Ian posted on the Blog after a visit to the Nant y Bai mine near Rhandirmwyn a few weeks ago. I visited with Bea and Johnny today and - along with searching for magic crystals - noted a few moths. Most abundant was the heather-feeding Tortricid Ancylis unguicella (photo), which has only 5 previous Carms records but is under-recorded as an early(ish) season species of heathland: 50+ were seen and in some places they flew up with almost every footstep.
Otherwise things were pretty quiet, with 10+ Cydia ulicetana, 4 Common Heath, 2 Crambus lathoniellus, 1 Common Carpet and 1 Micropterix aureatella (the 32nd Carms record but surprisingly only the 2nd from the eminently suitable north-east of the county). A case of Coleophora serratella (photo) on Birch was the only identifiable larva because all of the abundant Eriocrania mines were vacated (see yesterday's post on this genus).
No comments:
Post a comment