ID help please

Out looking in the garden for the Endothenia nigricostana this afternoon and found this little beast. On the same shrubs, and looks approx the same size but all I managed was a one-off 'grab-shot'. It disappeared into the shrubs when I tried to catch it but maybe it will re-appear later/tomorrow. Although distinctly marked I have failed miserably to find a match so would be grateful for some assistance.

I also rescued a very nice Lychnis from the bathroom wall last night - another new moth for the year.

Moth Night, night 1

Well at least the good weather held for the first of the three Moth Nights, and resulted in my biggest garden catch of the year with 43 species. Nothing remarkable in the catch, but I had another Cochylis nana (managed a slightly better photo this time), Cherry Bark Moth Enarmonia formosana, Eudonia pallida (x3), Cypress Carpet (x2), May Highflyer and Green Silver-lines (surprisingly only 2nd garden record). Diamond-backs down to 90, also a Silver Y.

Cochylis nana

It looks like the rain *might* hold off for the Alun Valley event tonight, and it should be pretty muggy, so do come along if you can. Details on Moth Night website.

George (Llandaff North)

Llandaff - Wednesday evening.

Another rather cool night so was in two minds about even running the garden trap. It was a very poor catch sadly. The Diamond Backs were out but in smaller numbers, 38 in the trap others dotted around outside. A Swallow Prominent, a dozen or so Common Marbled Carpet, Clouded Silver, Light Emerald, Heart and Dart's and few Ingrailed clay's.

However, a couple of interesting and both new to the garden, if identification is correct.

A Marbled White Spot and the other looks similar to a few species so I've upped contrast a tad as the markings were very faint. I'm plumping for Seraphim or Twin Spot Carpet. No doubt I will be heading back to the opticians for a refund.

I'll do my best to run the trap over the next few days for NMM.

                                            

Bridgend last night

57 moths of 30 species, the highlight a new moth for us in Eudonia pallida - the 399th species for the garden - surely the big 400 tonight is destiny -NMN! Also new for the year were Notocelia rosaecolana, Chrysoteuchia culmella, Green Carpet, Riband Wave, Heart & Club, Shears, Small Angle Shades and Silver Y.

Llangynwyd last night.

        Argyresthia cupressella, new for the valley.

        Hornet in the moth trap. 48 species of moth inc Marbled brown, Lobster,
        Green arches, Small seraphim, Angle shades and Archips podana.

Creigiau 07 June

A warm sunny afternoon in the garden and I was trying to get some pics of hoverflies when I noticed this in the shrubbery. Looks very much like another Endothenia nigricostana - more distinctly marked than the one I released at the end of last week. This one was more shy and disappeared into the greenery after I took the shot.

Probably the coolest night for quite a while, with a min temp of 10.2C, but I had my largest haul of the year - 86 moths of 40 species. In addition there must have been 50+ Water Veneer in/around the trap which haven't been included in the total. 17 of the species were new for the year - Broom Moth, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Cream Wave, Currant Pug, Garden Grass-veneer, Green Carpet, Ingrailed Clay, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Marbled Minor agg., Marbled White-spot, Middle-barred Minor, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Silver-ground Carpet, Straw Dot, Water Veneer and Willow Beauty. I only logged 8 Diamond-backs but there were probably more flying around the garden.

The Lesser Yellow Underwing had only emerged from the pupa in the early evening. Mike Thornton had correctly ID'd the caterpillar in this blog back in March.

I have some doubts about two of the species above - Cream Wave & Currant Pug. I think I'm right but would appreciate confirmation/correction.

A nice surprise

I stopped briefly to take a photo of a Painted Lady on bramble at Grovesend Common today, and was surprised and delighted to see this on an adjacent flowerhead:

Red-tipped Clearwing

It was hyperactive and very much resembled an inchneumon wasp in the way it dashed about. According to my MapMate there is just one previous West Glam record, from Oystermouth in 1893.

I only saw one Marsh Fritillary, and none at Gelli Organ common, but I did have a Silver Hook there.