A chilly night but a sunny day

I normally wouldn't bother to trap in cool northerly winds, but our new puppy meant I had to be up at 05:30 anyway and it seemed worth a try.  The MV lived up to expectations, with a paltry 10 moths of 7 species; highlight perhaps being a Shuttle-shaped Dart as they are absent from my previous home in central Carmarthenshire.  4 of the 7 species were Prominents, easily able to cope with the chill.

Far better was a warm afternoon with plenty of Micros on the wing.  Tapping Oak revealed Phyllonorycter harrisella, P. messaniella and P. quercifoliella, whilst Hazel held P. coryli.  A sweep of some tall grassland produced Glyphipterix fuscoviridella and G. simpliciella.  Sadly, puppy and parent duties meant I couldn't do any other active searching.  Highlight of the day was the rare bee-mimic hoverfly Brachypalpus laphriformis which I spotted on a Hawthorn blossom: a new species for Dingestow (and for me) and a good indicator of ancient trees.