Modest Trappings but not without Interest

 Moths 22, species 14 including FFY Red-line Quaker - yes, Quaker season is here:

Rustics: Square-spot (4), Autumnal (2), Flounced, Black and Rosy one of each, and this moth which I confess has me puzzled.  It doesn't ring any bells with me, but apart from the wavy cross-lines and the overall greenish hue there isn't a lot to go on:

I'm really hoping that someone will recognise it!!

Update (after more thought).  The closest I can get from published images is Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii), which has a broad dark border to the underwings:

Further update: online advice suggests that the moth is a Scarce Bordered Straw, looks good from the images I've found, I'm happy with that, a new one for me.

Small is beautiful on a cold night

 Having seen (with my usual envy, I may add) various good records of migrant moths in various nearby areas of Britain (South Wales included), I perhaps rashly put out my trap on Thursday evening. It was a clear, starlit night with a brisk north-easterly. The next morning yielded only small numbers of moths, with the variety correspondingly poor. The only migrant was a silver y.

However, amongst the catch was a micro that I initially suspected was a gelechiid, but I could not `pin down`, as the markings shown on text book photos did not seem to match up. Following some appreciated input from George Tordoff, it was eventually determined by Steve Palmer as Stenolechia gemmella, an oak-feeder (as perhaps befits my edge-of-woodland garden) and it  has only been recorded once before in Carmarthenshire, by Chris Manley at Pontyberem.

A life and others in Burry Port

My traps have been dominated by Square Spot Rustics, which isn't hard as overall numbers have been low, due I think to clear skies rather than promised clouds.

 I too was lucky enough to find a first for the year Pink-barred Sallow this morning.

I don't see many of these striking moths. 

My lifer was an Autumnal Rustic, it's cold grey colouring and contrasting markings are quite distinctive.

And finally a flood (4) of Black Rustics - I love them.

Lesser Yellow Underwing - or not?

 I had one of these on the night of the 7th September, and two more arrived last night:

Judging from the published images, the black marks at the tips of the forewings are typical of Lunar Yellow Underwing and not Lesser Yellow Underwing.  The trouble is, I've been unable to establish the presence of 'lunar' markings on the underwings, although I've found it extremely difficult to examine them.  The best I've been able to do is to photograph them in flight:

Without evidence of these markings I have to concede that they must be the common Lesser rather than Lunar, which doesn't seem to have been recorded in this area.  What a shame!

In spite of the apparently favourable conditions last night (warm, moist) the moth numbers were disappointing, although I did catch a very nice Brindled Green, and the first Pink-barred Sallow of the season, albeit a rather sad-looking individual:

Update: absolutely no lunar marking on this one:

Last Night at Maenol was...

 ...not as good as predicted.  Although by no means cold it was a clear night, and experience has told me that clear nights don't produce full moth traps - not here, at any rate.  Nonetheless I put a trap out and a few moths arrived, 21 in all of 12 species.  FFYs were Centre-barred Sallow, Flounced Chestnut, and the delightful Caloptilia stigmatella, a species that I haven't seen for several years:

                                                                  Caloptilia stigmatella

                                                                     Flounced Chestnut

Little and large.

 Have had nothing much in the trap for a while now, except a few old LYU. There were very few  last night as well but was pleased to see this Red Underwing resting on the fence as well as a nice fresh Eudonia pallida.

Red Underwing Catocala nupta

.

Eudonia Pallida.

Autumn is Here

Like Adam I've had several disappointing trapping sessions recently but things improved on Monday night, conditions had improved and my single actinic trap brought in 60 moths of 17 species (and two more that I couldn't identify).  

Two species were particularly notable because, to me, they signify that Autumn is here (as if I hadn't realised!):

                                                                     Frosted Orange

                                                                       Autumnal Rustic

I put this one down as a Lesser Yellow Underwing, but in view of the wing tip markings perhaps it deserved a closer look: