Thursday 31 May 2018

Llandaff - Garden - 30th May

A lot fresher last night but at least it was overcast.

Best of the catch Poplar Hawk, Eyed Hawk, Iron Prominent, Dingy Shears, Light Emerald, White Pinion Spotted, Pebble Prominent and what looks to be a worn Sharp-angled Carpet, which is new to the Garden.

Wednesday 30 May 2018

Llandaff - Garden - 28th May

Another warm but breezy evening produced a small catch again.

A nice selection of micros though, Green Oak Tortrix, Argyresthia cupressella, Epinotia immundana and sadly a demised Mompha locupletella.

Best of others included Light Emerald, White-pinion Spotted, Peppered Moth, Spectacle and Least Black Arches



Large Yellow Underwing

Back in March I found two caterpillars while  preparing the raised beds for planting. These I identified as Large Yellow Underwing. I dropped these into my 'rearing' box and they immediately went into the soil. Nothing happened until I noticed a pupa emerging on 02 May.


Last night both moths emerged. I missed the first and it escaped into the depths of the garage but the second was newly emerged when I saw it. I wanted to watch it expand its wings but my eyes were beginning to lose focus so, disappointingly it was time for bed. This morning the second LYU was fully formed and ready to be released.



Tuesday 29 May 2018

Micropterix sp.

Was with George Tordoff in Coed y Bedw on Sunday morning and saw my first Micropterix  aureatella and today, when out for a local stroll, I saw my first  Micropterix aruncella. The latter shows no Aderyn records for ST08 so well pleased with that.



Monday 28 May 2018

Seraphims

I'm sure the phrase 'like buses' has been used on this blog before, but I can't resist using it again anyway as I caught two Seraphims in the Llandaff North garden trap last night after an 11 year wait. One was much better marked than the other.

The catch was good after a warm night with 36 species in total. New for the year were Buff-tip, Marbled White Spot, May Highflyer, Silver Y, Diamond-back, Epinotia bilunana, Notocelia rosaecolana, Hedya nubiferana, Blastobasis lacticolella, Eupoecilia angustana, Cydia pomonella and Ectoedemia decentella.

Llandaff - Garden - 27th May

A very warm evening here Llandaff, but sadly a clear sky, at least it wasnt raining.

I was expecting a decent haul but sadly not to be. There was less than 15 moths in the trap, most seemed to be around or on the trap. Nothing really of note excpet Pale Tussock, Dingy Shell, Ruby Tiger and Coronet.
I did however have my second Toadflax Brocade, first in 2015. It's so warm he was off everytime I tried taking a photo, so had to make do with a fridge/phone pic in container. Looks pretty fresh too.

 



Friday 25 May 2018

Parc Slip

By far the best night of the year for moths last night (wednesday night) - minimum 13.5 degrees resulted in easily the biggest catch so far in 2018. 151 moths of 67 species including 40+ new for the year and 4 that I've never caught here before: Gracillaria syringella (beautiful!), Callisto denticulella, Capua vulgana and a cocksfoot moth. 
Other highlights were 2nd ever Syndemis musculana, 3rd ever fox moth (first since 2013 and bursting with eggs..), first cinnabar since 2015, little thorn along with plenty of the usual showy May species: scorched wing, chinese character, yellow-barred brindle and peach blossom.

A couple that I'm struggling with (apologies for the quality of the photos - they're pictures of the back of my camera but I'll try and get them off the camera if needed):
Bryotropha sp.(?)

Pyrausta sp.?


Wednesday 23 May 2018

Llangynwyd last night.

                            Barred umber

                           Broken barred carpet.
                           29 species inc 4 micro's. Diamond back moth, Bee moth.
                           White pinion spotted,  Chinese character, Rivulet, Sandy
                           carpet, Fox moth and coronet the highlights.

Llandaff - Garden - 22nd May

It's definitely on the up in the garden here in Llandaff.

Over the last week I've had a nice selction of moths and butterflies to the garden. There's been good numbers of Holly Blues, Speckled Wood, Comma, Large and Small White and after an absence of many a year, a Green Veined White.

Some decent moths, the best being so far, Poplar Hawk, Poplar Grey, Pale Prominent, Orange Footman, Spectacle, Miller, Rustic Shoulder-knot, Chinese Character, Small Angle Shades, Iron Prominent, Treble Lines, Esperia sulphurella, Least Black Arches, V-Pug, Cinnabar and I too had a Elachista argentella, which was the only new to garden.

Bridgend garden last night

At last after the sustained warm spell we get a decent haul of 37 moths of 16 species. Dominated by 16 Treble Lines, the trap held a few surprises for us in the form of our second ever Broken-barred Carpet and Apotomis betuletana - we hadn't had either since the moth rich year of 2006. Maybe this is a good omen?... Others new for the year were Notocelia cynosbatella, Spruce Carpet, Yellow-barred Brindle, Common Wave (1st since 2014), 2 female Pale Tussocks (1st since 2015) and a Setaceous Hebrew Character.







Tuesday 22 May 2018

Picking up in Llandaff North

My garden catches have been pretty good of late, but not exceptional given the fine weather. But last night things really took off with 36 species caught, and many of them in good numbers - 24 Common Marbled Carpet is my highest garden count by some margin.

There was nothing exceptional among the macros, though it was nice to catch my second Lime Hawk of the year as well as my first Cypress Carpet of 2018. The highlight among the micros was Elachista argentella new for the garden, and also my first Plutella porrectella since 2009.

Creigiau 21 May 2018

Moth Box out in the garden for a few hours (22:00-00:30) last night - approx 100 moths of 28 species. My first ever Eyed Hawk-moth - in one of the flower beds, but it only let me take one shot before flying off. At least 15 moths were new for the year including a very nice Mompha locupletella and , what I think could be, Swammerdamia pyrella. Not at all sure about the latter so would appreciate confirmation/correction.




Friday 11 May 2018

Castle upon alun 10/5/18

                                Little thorn, on the wooded slope just beyond the ford.

Merthyr mawr dunes 5/5/18



                                 25+ Pyrausta ostrinalis on the wing, also purpuralis
                                        and Cingulata seen.

                                 2 Grizzled skippers. Also 3 Dingy skipper.

Nantyffyllon 4/5/18


                               Clepsis senecionana, netted at dusk.

Wednesday 9 May 2018

Pontycymer

On saturday night I did my first proper trap since I moved to Pontycymer from Carmarthenshire - previously I had caught a couple of hebrew characters and small quakers in early April in an actinic trap.
Not that many species on saturday with the MV (35 moths of 13 species) but 11 of them were new to my newly-started garden list. Highlights were pebble and pale prominents, brown silver-line, common wave and powdered quaker which were all FFY for me. I'm looking forward to adding to my list as often as I can from now on...