Coed y bedw last night

I was feeling a bit moth deprived after 5 months without any away from home trapping, so I left my two 6W actinics at Coed-y-bedw overnight. The weather was better than forecast with a dusk temperature of 9C and a low of about 6C. The result was 55 moths of 11 species, all of them welcome after very slim pickings in the garden so far this year. Catch as follows:

Chestnut 16
March Moth 11
Brindled Pug 8
Pale Brindled Beauty 8
Dotted Border 7
Satellite 2
Mottled Grey 1
Early Thorn 1
Engrailed 1
Common Quaker 1 
Acleris cristana 1

The almost complete lack of Orthosia species (single Common Quaker only) was not surprising as this is a late site - a cool north-facing wooded valley slope.

March Moth

Mottled Grey

Pale Brindled Beauty

Satellite

Back home there were just three moths in the garden trap, all different from those at Coed-y-bedw: Hebrew Character, Epiphyas postvittana and Emmelina monodactyla.

Cwmbach GMS (Delayed)

Being away until Saturday, I ran my GMS trap last night instead of Friday, so missed a chilly night. Last night's minimum was 5.00 C and as a result, eight moths of six species came to the trap:

Mottled Grey x 1
Brindled Pug x 2
Pale Brindled Beauty x 1
Oak Beauty x 1
Common Quaker x 1
The Chestnut x 2

Creigiau this afternoon

A nice little find on the garage window (inside) this afternoon -  Mompha divisella. Very fidgety, so had to take the picture in a pot!

Creigiau last night

Temperature again dipped below freezing last night, but the trap attracted 2 March Moth. The trap has now been out for 11 full nights in 2016 and I have recorded 4 moths of 3 species - Paul doubled my total in 3 hours in Llangynwyd !

Llangynwyd last night.

                  Dusted the trap off and did 3 hrs until it got too cool. 8 moths of 3 sp.

                 March moth

                 Pale brindled beauty

                 Pale brindled beauty, f. monacharia

Parc Slip

Not a great improvement but a shoulder stripe and march moth were both new for the year (and the only things attracted to the trap)

Nowt in Bridgend

Our second speculative trapping last night in our garden in Bridgend and again nothing. Still too cold.