Winter GMS

I've been taking part in the Winter Garden Moth Scheme for four years and without a doubt, despite the weather being generally better this winter than the previous two, this has been the worst for moths. For those that don't take part, the Winter GMS takes place over 16 weeks (November to March) and the trap is run every week, preferably Fridays, regardless of the weather.

Year             Nil Catch       Species Total       Moths Total  
2009-10             9                      23                       32
2010-11            10                     31                       41
2011-12             9                      15                       28
2012-13            12                     12                       12

No doubt the previous two hard winters have more than a little to do with the low catches this winter.

First butterfly

A Comma was flying in the sunshine in the garden this morning - my first butterfly of the year. Also an Angle Shades caterpillar and a Green Shield-bug basking, a couple of honey bees and a drone fly (Eristalis tenax).

George (Llandaff North)

My Cwmbach Garden, Last Night

Having had no moths at all on Friday (GMS) night, which was the sixth blank GMS night in a row, I ran the trap again last night and got a single moth; this Pale Brindled Beauty as a result. It wasn't in or on the trap, but on a nearby oak barrel planter.

Pale Brindled Beauty (sorry about the cat hairs)

Dart ID.

                                  This photo was taken in Egypt in February 2010 and i think it is
                                  Gregson's Dart ( Agrotis spinifera). Any comments welcome.

Dyffryn Gardens

A trip to Dyffryn on Saturday 2nd February produced a few records:

Ectoedemia septembrella mines on Hypericum bush

Phytomyza hellebori (fly) mines on Stinking Hellebore

Narycia duplicella larval case on oak trunk

The oak tree in question

The moths are new for ST07 I think. Phytomyza hellebori may or may not be new for Wales - it's hard to know for certain as there is no recording scheme for Agromyzid flies. It was first recorded in the UK in 2000 and had previously been thought to be restricted to south-east England.

Cwmbach, Today

While poking around in lower Crichton Wood, Cwmbach, this afternoon. I accidentally disturbed this Spring Usher, which flew a couple of metres, then settle on the leaf litter, below a bramble bush, allowing me to photograph it.

Spring Usher

Caterpillars by torchlight

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Searching at Caswell Bay on Wednesday night, 30th Jan., on the cliffs where Devonshire Wainscot occurs produced these two. The white dorsal stripe looks much like Barry's Square-spot Rustic. The green one has distinctive black marks either side of the last abdominal segment. Both are about 25mm and I will try growing them on, but if anyone has id suggestions do say! Both on the fine grass shown.