Shades of grey

Took another trip to Glaslyn MWT reserve last night. Arrived at the site to find completely clear skies and a temperature of 10c. However, not long after getting the traps switched on it began to cloud over and the temperature rose to 12.5c where it stayed for the rest of the night.

When driving down the track to reach the car park I noticed some scree slopes. There were no site records of Ashworth's Rustic but I thought it might be worth placing a couple of heath traps around the top of these scree slopes (about 500m from the main traps). Much to my surprise, not only did I catch AR, I caught loads of them! 38 in total. 36 of these were between the strategically-placed two 6w heath traps. Only two turned up in the MVs. Which, I think, just goes to show how much it's depend on the rocky slopes; these two were probably wanderers. Really quite a variable moth - some forms were very pretty, though all very grey.

Other moorland moths seen included Striped Twin-spot Carpet, Northern Spinach, Narrow-winged Pug, True Lover's Knot, Antler Moth, Dark Brocade, Gold Spange and Scarce Silver Y.

Once again there were several out-of-place moths, for example Rosy Footman and Iron Prominent. But the prize for 'the moth caught that would be least expected on moorland' goes to Zeiraphera isertana (of which two were recorded). This is meant to be species of oak woodland. No idea where the nearest oak was but would certainly be a considerable distance.

The main challenge of the night was low cloud which began to envelope the site once the traps were set up. It reduced visibility to less than 10m at times. The MVs were just about bright enough to penetrate the cloud but the actinics were not and were consequently very difficult to locate! Had to just set off, hoping I was walking in the right direction! Luckily it seemed to work.

53 species were seen in total. The list and some photos can be seen here:

Glaslyn (11/07/14)

Borth Bog

Last night I took a trip to Cors Fochno (Borth Bog). The site is just outside of the county in Ceredigion. It's a peat bog - vegetation on the bog is dominated by heather and bog myrtle. The track leading onto the bog is lined with willows and birch. Put out 3 MVs and 3 actinic traps - 4 out on the bog and 2 on the track.

Being a whole country's width away, I caught lots of species that I don't usually see. This included Lackey, Rosy Footman, Four-dotted Footman and Lesser Cream Wave. Other notable records were good numbers of Marsh Oblique-barred, Striped Wainscot, Southern Wainscot and also Double Kidney, Apotomis semifasciana, Eudonia pallida, Celypha cespitana and Biselachista albidella.

Mostly species that would be expected on the far western side of Montgomeryshire - especially at Cors Dyfi. However I did record about three or four species not on our county list. A couple of them I suspect will be present (small, obscure micros).

With Ynyslas Sand Dunes only a five minute drive away, I couldn't resist a quick visit. Unfortunately I'd left my bucket and spade at home but was able to have nearly as much fun with my net. The productivity of the site was just incredible: so many moths. Didn't net anything too special but definitely a site I will do some trapping at this summer. Though next time I'll take a compass - I ended up getting lost for about half an hour: sand dunes all look the same in the dark!

At one point, what I believe were a pair of ospreys flew low over the bog. (Probably should point out I'm talking about the military aircraft, not the bird. Strangest things: half helicopter, half plane - see here.)

At around midnight, I suddenly realised that although I'd put the garden trap out, I hadn't plugged it in. In my experience this does tend to reduce the catch somewhat... Knowing there probably wouldn't be all that many moths waiting for me in the garden, I decided to stay later than I usually would - didn't leave the site until about 4am. The temperature had dropped to 10c and the final species total was 129.

As ever, follow the link for a load of crappy camera phone photos: (also a species list)

Borth Bog (10/07/14)

MMG event at Coed y Dinas

The event report and species list from our trip to the Coed y Dinas MWT reserve can be viewed here.

A nugget of gold

This turned up in the garden last night. A Golden Plusia:

Resting on its foodplant: Aconitum.

There are only a handful of county records and oddly enough, all from one year: 1987. It's almost exclusively a garden moth due to its foodplants. The moth colonised the UK towards the end of 19th century and spread rapidly. It was fairly common at one point across much of the UK, though in recent times seems to have declined.

Roundton Hill

On the 3/7 I did some trapping at Roundton Hill NNR (MWT reserve). The site has had very little trapping done over the years (well illustrated by the fact that Dark Arches - and indeed most of what I caught - were new to site!). The site has two main habitats: grassland and woodland. My trapping was centered around the car park, which is mainly wooded. I have never known a site with so much ash, almost every tree was that species! Caught lots of elm feeders so there must have been some of that present too.

Once I'd set up and turned on all the traps, I decided to leave them to it and headed off on a quest to find some mobile signal. I began climbing the hill and although I couldn't get signal, I found something nearly as good: some lovely habitat. This bit of hillside was covered with lady's bedstraw, wild thyme, clovers and trefoil as well as a really nice mix of other grassland plants. Decided I'd relocate one of my actinic traps up here - despite it being a bit of trek!

The temperature didn't drop below 15.5c, even approaching dawn. There was a pretty strong wind that night but I was well sheltered by the hill itself and the trees surrounding it. As a result I ended up with an exceptionally high species list of 167 species (101 macro and 66 micro). This is the highest total I've had on a single night, outside of the garden.

A nice selection of woodland species were seen including Coleophora alnifoliae (a nationally scarce species and the second county record - first being from 1975), Batia unitella, Carpatolechia fugitivella, Epinotia signatana, Blomer's Rivulet, Dingy Shell, Clouded Magpie and Beautiful Hook-tip. All new to the site (and indeed the 10km square).

Some of the grassland species seen included Coleophora saxicolella, Platyptilia pallidactyla, Stenoptilia pterodactyla and Metzneria metzneriella. One interesting record was the rather out-of-place Confused, which coincidentally I had in the garden a few nights earlier (see post below).

Few pics on the following link. (mainly of the site - didn't take many of the moths this time...) Also a species list for the night.

Roundton Hill - 03/07/14

The site probably holds a number of other good species - especially associated with the flowery grassland. Merits some more trapping and daytime visits. I'll certainly be returning later this summer.

I'm Confused (and so is the moth)

Quite a cool night and at about 2:30 this morning I decided to pack up the garden trap. Sitting on the sheet was this moth. Immediately realised it wasn't a species I knew well. In the back of my mind was the Confused (a moth I've been hoping to find in some of the more specialist habitats I'm visiting this summer). And indeed a quick look at the book confirmed my suspicions. Fairly uncommon in the county: last seen in 2011 and then other records predate 1976.

The Confused. What a dull moth.

W&T tells me it should be found on "rocky coasts", "mountain moorland" and occasionally "sand dunes". I'm no ecologist but I can be fairly sure the garden doesn't fit into either of these habitats. I can only guess it's got very confused and forgotten where it's meant to be living.

'Moth night' event at Coed Y Dinas Nature Reserve.

Hello Moth-ers,

This Saturday the MMG (Montgomeryshire Moth Group) is holding the annual ‘Moth Night’ event at Coed Y Dinas Nature Reserve. It is a joint event in conjunction with Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (MWT) who will be bat recording on the night. We have never held a moth trapping event at this site before, therefore we don’t quite know what will turn up, but we are hoping to record some species associated with water loving plants, like Wainscot and China Mark species. The weather looks ‘set fair’ for the weekend, so please come along and join us for what I hope will be an excellent evening’s mothing.

Full event details are:-

Venue: Coed Y Dinas Nature Reserve.

Target Species: Species associated with water.

Event Date: Saturday 5 July 2014.

Event time: 8:30 at reserve car park car park.

Directions: From Welshpool head south on the A490 for about a mile and a half and the reserve entrance is just before the roundabout on the left.                                                                                                                                                                                        Reference: SJ221052

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.

July Belle or Lead Belle ?

July Belle (left)  &  Lead Belle (right)

When I ran my trap at Bala on the night of 24th June I was pleased to find two Scotopteryx species the following morning, which at first glance looked the same.  Being mid-June I couldn't differentiate between them on the basis of flight season alone, since the Lead Belle was just ending and the July Belle just beginning.  Fortunately Peter W was paying me a visit that day, and helped explain how to identify them.

July Belle (left)  &  Lead Belle (right)

The July Belle's black central spot on the forewing is usually smaller and dot-like and is normally nearer the second cross-line than the third, whereas the Lead Belle's central spot is usually tear-shaped and roughly midway between the second and third cross-lines.  Additionally, the zigzag outermost cross-line is often more well-defined on the Lead Belle than on the July Belle.

This is not a definitive guide, and if in doubt submit a photo for verification, or if that way inclined retain the specimen and arrange for genitalia examination.

Coed Pendugwm trapping

A couple of nights ago I took a trip to MWT's Coed Pendugwm reserve in the north of the county. The site has never had any trapping done so I had no idea what to expect. Having recce'd the site earlier in the year, I suspected there could be one or two good species lurking there. It's woodland site - lots of humongous oaks and beeches as well as a good spread of other broadleaved trees.

The temperature didn't drop below 11c so the six traps I took along were pretty busy. Recorded exactly 130 species - at one point I was writing down the species so furiously my pen disintegrated! As well as the moths, the whole site seemed to be very alive; there was constant rustling and twigs breaking in the thick vegetation all around me. It's a good job I'm not scared of the dark!

Some of the better macros included several Clouded Magpie, several Scallop Shell, lots of Brussels Lace, quite a few Beautiful Carpet, Satin Beauty, Lilac Beauty, Clay Triple Lines, Northern Spinach, Beautiful Snout and Pinion-streaked Snout.

The real highlight of the night was the discovery of a colony of Waved Carpet. This is really quite a scarce species and is known from very few sites in north Wales. Seven were seen across the traps, indicating the species breeds on site.

Micros. Two species associated with beech were recorded: Cydia fagiglandana and Strophedra weirana. Both new county records.

Some other new county records were Argyresthia sorbiella, Pseudatemelia josephinae, Epinotia nanana and a couple of Coleophora glaucicolella. Pictures here:

Coed Pendugwm - 25/06/14

The MMG will be running a public event at the site in September.

Lake Vyrnwy trapping

I headed off to a forestry track just north of Lake Vyrnwy the other night for some trapping. Had stumbled across the track this winter and thought the habitat looked very interesting. The site has three main aspects: (1) broadleaved scrub surrounding a small stream (made up mainly of birch, also willow, rowan, etc), (2) heather and bilberry surrounding the track and (3) spruce plantation either side of the valley.

The midges were pretty bad; very glad to have my full-body midge suit with me. This worked pretty well though did have it's problems: reduced visibility meant at times I had chose between being bitten or not seeing the moths! And at one point a Poplar Hawk-moth managed to get itself caught inside the hood! The night was fairly cool to begin with but as it clouded over, the temperature steadily rose throughout the night. Of course this meant the midges were worst at the point I was going through and pack up the traps at around 2:30am.

A total of 105 species were recorded. Plenty of upland species: Grey Mountain Carpet, Beautiful Snout, True Lover's Knot, Scarce Silver Y, Welsh Wave, Narrow-winged Pug, Smoky Wave, Northern Spinach, Glaucous Shears, Aphelia viburnana, Apotomis sauciana and Neofaculta ericetella.

Several species associated with conifers were seen. Lots of Larch Pug, Barred Red and Tawny-barred Angle. Also, Coleophora laricella (2nd county record), Epinotia tedella and Argyresthia laevigatella (new CR).

Other notable moths were Plain Wave, Epinotia tetraquetrana (2nd county record), Carpatolechia proximella (new county record), Monopis weaverella and Swammerdamia caesiella (new CR).

Follow link below for some photos of the site and the moths caught:

Lake Vyrnwy - 24/06/14