Montgomeryshire Moth Group 2026 News and Events Calendar by Simon Spencer.

Hi All,

Wishing all of you a happy new year and a successful year of mothing.  

Records

First a request to get all your records for 2025 to Peter Williams before the end of January so they can be checked, go on to BIS/BC/CEH and then appear in the maps on the excellent MMG website courtesy of Mike Haigh.  This is particularly important for people with MMG loan traps but if you are struggling I can help.

Local Places For Nature Funding

Local Places for Nature from the Welsh Government but administered by Powys Nature Partnership is funding some more seed packets of the excellent moth mix to give away and also some more kit including some more pheromone lures.  Using these last year to attract clearwings has been very successful and we have had records of Lunar Hornet, Red-tipped Clearwing, Currant Clearwing and Welsh Clearwing, all rarely recorded.  We hope to repeat this in 2026.  The best way to make use of the expensive pheromone lures is to move them to new sites frequently.  The moths, if present, come quite quickly and the traps can be checked daily for a couple of days and then taken elsewhere. They fly mainly mid summer and I am looking for volunteers to help check and move the traps as well as sites with good habitat where they are likely to be successful. 

LED Light Traps

We will also be experimenting with highly portable LED light traps, again supplied by the Local Places for Nature grant, which will allow us to try trapping in remote places.  Finding Weaver's Wave at Llangynog has sparked an interest in sites where we have not recorded before because they are remote.   

Moth Mornings

We are planning to run several moth mornings where we ask someone to run a trap or traps over night and gather at 8.00am to see what we have got.  Moth mornings will be advertised on the MMG facebook page and by email only a few days in advance to fit in with the weather.

We did several at Lake Vyrnwy last year with the RSPB and a local team - Kate Gillan and Fay Hirst, will be continuing these next summer.  That will leave me free to set up a permanent Robinson MV trap at Llanymynech Golf Club and run frequent moth mornings there. Ideally this also needs a local team.  Being limestone grassland etc it has some interesting moths. 

There are other venues that have expressed interest but these events will be only advertised on the MMG Facebook page and by email to those who express interest at short notice.  We don’t need to do paper newsletters so there is no necessity to advertise months in advance.  We are open to suggestions particularly from people with good habitat happy to provide a power supply, and we have extra moth traps if anyone else want to organise Moth Morning Events.  Because of the support on moth identification provided by the MMG Facebook page it is not necessary to be an expert to run these events.

Evening Events for 2026

We are putting together a full program for 2026 both as MMG evening events usually running around the time of the new moon

MMG evening events.  Saturdays unless otherwise stated

Date	Location	Partner	Target	Leader
18/04/2026	Llanymynech Golf Course SJ265220	Llanymynech Golf Club  Confirmed	Tissue Light Brocade	SS
15 & 16/05/2026 NB Friday & Sat AM	Ash & Elm Horticulture,  Llanidloes SN915848	Dave Ashley Confirmed	New Location	PM
13/06/2025	Hafan-yr-Afon visitor centre/cafe Newtown SO105915	Opennewtown.org.uk Confirmed	New Location	PM - Need second person
20/06/2026	Llangynog, Craig Rhiwarth SJ057264	Confirmed	Weavers Wave	SS & PM
11/07/2026	We are hoping to run an MMG event on this date but details to follow.			P M & SS
18/07/2026	Common Land at Melinbyrhedin, Machynlleth. SN815988.	Confirmed	New Location	PM & SS
15/08/2026 Preferred Date	Cors Dyfi Visitor Centre, Machynlleth SN704984	To be confirmed	Rosy Marsh moth	SS & PM
12/09/2026	Deri Woods,  Llanfair Caereinion SJ095067	Llanfair TC.  Detail not quite confirmed	Barred Hook-tip	SS & PM
10/10/2026	Hendre, Pont Llogel. SJ029151	Confirmed	Autumn Green Carpet	SS & PM

Moth Morning Events

Short Notice notification by email or on MMG Facebook

Date	Location	Map Ref	Partner	Leader
Often	Llanymynech Golf Course	SJ265220	Llanymynech Golf Club	Simon Spencer
Often	Lake Vyrnwy	SJ022190	RSPB	Kate Gillan & Fay Hirst
	Ola Lluest Llanfyllin	SJ127150	Claire Cater	Simon Spencer

                              

 Best wishes

Simon Spencer 07866428875

& Phil McGregor 07971335384

Apologies for the scrappy layout. The result of cut & pasting an already cut & paste item!  Phil.

Grant funding success! Supported by Local Nature Partnerships Cymru and Powys Nature Partnership.

 Hi all,

Simon and I are thrilled to announce we have just received notification of a successful Local Places for Nature (LPfN) grant application amounting to just over £2500.

The grant will enable us to continue the popular wild flower seed mix distribution next year and purchase extra equipment, expanding the engagement activities of the moth group. 

We will be purchasing three state-of-the-art LepiLED traps which are 12v, all-weather and ultra lightweight. They will be ideal for engaging people in remote areas for overnight trapping in inhospitable, under-recorded environments such as mountains and moorland.

We are also purchasing more Clearwing pheromone lures to build on the successes of last years recording.

All very exciting and we are looking forward to the 2026 season.

Wishing you all a very happy winter moth-ing season,

Phil & Simon.

***********DERI WOODS EVENT TONIGHT CANCELLED**********

MWT/MMG DERI WOODS EVENT , LLANFAIR CAREINION CANCELLED.

Unfortunately, there is a very poor forecast of heavy rain late into this evening and then the air temperature falling. Mainly for health & safety reasons we have therefore decided to cancel tonight's public event at Deri Woods, Llanfair Caereinion.

A great disappointment as it is the last scheduled public moth group event for this year.

Many thanks to all of you who have participated in the events throughout the year. 

Best wishes and see you next year!

Phil McGregor & Simon Spencer.

"Old Lady's" night out in Y Drenewydd/Newtown 29/08/2025. In association with Butterfly Conservation.

 A moth group event was held on Friday night for Ponthafren, in their gardens. The property is situated on the north bank of the Afon Hafren/River Severn, the habitat being a terraced mixture of garden planting, small and large deciduous trees with wildlife, food production and well-being in mind.

Ponthafren situation. PMcGregor

Ponthafren https://www.ponthafren.org.uk/ established in 1994, is a mental health charity "providing a caring community, offering support to those in need and to promote positive mental health and well-being for all".

The charity was approached earlier this year to look at opportunities for connecting people with nature, in this case with moths.

An immediately positive response to this resulted in the very successful event on Friday night. 

A lovely and much appreciated group meal was provided before the event.

15 attendees of mixed age received a brief introduction to moths with many questions being asked.

The base was located in the outdoor shelter in the garden and traps were located on paths along the steep terracing from the veg garden at the top down to the riverside.

The sky cleared at dusk causing an initial chill in the air but the weather remained calm and dry.

A quick group tour around the traps produced a Large Yellow Underwing, Angle Shades and Copper Underwing agg. These were taken back to the table for techniques on identification and then attendees were free to collect moths from the traps. More moths were soon brought in with a pleasing Brimstone Moth and Dusky Thorn.

Brimstone Moth. P McGregor

Dusky Thorn. P McGregor

During the session, the initially disconcerting sound of loud wing flutterings amongst the trees down by the river revealed to be no less than nine Old Lady moths, much admired once one specimen was safely potted up and inspected back at the table!

A noteworthy micro, Dichrorampha acuminatana was also recorded during the three hour session.

Dichrorampha acuminatana. P McGregor

A total of 19 species were recorded, four being micro. The full list is available HERE .

A big thank you to Ponthafren for hosting and catering. Thank you to Butterfly Conservation for the provision of event insurance. Thank you to Peter Williams, County Recorder for help with identification. Finally, a big thank you to the effort and enthusiasm of all whom attended.

Phil.

Upcoming public Moth and Bat event at Deri Woods, Llanfair Caereinion Montgomeryshire at 7pm, Saturday 20th September.

 The moth group are holding their next public Moth and Bat event on Saturday 20th September at Deri Woods Llanfair Caereinion at 7.00PM in association with the Friends of Deri Woods, the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, Llanfair Caereinion Town council and Butterfly Conservation.

Parking will be at the entrance to the wood which is a short distance on the B4385 west of Llanfair at SJ099065 and involves an easy walk along the track to where the event will be based at the stone circle.  Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for an evening, outdoor event and you will need to bring your own refreshments. A head/hand torch is essential. Insect repellent is recommended as a precaution. Please bring something to sit on if needed.

Directions:

From Welshpool turn off the A458 over the bridge into Llanfair and at the top of the high street turn right and continue past the Goat Public House on the B4385.  Deri woods entrance is on the right just beyond the first bridge on the outskirts of the town.

Vehicles carrying equipment and moth traps will be able to drive up to the stone circle.

Traps will be turned on around 7.30pm.

There will be a brief introduction about moths and bats at 7.15, followed by a bat walk, using bat detectors to listen to and help identify these flying mammals

 

No booking required.

If the event is cancelled, it will be notified by a post on this blog and also the group facebook page. Please check before setting out.

Phil McGregor & Simon Spencer (07866428875).

Upcoming public moth-ing event at Llangynog, north Montgomeryshire at 8pm, Saturday 23rd August. In association with Butterfly Conservation.

The moth group are holding their next public evening event at Llangynog on Saturday 23rd August, where we will be targeting Ashworth's Rustic on the rocky, lower slopes of Craig Rhiwarth, on the north-east side of the village.

Most of the traps will be placed alongside the back lane which leads from Llangynog to Penybontfawr. 

This is a new location for a recording session.

Parking will be in the village car park and involve a short walk along the lane to where the event will be based.

Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for an evening, outdoor event and you will need to bring your own refreshments. A head/hand torch is essential. Insect repellant is recommended as a precaution. Please bring something to sit on if needed.

Directions:

The event base is about 380 metres from the village car park.

It is best to approach Llangynog from the east or west, along the B4391. Park up in the village car park, where there are public toilets. 

Walking, turn right, out of the car park, crossing the river, then turn right, off the B4391 and up a single track lane. Almost immediately turn right again and walk along this lane, with the open, rocky slopes of Craig Rhiwarth on your left until you reach the event base location.

Drop-off at the event location is possible but vehicles will still need to be left in the village car park.

Village car parking: OS NGR SJ 053 261 w3w///galloped.published.documents

Event base location: OS NGR SJ 0570 2638  w3w///unsettled.dinosaur.alongside.

Traps will be turned on around 8pm.

If the event is cancelled, it will be notified by a post on this blog and also the group facebook page. Please check before setting out.

Phil & Simon.

Moth night at Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture, Aberrhiw (Berriew). 01/08/2025. In association with Butterfly Conservation

An evening, public event looking for and at moths was held last Friday night, in Aberrhiw, based in the grounds of the globally celebrated Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture (ALoMoS).

ALoMoS. visitwalesimages.thedms.co.uk

The museum was approached in early Spring for the possibility of a collaborative public event, combining art and citizen science during the school holidays.

The event was part of a new approach by the moth group to engage people with nature, in line with the Pathways to Nature funding agreement, from which the moth group received grant funding via Powys County Council last winter.

ALoMos https://andrewloganmuseum.org/  has a large and diverse following of its own fans. Therefore it was decided to make this a ticketed event, to control attendance numbers for practical health and safety reasons. The museum was also specially to be opened for conveniences and for guests to look around the wonderful, flamboyant displays.

As the evening began, traps were set out in various locations around the village. In the Woodland Walk (showcasing its new pathways), St.Bueno's Churchyard with its lofty Limes, the recreation ground car park and on the bank of the Afon Rhiw. A good mixture of habitats. The white sheet was located beside the gazebo HQ in the museum car park, where there was sufficient space for a crowd of up to 40 people to safely assemble.

Starting at 9pm, an introduction to moths was given by Phil McGregor from the moth group and then attendees were encouraged to disperse around the village to collect moths from the traps and bring them back for identification. Volunteers from the museum very kindly chaperoned people to where the traps were located.

A clearing sky allowed temperatures initially to drop a bit too quickly so it was a bit of a slow start for moth activity. First moth of the night was a micro moth Patania ruralis or Mother of Pearl on the white sheet, followed by quite a few Large Yellow Underwing, Flame Shoulder, Dingy Footman and other common macro species. By around 22.30pm the temperature had stabilised at about 10c so activity started to pick up. Cataclysta lemnata was brought in from the river bank trap, provoking an interesting discussion regarding the unusual, semi-aqautic habit of the larvae, constructing a floating case around itself to enable feeding on duckweed, its food plant.

A steady trickle of moths followed including Catoptria falsella (Chequered Grass-veneer), July Highflier and Small Angle Shades.

Catoptria falsella (Chequered Grass-veneer). P McGregor

By 11.45pm most of the group had sensibly retired home while a few extra-keen lingerers held out just long enough to see a lovely Gold Spot retrieved from the churchyard trap.

Gold Spot. P McGregor

With a fair bit of packing up to do, 01.45am was chosen as the time to close down the event. Typically, with everyone else departed, the colours of the night, in keeping with the fabulous museum displays, emerged as traps were slowly packed away. Blood-vein, Sallow Kitten, Oak Hook-tip, Magpie and Black Arches amongst the belated crowd pleasers.

Blood-vein. P McGregor

Magpie. P McGregor

The event was a great success with 37 attendees, many of whom had never been to a moth event before.

41 species were recorded, 33 being macro. The full event species list is available HERE.

Equipment used: 3 x Skinner's 15w green phosphor, 1 x Skinners 125wMV and 1 x 125wMV white sheet.

Thank you to everyone who made the effort to attend and contribute to a fun event. It was a fantastic turn out!

A very big thank you in particular to Judy Mitchinson (Project Co-ordinator) & Sienna Holmes (Project Curator) at ALoMoS for their part in organising/running and publicising the event. Thank you also to the three wonderfully colourful and fun volunteer event chaperones, Julie Dawson (ALoMoS Education Officer), George and Terri.

Event organisers and volunteers

Thank you to Deborah Kent, a Berriew Community Councillor, for enabling light trap locations in the woodland walk and recreation ground and to Paulette Gower, Clergy, St Buenos Church for access to place a trap in the churchyard.

Finally, thank you to Butterfly Conservation for the provision of insurance for the event.

The next public moth-ing event is to be held at Llangynog on Saturday 23rd August at 20.00pm. We will be targeting Ashworth's Rustic on the slopes of Craig Rhiwarth. More details for this event will be posted soon on the MMG blog and facebook page.

Phil McGregor.

Moth night at Andrew Logan Museum, Berriew. Friday 1st August 2025 .

Hi all,

Just posting advance details for an upcoming moth group event in Berriew.  It is being run in conjunction with the renowned Andrew Logan Museum who will be running moth related crafts and activities during the daytime on the Saturday/Sunday after the event.

This is a "ticketed" event as demand can be high for activities associated with the museum and for safety reasons have to be limited. The event is free but with a suggested donation. Tickets are available now.

The museum car park will be the base for the event with a white sheet and there will be traps favourably located nearby, within the village churchyard, river bank, woodland walk, recreation ground and near the canal. A good mix of habitats with plenty of mixed mature trees should ensure plentiful and diverse moths.

Tickets and further details for the event, should you wish to join us, can be booked HERE.

If you feel you would like to be involved in helping run the event, please contact me via email moths.phil374@gmail.com

As usual, appropriate clothing for a night event and a hand/head-torch are essential. Insect repellent would be advisable as a precaution.

If the event is cancelled, it will be notified here on the blog and MMG facebook page so please check before setting out.

The Andrew Logan Museum is in Berriew just off the A483, 5 1/2 miles south of 

Y Trallwng/Welshpool. OS NGR SJ187006.     w3w//recorders.flows.excellent.

Many thanks,

Phil.

 

Lunar Hornet Moth at Cultivate , Newtown. Saturday 14th June 2025. Report by Phil McGregor.

 An invite from Cultivate https://www.cultivate.uk.com/ to help run a novel, moth focussed "Father's and their children" morning turned out to be quite the event!

Cultivate gardens. P McGregor

Based in the new activity shelter at the back of the site, a mixed group of 11 parents and children learnt about moths through viewing and even drawing them. 

The new activity shelter. P McGregor

One of the new actinic loan traps from the moth group was left on overnight at the site with the hope of catching some moths. Thanks to the torrential rain on the Friday evening potentially reducing the flight window, I decided to trap some moths at home just in case I needed a top-up for attendees to view. Some moths were also trapped and lent by Simon Spencer which I collected on my way down to Newtown in the morning.

Arriving at the site, I found the actinic trap to contain only seven species of moths so the contingencies proved worthwhile.

Being a horticultural site with a good patch of currant bushes, I decided to bring some pheromone traps and lures for Currant Clearwing which I was confident would be there. At the back of the site there are a few mature willow trees, by the pond area. I had Lunar Hornet Moth lures in the freezer too so I decided to take some along just as a long-shot curiosity, not having seen the species before. "If you don't try....."

Around 11.45am, one of the children in the group mentioned there was a "sort of bee in the tree trap". Immediately hoping for the improbable, we all went straight over to the trap which was not 5 metres away and there, to much excitement, inside it was a Lunar Hornet Moth!

Lunar Hornet Moth inside the pheromone trap. P McGregor

Lunar Hornet Moth "potted up". P McGregor

Later verified by Peter Williams, it is the sixth county record and the earliest record by one week.

Ironically, no Currant Clearwing were recorded!

The actinic trap species recorded were:

• Cinnibar
• Beautiful Golden Y
• Riband Wave
• Heart & Dart
• Burnished Brass
• Hedya pruniana
• Lozotaenia forsterana

Many thanks to all the enthusiastic families who attended and to Cultivate staff for their part in the event, providing engagement support and a fab lunch.

Phil.

Lunar Hornet Moth drawn by one of the group.

Moth night at Severn Farm Pond, Welshpool 06/06/2025. In association with Butterfly Conservation.

Another moth recording session was held last Friday night at the reserve in conjunction with the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust Wild Skills Wild Spaces (WSWS) group, headed by Nik Cain.

The diversity and infrastructure of the site is maintained and increased by the efforts of the WSWS members. It is a predominantly scrub wetland site edged mainly with broadleaf trees. There is also a "growing" area for pollinators.

View from the shelter into the reserve. P McGregor

Once again, the excellent, large shelter was used as "HQ". This was particularly useful as rain was forecast from around midnight onwards.

Reserve shelter. P McGregor

However, for the most part, the weather remained overcast, calm and mild, the most important requirements for moths to emerge!

By 9.30pm the traps were turned on and the group were soon bringing in moths to identify. Micro moths and a lot of them! There was soon a backlog on the table for me, with many variations of Pandemis cerasana and Epiphyas postvittana to look through, Tortrix viridana (an easy one), Clepsis spectrana, Archips xylosteana and Aphomia sociella providing relief!

Tortrix viridana. P McGregor

Aphomia sociella. P McGregor

As expected for a wetland site, geometrids were many with the first macro caught being a fresh Barred Yellow,

Barred Yellow. P McGregor.

followed by Silver-ground Carpet, Brimstone Moth and Willow Beauty.

Willow Beauty. P McGregor.

At one point the Macro and Micro list were evens at 15 species each but as the night drew on a steady stream of Macro's pulled ahead. Micro's seem to be having a good year.

Notable species of the night were Currant pug and a well marked Cnephasia asseclana.

Cnephasia asseclana. P McGregor.

By 2.15am, happily with a  delay to the arrival of rain, moth activity was quiet enough that it was decided to call it a night.

48 species were recorded. 30 Macro and 18 Micro. The full species list is available HERE .

Equipment:

1 x White sheet 125wMV

1 x Skinner's 125wMV

3 x Skinner's 15w Green Phosphor

Many thanks for the help and great enthusiasm of the WSWS group. To Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust for access to the reserve. To Butterfly Conservation for provision of insurance cover and to Peter Williams, County Recorder, for verifications.

The next moth group public event is at Rainbow Trails, Pen-Y- Ffordd in the Dyfnant forest. Saturday 14th June, 9pm onwards.  

Further details available here https://montgomeryshiremoths.blogspot.com/2025/05/upcoming-public-moth-night-at-dyfnant.html