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
|
Hafan-yr-Afon visitor centre/cafe Newtown SO105915 | 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
Apologies for the scrappy layout. The result of cut & pasting an already cut & paste item! Phil.
