Y the only other migrants), Poplar Hawk-moth (a little on the late side), Small Rufous & Small Wainscot.

Prior's Meadow 22nd Aug

A warmish night but very windy and a bit damp.
Nice to see a female Black Arches, which posed by a male for me, and a beautiful Blood Vein on the ground near the trap. I had one Strophedra weirana which I also had last year on this site but one puzzle.
I thought initially this would be Aphelia paleana but the palps look much too long in the photo; there is a pale form of the female Sparganothis lipperiana which does have long palps but these don't look quite that long! Forewing length 12mm
Any ideas gratefully received. I have retained it for now.

Blood Vein

Black Arches, male left, female right

Query? Aphelia paleana 12mm long

Bird's-foot Trefoil mines

At Church Village yesterday I noticed a few Trifurcula leaf mines during Marsh Fritillary larval web surveys. They are similar to those I found at Lanlay Meadows last year, which I concluded were the work of T. cryptella rather than the rarer T. eurema (which isn't know from Wales). Yesterday's mines were on Greater rather than Common Bird's-foot Trefoil, which suggests cryptella.

Roath

Toadflax Brocade this am, my 3rd record this year. Migrants were singles of Silver Y & Diamond-back Moth. LYU increased to 15. Note: I haven't trapped a Small Ranunculus for 2017, first blank year since 2011.

Creigiau - last night

Like Paul, my moth trap was inundated with flying ants last night - had to pour them out this morning! Still managed 42 species, which included my first ever Hypsopygia costalis

Pinion-streaked Snout and Rosy Rustic made first appearances of the year, as did Mompha propinquella

As usual, I have a few micros that I need help with. the first I think is Bactra lancealana and the next, I think, could be Bryotropha affinis. I have no idea with the last two, they look different but could be the same ...

Llandaff North last night

Conditions last night were near perfect and the garden trap was fairly well stuffed with moths this morning. The number of species (47) was much lower than in the June heatwave but pretty good for late August. Notable high counts included 53 Large Yellow Underwing, 16 Willow Beauty and a ridiculous 60 Argyresthia goedartella. There was only one species of real note: Epermenia falciformis new for the garden. It was also nice to catch my first Old Lady of the season, as well as a Cypress Pug and a couple of Turnip Moths.

Epermenia falciformis

Nantyffyllon actinic last night.

                         Female Black arches

                        Old lady

                        Knot grass, form salicis.
                        51 species on a muggy night. The trap was inundated with flying
                        ants and tiny beetles at first, a proper nuisance. But my best autumn
                        catch by a long way at this site. None of the usual Anomalous and
                        Neglected rustic I normally get at this time of year but a huge fem
                        Black arches (WL 31mm), Flounced rustic, Small rufous, Yellow
                        barred brindle, Dingy shell and Scrobipalpa costella were nice.

Treble-bar

A new moth for the garden & me - Treble-bar. I've taken 'over & under' shots to make sure, so pretty confident on this one.

Broughton, Gower 12Aug17

On the night of the peak Perseids meteor shower, we trapped 44 moths of 29 species. We recorded a new moth for the site (218th) in Agonopterix nervosa and some superb Oak Eggars (sp) and Grass Eggars. Also new for the year there were Rusty Dot Pearl, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix, Agonopterix purpurea, Agriphila tristella, Lime-speck Pug, The Fern, Magpie, Poplar Hawkmoth and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing. We also caught another Sharp-angled Peacock as well as 2 Common Burying Beetles and 5 Black Sexton Beetles.

 

Then on 13th in daytime saw me locate this monster whilst looking for Butterflies at Twlc Point - a massive species of parasitic fly - Tachina grossa!

Baglan bay yesterday.

                         Several Eucosma triploliana tapped from the
                         saltmarsh vegetation.

Trifurcula immundella at Nantyffyllon today.

                                Double figures tapped from Broom this evening. Nice to

                                finally find this micro after a few years searching.

Copper Underwing query

Had a Copper Underwing in the trap last week - at least I think it is. Have attached a picture of the underside and the copper/orange marks seem to stop at the dark cross-line so is that sufficient to confirm this ... ?  or is this going to be another Copper Underwing agg ?

Bridgend 10Aug17

Similar catch to last night with 59 moths of 19 species. Six new species for the year were Sallow Kitten (worn), Iron Prominent (worn), Canary-shouldered Thorn (last recorded 2015), Flame Carpet (2013), Flounced Rustic and a 2nd generation Setaceous Hebrew Character. This takes our year list in the garden to 162 (104 macro / 58 micro).

Bridgend last night

After a lean spell of weather these past few weeks, we finally managed to trap. It was a cool night with a small catch of 53 moths of 18 species including a few migrants.The highlight was a new species for the garden in the form of Acleris aspersana (418th). A Gold Triangle was only the second record (both this year) since 2007 and the trap was dominated by Brimstone, Willow Beauty, Large and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing. Other species new for the year were Rusty Dot Pearl, Acleris laterana (agg) and The Spectacle and a late slightly worn Swallow-tailed Moth. Four Red Admirals greeted us early morning feeding on our white buddleia.