Identification issues

 A modest trap last night produced my first common, though attractive Bramble shoot moth.

I also had this moth, which I believe is Engrailed, but I'm not sure.

And is this tiny geometer a worn Satin Wave?

I also had my second specimen of the giant Tortrix, Lozotaenia forsterana

In addition there were FFY Barred Straw and Light Arches and another Lilac Beauty. I suspect it's not the same moth, as this specimen is much less well behaved than the previous individual.

Bancyffordd 23/6, another chilly morning

Despite the warm sunshine during Saturday, the temperature had fallen to 'chilly' by this morning. 5 new species for the year including first Garden Tiger. Only a single EHM and 2 PHM all on the small side. 60species in total including what looks like a Waved Carpet, a new species for me.

 

Waved Carpet

 

 Even more numerous than the Heart & Dart was the Barred fruit tree tortrix.

A very brief post from Pwll.

I put out one trap in the garden last night even though it was rather cool and mostly cloud-free but, nevertheless, caught a fair mix of moths including a privet hawk-moth and a rather early l-album wainscot. Unfortunately, I`m unlikely to be able to do any structured recording at or away from home for quite a few weeks.

                                                 Above: last night`s privet hawk-moth.

Pembrey Burrows

A sunny day on Pembrey Burrows is a good opportunity for insect watching. There were good numbers of Dark Green Fritillary on the wing and Marbled Whites and Small Skippers were numerous.

I also found this Pretty Chalk Carpet, a new moth for me. Although the highlights look blown, analysis suggests that this is the actual ground colour of the moth.

Beauties in Burry Port

The night turned unexpectedly cold and I didn't get the number of moths I had hoped for. Willow beauty is usually very common in my garden, and I was beginning to believe that the Mottled Beauty I recorded in one of my first traps was a figment of my inexperienced imagination. Therefore I was very pleased to find this speciment in the trap this morning.

Mottled Beauty

I was also delighted to find a moth I had never seen before, a little like a thorn, with a fold in its wings and a tense posture.

Lilac Beauty

Extempore Trapping

I hadn't intended to trap until the weekend, but at the last moment (10pm) changed my mind and set up the small actinic trap at the back last night.  By 4am when I closed it down a cold wind had developed and there were no moths around, so I had little hope of getting many.  To make matters worse, when I opened the trap there were none of the usual egg box enclosures - I had neglected to check the inside last night.  However, I did count 27 moths of  16 species, so the effort was worthwhile.  The most numerous were Double Dart (6) and White Ermine (4), FFYs Buff Arches and Willow Beauty.

        Mottled Beauty and friend                       Willow Beauty

I hope that these are right, the two species often confuse me.

A quartet of Double darts

Temporarily back in action at Pwll (Llanelli).

A lull in the workload allowed me the opportunity to trap in my Pwll garden last night (19/6), a night of balmy south-westerlies. About 35 species of macros, as well as some additional micros were caught, with a beautiful hook-tip probably being the `best of the bunch`. A decent supporting cast of cypress carpet, dog`s-tooth, cabbage moth and a probable obscure wainscot made it worthwhile. The most noteworthy pyralid was Rhodophaea formosa (this elm-feeder is annual with me*), others included Chilo phragmitella and Paraponyx stratiotata, both wanderers from nearby wetlands.

* worth looking out for at other elm-rich sites such as WWT Penclacwydd.

          Above: beautiful hook-tip. I`ve previously had it three or four times in my Pwll garden.

 Above: cypress carpet, a species that has been reasonably regular in recent years at Pwll.

Above: I may be wrong, but I think that this is an obscure wainscot with its wings slightly worn (look carefully at the wing markings - click on pic to enlarge), another wanderer from adjacent wetlands. Ignore the common wainscot illustration next to it!