Mothing event at pont Llogel SSSI, Saturday 30 August

Hello All,

This Saturday the MMG (Montgomeryshire Moth Group) is holding a mothing event at Pont Llogel SSSI. We will be putting the traps along this lovely riverside site. Some of the very colourful autumn species are just about on the wing now, so hopefully we’ll trap a few of these along with the odd migrant or two.So please come along and join us at this very picturesque location.

Full event details are:-

Venue: Pont Llogel.

Target Species: Autumn Species.

Event Date: Saturday 30 August 2014.

Event time: 8:00 onwards, at the trapping site.

Directions: in the village, on the B4395 next to the river bridge.                                               Grid Reference: SJ032154

Montgomeryshire Moth Group (MMG) is an independent voluntary group of people interested in moths. All ages are welcome to attend events whether experts or beginners.

This year all the events are light trapping events. We set up the light traps at dusk to attract moths and then release them after identification.

As with all our evening events, please bring a torch and wear suitable outdoor clothing.

You are welcome to join us for as much of the evening that suits you, we are likely to stay for several hours. However, in case of cancellation, due to poor weather or unforeseen circumstances, always ring or e-mail to check the event is on before joining us.

Please note that some sites are not easy to find, so please make sure you know where the venue is before you set off.

All the best,

Peter.

New Species For Cors Dyfi

At the annual mothing event on 2nd August at Cors Dyfi the following new species were recorded for the site:-

Green Pug
Ling Pug
Rosy Minor

mirifircarma mulinella
ypsolopha dentella
blastobasis lignea
acleris laterana
epinotia caprana

This was quite a surprise given that the weather wasn't really in our favour with good gusts all night and the occasional heavy shower too. Unfortunately I did not get chance to photograph the new species as I was spending much of the time chatting to people about moths and identifying them. (the moths not the people!)

On Monday 11th August I was wandering the site and came across a small micro desperately battling the remnants of hurricane Bertha and trying to land on some bramble. Being fairly certain it wasn't one I'd seen before, I potted it up, photographed it and sent the details to Peter who was able to confirm a new county record in the form of pammene populana. (pictured below)

In both cases (2nd August and 11th August) it goes to prove that just because you might think the weather is too bad for moths to fly, it's always worth looking, you never know what you might find. The new county record brings the total species now recorded at Cors Dyfi to 512.

Maria (Species Officer, Dyfi 360, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust)

Glaslyn

Had another trapping session at Glaslyn last night. Thermometer told me it didn't drop below 12c but a really cold, strong wind made it feel very much colder. Plenty flying about but most things blown straight past the traps! 30 species in total - half of which new to the site.

As I arrived on site, I found I'd somehow left both my notebook and phone at home (my only two possible means of keeping a species list). Decided put the traps out and leave them on while making the two hour round trip home! 

When I returned at midnight, the traps had caught pretty much all they were going to and the more notable records were:

• Neglected Rustic. 8 caught: first county record since 2008. Probably a species which has been overlooked on moorland in the past.
• Haworth's Minor. Another under-recorded moorland species. About 12 came to the traps.
• Anomalous. None recorded at the MVs but about 15 between the actinics. I've noticed this with the species before: definite preference for actinic light.
• Striped Twin-spot Carpet - another overlooked moorland species. Just one was seen.
• Northern Rustic. Very few county records. A moth found in rocky moorland areas. One was recorded near to scree slops.
• A single, rather worn, Ashworth's Rustic. It seems clear that by August at Glaslyn, AR has pretty much reached the end of its flight season.
• Acleris caledoniana - once again a moorland species with very few records in the county.

Left the site at about 3am and when doing so saw what I can only presume was a nightjar on the reserve track; Mike tells me it is a rather under-recorded species in the county.

Cors Dyfi event, species list and report

The report and species list from the Cors Dyfi event can be viewed Here

Peter.

Roundton trapping

Took another trip to Roundton the other day. A warm night and I recorded just under 150 species - over half of them being new site records.

More notable records:

• Square-spotted Clay (two seen). A nationally scarce B species found at only a handful of sites in the county and in recent times only from the NE corner. This is a completely new area of the county for the moth.
• Blomer's Rivulet.
• Rosy Minor
• Golden-rod Pug
• Triple-spotted Pug
• Devon Carpet
• Nemapogon clematella (third county site)
• Digitivalva pulicariae (second county site)
• Cochylis atricapitana (second county site)

Photos and species list below:

Roundton (31/08/14)

Identifying the autumn thorns

I've recently made a little PDF about identification of several of our thorn species. Especially how to separate August and September Thorn.

It's on the articles section of the website. Hope some will find it useful.