Well, we were greeted with heavy rain when the events team arrived at Dolforwyn Woods, but undefeated we waited a while and set up anyway - making sure to put up the gazebo first. There is a snazzy new compost toilet at the top of the track, which proved ideal for hanging the white sheet (thanks to Phil again for lending us his equipment). The toilet even had a canopy overhanging to keep the electrics dry. No key though, so the toilet function couldn't be deployed.
Everything was ship-shape and the lights were on by the time Peter arrived, so we could relax then. It was actually a very mild and still night - so apart from the occasional downpour practically perfect. Peter said anything between 10-15 species would be a good result, so that was our target.
The first moth of the night was a Copper Underwing Agg, and probably the most common moth of the night was November Moth Agg. Peter gave us a masterclass in differentiating the Pale November Moth, November Moth and Autumnal Moth. It is all to do with where a tiny dot is placed on the wing. Suffice to say that I shall probably be continuing to record them as Agg!
We had some lovely autumnal moths including the Merveille du Jour, the Green-brindled Crescent and the Satellite.
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| Figure of Eight (Phil McGregor) |
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| Merveille du Jour (Phil McGregor) |
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| Satellite (Phil McGregor) |
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| Red-green Carpet (Phil McGregor) |
And thanks to Phil we managed to record a couple of micros as well - neither of which I had seen before: Zelleria hepariella and Exapate congelatella.
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| Exapate congelatella |
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| Zelleria hepariella |
By the end of the evening we had recorded 15 macros and 2 micros, thus ensuring a satisfying record for our last event of the year. The full list will be available here shortly. It was great to have a full year of events in 2022 - 7 night-time events in all - and to see so many people at them all. Our best night of the season was at Llanymynech Golf Course in July, with 56 macros and 18 micros. Altogether the moth night events in 2022 produced 229 macro moth records and 46 micro records. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the daytime event we had planned due to bad weather, but hopefully we'll get that back in the diary next year. I'll be starting to think about next year's programme soon, so do contact me if you have any ideas. Finally, many thanks to all in the events team for all their hard work & enthusiasm: Phil McGregor, Paul Roughley, Mark Thomas, Daisy Dunn and her father Tony, and to Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust for working with us. And of course, huge thanks to Peter Williams for turning out in all weathers across the county to lead the events. There aren't many county recorders that work as hard as he does for us all. See you next year!
