Upcoming moth group event at Ash&Elm Horticulture, Llanidloes. Friday 15th & Saturday 16th May 2026 in association with Butterfly Conservation and Camau Gwyrdd

 Hi all,

Just a reminder that the next moth group event near Llanidloes is nearly upon us. As always, it is a free event but I would encourage people to register their planned attendance HERE if you would like a free pre-event meal. The food is excellent!

Traps will be switched on around 9.15pm. This extended event runs until late Saturday morning when moths caught during the night will be available to view.

Our wonderful hosts, Emma Maxwell and David Ashley run a fantastic 5 acre market garden https://www.ashandelm.co.uk/ in the Hafren Valley, 3 miles outside Llanidloes.

Surrounded by organic farmland, this site produced more than 80 species in a survey event I ran with Tir Coed back in August 2024. However, this is a new recording site for the moth group.

Location

OS GR SN915847. W3W//slurs.stilted.comically. 

Cae Felyn, Old Hall, Llanidloes, SY18 6PW.

From Newtown, turn right at the old market hall in Llanidloes centre. Cross the river bridge following the road to the left through the hamlet of Glan Y Nant. Ash&Elm Horticulture is two miles further along on the left. Look for the tall hedges.

As ever, A hand/head torch is essential. Please wear appropriate, warm clothing and footwear for an outdoor, late evening event. Insect repellant is recommended.

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 (07971335384) & Simon Spencer (07866428875).

Evening event at Llanymynech Golf Club Saturday 18th April 2026 in association with Butterfly Conservation. Supported by Y Senedd and Local Places for Nature Fund.

 Directions: In Pant coming from Welshpool turn left by the Cross Guns Pub.

Take the middle of three roads signposted Golf Club – continue carefully up narrow winding road till you come out on the Golf Course.  Park in the car park behind the Club House SJ265220.  The gate on the entrance which is controlled by a keypad should be open till 8.00PM and I have the number.  Approach closely to exit and it will open.

We will be there from 7.00PM and will switch on lights at about 8.00PM

We use the practice shed in case it rains and will have several light traps

The Golf Club is the lead partner with Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, Dr Simon Spencer and Helen Upson a conservation grazier in a Nature Network Fund project to clear scrub and extend grazing.  Helen’s cows already graze parts of the Golf Course and we hope to extend this to the MWT reserve.

We will be running a permanent MV moth trap behind the Greenkeepers shed that can be switched on using a mobile phone. Volunteers required.

No booking required.

You will need to bring your own refreshments. A hand/head torch is essential. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for an outdoor, late evening event. Bring a seat with you if required.

Target Species: Limestone Grassland Specialists including Tissue and Light Brocade

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.  Light rain can be coped with.,

Phil McGregor & Simon Spencer (07866428875).

Financial and events summary reports for 2025

 Hi all,

The financial report and an events summary for the 2025 season are now published.

They can be found in the "articles & reports" section of the MMG website.

With best wishes,

Phil McGregor & Simon Spencer.

***2026 Evening events programme date changes***

Hi all,

due to unforeseen circumstances two event dates have been changed, in effect swapped.

The Llangynog event at Craig Rhiwarth will now take place on Saturday 13th June and the Newtown event at Hafan yr Afon visitor centre will now take place on  Saturday 20th June. The start times remain unchanged.

This is reflected in the events programme on the events page of the moth group website.

As these were already event dates, we hope any inconvenience caused is minimal.

Many thanks,

Phil McGregor & Simon Spencer.

We look forward to welcoming you to the beginning of this years evening events programme at Llanymynech Golf Club on Saturday 18th April.

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.