Wednesday 24 July 2013

Newport Wetlands 23rd July

It took me about 2 hours to check through the 3 traps this morning.

Redhouse Barns, Robinson MV  - 60 species, including: 1 rosy footman, 1 round winged muslin, 2 small rufous, 1 gothic, 1 antler, 1 marbled green, 1 least Yellow Underwing, 2 elephant hawk, 1 poplar hawk, 1 female ghost moth, 1 garden tiger and 9 ruby tigers.

 Uskmouth Reedbeds, actinic Skinner trap. 14 species, including: 3 garden tiger, 54 silky wainscots, 9 obscure wainscots, 1 dark  sword grass, 29 southern wainscots, 1 brown-veined wainscot, 1 female drinker and 4 males. That's 93 reedbed wainscot specialists in total!

 Visitor Centre, Robinson MV - 42 species, including: 1 rosy footman, 1 garden tiger, 6 silky wainscots, 1 brown-veined wainscot, 8 Calamotropha paludella, 7 southern wainscots, 2 least yellow underwing, 1 obscure wainscot, 1 small rufous, 1 antler, 1 garden tiger and 2 ruby tiger.

                                                Garden Tiger Moth          Photo by Nick Felstead

I was particularly pleased with the catch in the actinic trap in the reedbeds. This is the most silky wainscots I've ever caught here. I trap in the same place regularly - in the "Ringers' Ride". This is a mown area in the middle of the reedbeds approx 100m long and 2m wide. I normally place the trap on the ground or on a bread crate to raise it slightly, but yesterday I found the reeds had grown to approx 50cm in height, so I placed the trap on top of a "work mate" type bench, raising it approx 70cm off the ground. I think this, coupled with the good weather, contributed to a bumper catch.
Thanks to Jane, Tara and Nick for coming to the "Moths in the Morning" event. Thanks to Nick Felstead for the excellent photo of one of the garden tigers from the actinic trap.





Tuesday 23 July 2013

Newport Wetlands 22nd July

I put out my 18watt actinic Skinner trap on Goldcliff Pill hoping to catch a crescent striped. This morning I turned over 3 of the 4 egg trays without success. Turning over the 4th revealed one crescent striped and I jumped with joy. This saltmarsh specialist is perhaps the most important moth to be found at Newport Wetlands. It would be interesting to discover its distribution around the rest of the Severn Estuary.

Crescent Striped
I also caught a female oak eggar and a small rufous.
 
The MV Robinson trap at Redhouse has been jam-packed with moths over the last 2 weeks of trapping. There have often been over 70 species and it has taken about an hour to ID and count all the species. Most notable catches have been 2 double lines on separate nights and a crescent dart. The markings on this moth (which was new to the county a couple of years ago) are absolutely stunning!
 
Crescent Dart


 
Tonight I am running 3 traps at Newport Wetlands ready for my "Moths in the Morning" event. A Robinson at the Visitor Centre, a Robinson at Redhouse and a Skinner actinic in the reedbeds. Hope to see you there!

Monday 22 July 2013

Public Event

Moths in the Morning

Wednesday 24th July

Newport Wetlands

9.45am - 11.30am

See the moths that were caught in the traps on the Reserve the previous night, then go for a stroll to look for day-fly moths. Meet at the Visitor Centre.

Monday 15 July 2013

Skenfrith - 11 July

A second visit to Skenfrith church by the same team as before. Total catch: 100 moths of 46 species:


Anania crocealis.                                 Ingrailed Clay.                             Heart & Dart x2
Barred Fruit Tree Tortrix.                       Large Yellow Underwing.              Yellow Tail
Bee Moth.                                            Light Emerald
Brimstone.                                           Marbled Minor x6
Buff Arches x8.                                    Mottled Beauty
Buff Ermine.                                         Peach Blossom
Catoptria falsella.                                 Peppered Moth x5
Celypha striana.                                   Poplar Grey
Clouded Border x2.                              Plain Golden Y x8
Common Footman x3.                          Riband Wave x4
Common Marbled Carpet x2.                 Rivulet
Coronet x5.                                          Satin Lutestring
Common White Wave.                          Small Angle Shades
Dark/Grey Dagger.                               Small Magpie
Dark Arches.                                        Smokey Wainscot
Dingy Shears.                                      Snout x6
Dot Moth.                                             Spectacle x3
Drinker.                                                Swallow tailed Moth x6 
Elephant Hawkmoth x2.                        Udea olivaris
Eudonia mercurella.                              Uncertain/Rustic x5
Flame x2.                                             Willow Beauty x2
Flame Shoulder.                                   Yellow Shell
Heart & Dart x2.                                    Yellow Tail

Lower Ochwyth - 9th & 11th

A few more first for the year species to the outside light with Pretty Chalk Carpet, White Plume and Large Emerald on 9th and then Sharp-angled Peacock on 11th.

Friday 12 July 2013

Home Farm, Caerleon - 6th – 12th July

Highlights over the last week have include:

6th  Grey Dagger, Spruce Carpet,
7th Clouded Brindle (NFG), Dingy Shears



















Clouded Brindle

8th  Scarlet Tiger, Small Fan-foot, Cloaked Minor (NFG)
9th  Clay, Barred Yellow, 2x Coronet,


Barred Yellow

10th  Cabbage Moth, 2x Grey Arches
 
Grey Arches

11th Common Emerald, Light Arches, Common White Wave, Beautiful Hook-tip
12th 2x Lackey, Clouded Silver, V-Pug, Blomer’s Rivulet (NFG)



  Clouded Silver

 
Blomer’s Rivulet

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Lower Ochrwyth - 8 July

I didn't set the MV, but the outside light was left on for a while and surprisingly I recorded some 28 species within about 30 minutes including two new species for the year: Marbled Beauty and a Double Line.  Martin Anthony informs me that the Double Line is scarce in the county - only being recorded from the west several times in a year.  It has apparently been spreading eastwards from its probable stronghold in Glamorgan.

Other species recorded included: Angle Shades; Common Emerald; Sandy Carpet; Satin Lutestring; Beautiful Hook-tip; Green Silver Lines; Coxcomb Prominent; Peach Blossom and Green Arches.
Double Line
Green Arches

Sunday 7 July 2013

Lower Ochrwyth - 6 July

239 moths of 60 species was by far the best catch of the year to date.  Several were new for the year: Beautiful Hook-tip; Swallow-tailed; Fan Foot; Heart & Club; Green Oak Tortrix; Common Emerald; and, Large Yellow Underwing.  Flame was once again the most plentiful with 62 individuals.

Friday 5 July 2013

Lower Ochrwyth - 3 July

There was a good catch on Wednesday night with 142 moths of 56 species.  NFY were: Green Pug; Miller; Light/Dark/Grey & Green Arches; Clay Triple-lines; Common Lutestring; Clay; Purple Clay; Snout; Anania coronata; and, Blastobasis lacticolella.  The bulk of the catch was Heart & Dart (x29); Flame (x28) and Common Marbled Carpet (x26) - many of the latter now looking very worn.  Also of interest were  x7 Elephant Hawkmoth and a Silver Y.
Miller
Clay Triple-lines
Blastobasis lacticolella

Monday 1 July 2013

Lower Ochrwyth - 30 June

Nettle-tap seem to be out in numbers today swarming around the flowering pyracantha  

Nettle-tap

Solomon's seal sawfly larva
Also noticed that the Solomon's seal was starting to look a little "moth" eaten, but it turned out to be neither a moth or a butterfly, but instead a sawfly.