A Brief Note....

Not trapped recently due to inclement weather, but continuing daytime mothing (leaf-mines etc). Found Pexicopia malvella larvae in marsh-mallow seed heads at a new site recently - Penrhyngwyn shingle spit, Machynys. Photo below:

Turning over a new leaf...

Although I have hardly trapped over the last week or so, leaf-mines have kept me occupied. Here is a very small selection of some recorded - I had intended to upload several more photos onto the blog but, for whatever reason, my PC is extraordinarily slow in doing so at the moment.

Above: Stigmella ulmivora mine on Ulmus procera, Llandyry Church. Note the bright apple-green larva which distinguishes it from the more frequent S. leminiscella (which has pale dull yellow larvae). Ulmus procera is one of the upright, suckering small-leaved elms and it is frequent in coastal SE Carmarthenshire.

Above: Stigmella trimaculella on Populus, Llanerch, Llanelli; also subsequently found at Pont Spwdwr, near Kidwelly.

Above: Bucculatrix thoracella at St Peter`s Church, Llanelli - an easily-found leaf mine under lime Tilia leaves.

Other mines of slight interest include Ectoedemia intimella on sallow Salix cinerea, Phyllonorycter strigulatella on grey alder Alnus incana, and frequent Bucculatrix maritima on saltmarsh sea aster Aster tripolium leaves. Also more Stigmella incognitella on Malus (apple) and plenty of Chrysoethia sexguttella on upper saltmarsh Atriplex.

New Migrant for Maenol

Resting on the 22W green synergetic trap this morning, a distinctive moth that I believe to be Palpita vitrealis:

Definitely a new record for the site.  Two actinic traps were out last night, it rained hard during the early evening but I decided to mop the traps down and leave them out - fortunately!  I haven't inspected the contents yet, will blog later if there's anything further of interest.

Maenol Update

I managed to trap on a few nights, before the weather became unsuitable, using actinic lights, no MV since the wasp infestation.  I think that the wasp problem has now been sorted, so the MV trap will go out as soon as the weather cheers up.

Meanwhile, an unfamiliar caterpillar turned up outside my greenhouse last week:

Unfortunately it was dead on arrival, and a bit mutilated (head partly detached), but bore bright orange hairs, with raised tufts at the anterior end.  About 15mm long.  Any suggestions as to identity would be welcome.

Other notable arrivals included what I assume to be a dark form of Pinion-streaked Snout.  It seems to be the right size and shape, but lacks any of the usual wing markings:

The last trapping session, on Wednesday night, yielded about 200 moths, almost half of which were LYUs.  Possible immigrant species were Silver Y, Diamond-back, Rusty-dot Pearl, and Rush Veneer, nothing more exciting than that.  Notable others included Small Argent and Sable and Yellow-barred Brindle:

Last but not least, a tortricid which I believe to be Apotomis semifasciana, aka Short-barred Marble - a very appropriate name:

Hawk-moth disappointment at Llanelli

In contrast to Sam`s wonderful capture of a bedstraw hawk-moth at Dingestow last night (4/8), my `last shot` (of four consecutive nights` trapping) to lure one failed dismally. The weather forecast was for heavy overnight showers, so out went the home-made rainproof cover for the trap, but the results this morning were not worth the effort - a single silver y, a few diamond-backs and a small range of `locals`. No scarce or rare migrants, not even any interesting `wanderers`.

                   Above: ready and waiting for the bedstraw hawk-moth that did n`t come...

Plenty of compensation

 

 

Like Ian, I was praying for Bedstraw Hawkmoth on Saturday night at Cnwc; sadly (for VC44) the one the moth-gods had assigned me overshot, and appeared at Dingestow (VC35) the following night. Anyway, the Cnwc-y-llwyn trap did very nicely, with 135 species. Highlights were two firsts for Cnwc: Blue-bordered Carpet and Catoptria falsella. Supporting cast were Dotted Carpet, Prays ruficeps & Hypsopygia costalis (all 2nds for Cnwc), August Thorn, Agriphila inquinatella, Epinotia ramella & Phycita roborella (3rds) and Agriphila latistria & Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (4ths). A Rusty Dot Pearl and a few Plutella and Silver Y were the only migrants noted.

No spectacular migrants for me (but a dose of `migrant fever`)....

Last night (Sunday 3/8), out went the two garden traps, an event mirrored by a few of us in Carmarthenshire, all with the hope of a bedstraw hawk-moth or another rare migrant. As far as I know, none of us `scored` in that department.
Perhaps self-conditioned by over-excited anticipation and certainly combined with tiredness (b****y loud music from the local tennis club late into the night, plus a neighbour`s dog barking away at 3.00 am), I initially I thought that I`d caught a rare crambid early this morning. But it was just an extra-colourful Agriphila inquinatella, albeit seemingly on the large size for that species.

                                             Above: last night`s `colourful crambid`.

Compensation was provided by a new pyralid for me - the ash-dependent Euzophora pinguis, possibly a second record for Carmarthenshire (though it much more frequent in neighbouring Glamorgan).

                                                        Above: Euzophora pinguis.

Other resident moths of interest included a white-line dart, marbled green, marbled beauty, four-spotted footmen (3m, 1f), Pammene fasciana, Rhyacionia pinicolana (a different individual from the previous night, which was still in my fridge) and Catopria pinella (3).
Migrants were represented by diamond-backs (22), silver y (6) and rusty-dot pearl (2). I estimate that, once I finish going through some specimens, there will be c 60-70 species recorded from last night. However, a couple of species that I recorded on a quick visit to the traps just before bedtime were not in the traps in the morning so perhaps I ought to remain with the traps for at least the first part of the trapping session to boost the numbers of species recorded?

Above: free food stop-over - my Nicotiana (`tobacco plants`) are still awaiting that rare hawk-moth!

I`ve left the MV out tonight, with my home-made protective cover (rain is forecast). If I get anything interesting, I`ll let you know tomorrow....