A few migrants

A Red Admiral was in the trap this morning, presumably it was on night migration. This is my third butterfly record for the moth trap at Llandaff North, the others being Large White and Speckled Wood - both in 2008.

The previous night I had Silver Y and a Diamond-back. Nothing much else of note...still getting decent numbers of Common Marbled Carpet and Lesser Yellow Underwing, plus a few Angle Shades. The latter seems to be one of the few species that's had a good year in 2012.

Ivy Blossom in the Vale

MCP & myself went out around a few sites in the southern Vale last night and had a good evening.
[Gileston, St. Athan, Mount Pleasant, Summerhouse Point, Boverton, Castle upon Alun, Ewenny Priory & Corntown]
Species [all at ivy blossom]
Agonopterix arenella (2)
E. angustea (1)
C.M. Carpet (4)
Lesser Yellow U/w (1)
Setaceous Hebrew Character (1)
Square-spot Rustic (3)
L-album Wainscot (2)
Tawny Pinion (1)
Grey Shoulder-knot (1)
Green-brindled Crescent (2)
Large Ranunculus (1)
The Satellite (1)
The Chestnut (2)
Dark Chestnut (1)
The Brick (2)
Yellow-lined Quaker (2)
Lunar U/w (2)
Svensson's Copper U/w (1)
Angle Shades (39)

Migrants
Dark Sword-grass (2)
Silver Y (3)

Gowerton garden

I was going to go out to look for Merveille du Jour last night as I have not seen it here in Wales. As it was raining I set the light in the garden instead, to be rewarded with my first Welsh M d J, along with 14 other autumn species including Flounced Chestnut, Green-brindled Crescent, Red-green Carpet, Ypsolopha ustella, Sallow etc. A really colourful bunch.

Merveille du Jour

Ypsolopha ustella

Flounced Chestnut

Also had a few releases from the night before from Pant y Sais bog of Webb's, Bulrush and Small Wainscot, where I also saw Marsh Oblique-barred and Pinion-streaked Snout.
Two pictures of the same Blair's Shoulder-knot using a 'stacking' syatem to combine several pictures focussed at different points-- a first attempt.

Aberdare Ivy Blossom Update

Further to my post, of Sunday 7th October, I have now had the chance to look at the photo I took of the macro larva, found feeding on Ivy blossom. A small miracle has occurred and I have actually been able to use Porter to identify it as Dot Moth... unless someone else can come up with a better match, that is.

Dot Moth

It's such a common moth, but having seen many adults of this species over the years, it is nice to see the larva for a change.

Your views count

Apologies for the slightly off-topic post, but SEWBReC are looking for the recording community's view on the events that it holds each year. If you are a recorder in glamorgan (or indeed Gwent), please feel free to complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SEWBReC-Events-2012 Thanks

Aberdare Ivy Blossom 2

I bit damp and drizzly, so not such a good night at the ivy blossom, but in half an hour I had the following species:

1 x Lesser Yellow Underwing.
1 x Autumnal Rustic.
1 x Chestnut.
4 x Angle Shades.
1 x Silver Y.

Only a small fraction of the ivy blossom is in flower as yet, but as more of it opens for business, things should become more productive. Having not had much to do with checking ivy blossom for years, I'd almost forgotten how exciting it could be. As much as anything, it's the feeling of anticipation as one closes in on a patch in full bloom and becomes enveloped in a heady cloud of ivy scent: magical!

Rhoose Point

Just looked at a couple of last nights moths that I wasn't sure about at the time.  The moth below seems a dead ringer for a Deep-brown Dart, but if so would be only the third modern record for VC41.  Two arrived in the trap, one with smooth antennae so presumably female (in the pic below), and the second smaller with feathered antenna so probably male.  I'll get a better pic up tomorrow, time permitting, but any thoughts?

Here's a new pic of the male this time in drab daylight!