Hopeful Signs

Yesterday morning there was an Oak Beauty resting on the outside reveal of my kitchen window and so with a daytime high of 10.50C I decided to run the trap overnight. The minimum overnight temperature, last night, was 3.10C, but I still had by far the best catch of the year so far, with 35 moths of 9 species.

Shoulder Stripe x 1
Mottled Grey x 2
Brindled Pug x 7
Small Quaker x 8
Common Quaker x 4
Clouded Drab x 5
Twin-spotted Quaker x 5
Hebrew Character x 2
Early Grey x 1

No Oak Beauties or Yellow Horned, which was a little disappointing, especially the latter, as I haven't recorded one since 2009 and time is running out for this year too.

Rhoose Point

Half a dozen or so Small Tortoiseshell's nectaring on dandelions in the garden yesterday, and a few photo's of last nights moth trap catch below:

Early Grey

Oak Beauty

March moth

Also a couple of Hebrew Characters.  Not as exciting as Orange Underwings perhaps, but nonetheless it's nice to be catching something!

Oranges at Coed-y-wenallt

Eight Orange Underwings in the spring sunshine at Coed-y-wenallt today. All were flying high apart from this one, which was flying at chest height and was easily netted.

Orange Underwing male

Closer inspection revealed that the hindwings had not fully expanded, which may explain the low flying. There don't seem to be any previous records of this species from Wenallt, but there's lots of excellent habitat for them, especially in the SE part of the hill...

Open birch woodland

Seven were seen in this area, with one other in taller closed-canopy woodland on the west-facing slope of the hill.

Meanwhile, back in the garden - my first Bee-fly of the year (19 days later than 2012).

George (Llandaff North)

Mottled grey.

                                  Mynydd bach, Maesteg, today.

Ocnerostoma friesei

This small grey moth emerged yesterday from a pupa I found between spun pine needles at Coed y Wenallt (ST1583) on 2nd March. This is a male O. friesei, the female being white rather than grey. Only the 8th county record I think.

Ocnerostoma friesei

Pupa between spun pine needles

Spring at last! 2nd April

Today's beautiful sunshine encouraged me to take a look around Kilvey Hill hoping to see Orange Underwing. I saw three, two of which I managed to catch and photograph, as well as a surprise Yellow Horned  flying past at knee level.

Yellow Horned. Kilvey Hill, Swansea 4pm

Orange Underwing. Kilvey Hill, Swansea 4pm

Gorse inon

A Small Tortoiseshell in the garden gives hope that spring may eventually arrive!