Saturday 28 May 2011

MMG Event

Last Saturday's event at Dolforwyn Woods Nature reserve was an excellent evening's trapping, we managed to record a new micro moth for the county, which was great, but due to the weather the event wasn't without its moments!

To read the full event report and to see the species list, please go to the web site and click on 'events'

Peter.

Friday 20 May 2011

Small Eggar


My first ever Nb. moth! Found it on my way home from school, makings it's way across the lane. I immediately thought Small Eggar as I've recently ID'd them for my Aunt, when she's been at her holiday home in Dorset, although I wasn't 100%. But Peter has just confirmed it (thank you!), making it the first record for many many years!

Hoping to keep it 'til it pupates and then hatches, but I've read that can take 7 years in captivity. But hopefully it'll hatch sooner though!

Douglas

Thursday 19 May 2011

Other night's moths

Had a very exciting day, a group of bank robbers dumped their car at school and the police heilcopter was buzzing and forensics were everywhere. Anyway back to moths!

Didn't trap last night as it was quite cold, although I did the night before (17th), where it remained 14c most of the night. Whenever it's this warm I know I'll catch a lot and I did!
I trapped, with the generator, at our 'wild' garden, which a few hundred meters from the house. (pics)









Mottled Rustic

Macros:
[NFM] Mottled Rustic - 1
[NFM] Small Clouded Brindle - 1
[NFM] Oblique Carpet - 1
[NFM] Golden-rod Pug - 1
[NFY] Sallow Kitten - 1
[NFY] Poplar Grey - 2
[NFY] Shoulder Stripe Wainscot - 1
Green Silver Lines - 3
Seraphim - 6
Shell - 1
Small Clouded Brindle
Nut-tree Tussock - 1
Oak Hook-tip - 1
Clouded Bordered Brindle - 1
Green Carpet - 3
Silver-ground Carpet - 16
Brimstone - 3
Flame Carpet - 1
White-pinion Spotted - 2
Clouded Silver - 1
Figure of 80 - 1
Buff Ermine - 7
White Ermine - 23
& Dart - 7
Scalloped Hazel - 2
Ingrailed Clay - 6
Flame - 7
Elephant Hawk - 1
Treble Lines - 6
Pebble Prominent -  1
Oblique Carpet
Flame Shoulder - 13
Swallow Prominent - 1
Straw Dot - 1
Pale Tussock - 5 (inc.1 nice female)
Small Phoenix - 2
Shuttle-shaped Dart - 1
Marbled Minor agg. - 1
Hebrew Character - 1 (no SHC, strangely)
Pale Prominent - 1
Shoulder Stripe Wainscot
Common Swift - 1
Small Fan Foot - 2
Common Carpet - 2
Common Marbled Carpet - 3
Scorched Wing - 1

Micros:
Epiblema cynosbatella - 2
Cydia succedana - 4
Syndemis musculana musculana - 1
Alucita hexadactyla  (Twenty-plume Moth) - 1
Coleophora albicosta - 1
Nemapogon cloacella (Cork Moth) - 3
Beautifully marked Ingrailed Clay
Nematopogon swammerdamella  - 2
Ancylis badiana - 1
Celypha lacunana - 1


I'm looking forward to the moth event on Saturday, forecast still saying it'll rain. Hopefully it'll change it's mind though.


Douglas

Wednesday 18 May 2011

MMG event at Dolforwyn Woods Nature Reserve

Hello all,

Just a quick note to remind you that the moth group are holding an event at Dolforwyn Woods Nature Reserve this Saturday, 21-05-11.

Meet from 8:30pm onwards at the reserve. For more details please see the events page on the web site.

I hope that some of you will be able to get along for a good evenings mothing.

Peter.

Monday 16 May 2011

Figure of Eighty

Nothing of interest last night, even though the minimum temperature was 12c.

A nice NFY was Figure of Eighty and also not a common moth in the county.


Another NFY was Dingy Shell (although it seemed to be dead). Another scarce moth in the county.

Douglas.

Saturday 14 May 2011

A cold May night

The temperature fell to 0.3c at Commins Coch (west of the county) last night, trapped, but very little doing, caught just eight of the usual species.

Peter.

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Beautiful Moths [Trap 117]

Had some cracking moths last night. Min temp: 11°C.

Macros:
[NFM] Puss Moth - 1 (a very tatty one, but clear enough to see it isn't one I've reared and marked)
[NFM] Lunar Thorn - 1
Lunar Thorn
[NFY] Beautiful Golden Y - 1
[NFY] Common Swift - 1
[NFY] Green Silver Line - 1
[NFY] Straw Dot - 1
[NFY] Spectacle - 1
[NFY] Buff Tip - 1
[NFY] Blood Vein - 1
[NFY] Silver Y
Chocolate Tip - 1
Poplar Hawk - 5
Lime Hawk - 2
Seraphim - 1
Sandy Carpet - 2
Green Silver Line
Flame Shoulder - 10
White Ermine - 18
Buff Ermine - 13
Scalloped Hazel - 3
Muslin Moth - 4
Alder Moth - 1
Least Black Arches - 1
Treble Lines - 3
Clouded Drab - 1
Broken Barred Carpet - 1
Clouded Silver - 1
Common Swift
Silver Ground Carpet - 1
Hebrew Character - 2
Setaceous Hebrew Character - 1
Pale Prominent - 1
Pebble Prominent - 1
Barred Umber - 1
Mottled Pug - 3
Cinnabar - 1
Common Pug - 1
Ingrailed Clay - 1
Buff Tip


Small Square Spot - 1
White-spotted Pug - 1
Pale Tussock - 1
Nut-tree Tussock - 2
Dagger agg. - 1
Small Phoenix - 1
Common Lutestring - 1
Common Carpet - 2
Red-green Carpet

Beautiful Golden Y
Micros:
[NFY]  Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth) - 1
Pseudoswammerdamia combinella - 2
Alucita hexadactyla (Twenty-plume Moth) - 1
Coleophora trifolii - 1
Crambus lathoniellus - 1 
Epiblema cynosbatella - 1
Adela reaumurella - 3
Coleophora albicosta - 1

Blood Vein




 Douglas.
 

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Last night's moths

Chocolate Tip
Still quite cool at the moment, hoping tonight will be a bit warmer.


[NFY] Minor agg. - 1
[NFY] Heart and Dart  - 1
Chocolate Tip - 1
Cinnabar - 1
Seraphim - 1
Treble Lines - 3
White Ermine - 11
Muslin Moth - 4
Pale Prominent - 1
Cinnabar
Flame Shoulder - 4
Buff Ermine
Small Square Spot - 3
Hebrew Character - 1
Green Carpet - 1
Nut-tree Tussock - 2
Brimstone - 1
Flame - 1
Flame Carpet - 1

[NFM] Epiblema scutulana - 1 
[NFY] Coleophora albicosta - 1
Cydia succedana- 1
Adela reaumurella - 1

Douglas

Monday 9 May 2011

A stranger in the trap


A pretty poor moth catch last night, it was a bit too cool, however I did find this stunning Queen Hornet in the trap this morning, what a fabulous creature it is.


What's more it turns out (according to the NBN database) that this species has only been recorded in Montgomeryshire once before, at Welshpool in 1964.

Sunday 8 May 2011

Great weekend for moths

Epinotia subocellana
Friday night:

Very warm night with heavy rain.

Highlights: 
Seraphim (6) - a moth only I seem to catch in numbers
[NFY] Scorched Wing (1)
[NFY] Sandy Carpet (2)
[NFM] White-spotted Pug (1)
Coleophora trifolii
[NFY] Treble Lines (1)
[NFM] Epinotia subocellana [New county record]
[NFM] Coleophora trifolii [New county record]
[NFM] Diamond-back Moth (1)
[NFM] Epiblema cynosbatella (2)


Saturday:

During the day I found two Mother Shiptons [NFM]
Mother Shipton
Also a Ancylis badiana, another moth I only seem to get.

Again warm night with heavy rain.

Highlights:
[NFY] Small Ele Hawk (1)
[NFM] Crambus lathoniellus (1)

Thanks to Peter for spending so long on my micro ID.

Thursday 5 May 2011

Warmer (and wetter!) weather [Trap 112]

As Peter hoped for it's got milder and wetter! Last night I got quite a few interesting moths:

The lowest temperature last night was around 9°C.


Macros:
Alder Kitten
[NFM] Alder Kitten - 1
[NFY] Clouded Silver -2
[NFY] Alder Moth - 2
[NFY] Small Square-spot - 2
[NFY] Poplar Hawk-moth - 1
[NFY] Cinnabar - 1
[NFY] Silver Ground Carpet - 1
[NFY] Mottled Pug- 1
Least Black Arches - 1
Oak-tree Pug - 2
Chinese Character - 1
Brindled Pug - 1
Brimstone - 2
Flame Shoulder - 11
Pebble Prominent - 1
Pale Tussock - 2
Clouded Drab - 5
Pale Prominent - 1
Small Quaker - 1
Muslin Moth - 4
Lime Hawk-moth - 1
Buff Ermine - 2
Plutella porrectella
Powdered Quaker - 1
Hebrew Character - 9
White Ermine - 9
Early Thorn - 2
Common Pug - 1
Flame Carpet - 1
Streamer - 1
Common Quaker - 1
Purple Thorn - 1
 + One that was hiding amongst the bulb, Chocolate Tip - 1
Cydia Succedana
Micros:
[NFM] Plutella porrectella - 1 [2nd county record]
[NFM] Cydia Succedana - 1
Agonopterix arenella - 1 
Nematopogon swammerdamella - 1
Syndemis musculana musculana - 1


 31(+4) species and 76 moths.

Douglas.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Arctic Chill

This very cold, easterly chill persists - very little action in the trap last night at Commins Coch, the temperature fell to -1.1c, just eight species recorded and all the usual suspects - I'm looking forward to some milder, wetter (yes, I said wetter!!!) weather.

Monday 2 May 2011

Last night's moths [Trap 111]

Hello everyone,

Thought I'd help to get the blog rolling by putting my records up from last night.

It got down to 5.5°C last night but was around 9°C for the most part.

Macros:
Eyed Hawk: Resting Position
[NFM] Eyed Hawk Moth -1
[NFY] Coxcomb Prominent - 1
[NFY] Shuttle-shaped Dart - 2
[NFY] Buff Ermine - 2
Brimstone - 3
Clouded Darb Drab - 1
White Ermine - 2
White-pinion Spotted - 2
Streamer - 2
'Eyes' open
Hebrew Character - 11
Flame Shoulder - 6
Muslin Moth - 13
Flame Carpet - 1
Oak-tree Pug - 5
Common Quaker - 4
Powdered Quaker - 1
Brindled Pug - 1
Common Pug - 5
Lesser Swallow Prominent - 1
Common Lutestring - 1
Clouded Bordered Brindle - 1
Micros:
[NFM] Ash Bud MothPrays fraxinella  f. rustica   [2nd county record]
Syndemis musculana musculana - 2

21(+2) species and 69 moths.

Not too bad but could do with some warmer nights.

Douglas.