A moth night at Cultivate, Y Drenewydd. Friday 16th May 2025.

A second invite from Cultivate, Newtown (next door to Theatr Hafren) for me to run another moth night at their fabulous community gardens, proved to be a chilly challenge and not of the hot variety!

Cultivate gardens, Y Drenewydd. Phil McGregor

With the setting sun, a fabulous evening meal prepared by Annie Levy was provided for attendees, using on-site produce and Newtown food hub ingredients, a major part of Cultivate's sustainability ethos. Locally grown and reduce waste   https://www.cultivate.uk.com/bwyd-powys-food/

By switch-on time for the traps, around 9.15pm, it was apparent that the forecast cloud was not going to materialise and a steady drop in temperature was felt by all.

Having caught and examined Common Carpet, abundant Alucita hexadactyla and Gracillaria syringella before dusk, the recording base moved indoors as darkness descended and the familiar chill deepened.

Gracillaria syringella. Phil McGregor

Initially, micro moths easily outnumbered their macro counterparts, including Hedya pruniana, Anania hortulata, Bactra lancealana and Tinea Trinotella, the latter being a specialist of bird nests. A lovely Cinnabar and Silver Y were the next macros brought to the table. We then saw a slowly-but-surely flow of diverse macro moths, including Figure of Eighty, Miller, Poplar Hawk-moth and Pebble Hook-tip.

Anania hortulata. Phil McGregor.

Figure of Eighty. Phil McGregor.

Miller. Phil McGregor.

By 01.30am activity was very quiet in all respects. I decided to wind down the night with the last trap switched off at 02.15am. The final moths for the list, (typically) found as the traps are dismantled, were Peppered Moth and Alder Moth.

Alder Moth. Phil McGregor

36 species were recorded. 

25 Macros:

Common Carpet

Silver Y 

Cinnabar

Poplar Hawk-moth

Pale Tussock

Coronet

Foxglove Pug

Brimstone Moth

Pebble Hook-tip

Common Pug

Flame Carpet

Common Marbled Carpet

Miller 

Marbled Minor agg.

Currant Pug

Buff-tip

White Ermine

Spectacle

Brindled Pug

Garden Carpet

Poplar Grey

Heart & Dart

Golden-rod Pug

Common Rustic agg.

Peppered Moth

11 Micros:

Gracillaria syringella

Alucita hexadactyla

Celypha lacunana

Endrosis sarcitrella

Epiphyas postvittana

Anania hortulata

Aphomia sociella

Hedya pruniana

Bactra lancealana

Dioryctria abiatella

Tinea trinotella

Traps used:

2 Skinner's 12v15w Green Phosphor

1 Skinner's 240v 20w Blue Actinic

1 Skinner's 125wMV

1 White Sheet 125wMV

A big thank you to Cultivate, Newtown  https://www.cultivate.uk.com/ for great food, great company and great moth-ing! 

Cinnabar and Pebble Hook-tip on Golden Hop (released). Phil McGregor

Phil McGregor.

There will be another opportunity to see moths at Cultivate when I run a second moth night on Saturday 19th July. More details will be available on this blog and Cultivate's facebook page nearer the time.