Treble lines best for me last night

A record 24 Heart and Dart moths in the traps last night along with Large Yellow Underwing, 2 Dark arches, Small Magpie, 2 Bee Moths and a nice Treble Lines. This is my first in the garden this year. Ian Keith caught Popular Hawkmoth, Flame Shoulder, L Y Underwing, Buff Ermine, Heart and Club, Buff Tip, Common Quaker, Dark arches, Snout and Fan-foot in Glan Conwy Last night. Getting together tonight for a few hours mothing so hoepfully a few nice ones to show tomorrow. 9.30pm meet at Pensychnant if anyone's interested.

Treble Lines from last night.

Forester Moth on Great Orme

Ian Keith caight a Forester Moth on the Great Orme last weekend. These are the pics from his iPhone. Great moth!

Little and Large Elephant!

An exciting moth trap opening this morning at school. Highlights were a cracking Small Elephant Hawk moth and an Elephant Hawk Moth. Also :-

Buff Ermine,
Angle Shades,
3 Large Yellow Underwings,
8 Heart and Dart,
3 Heart and Club
2 Garden Carpet
2 Dark Arches
Swallow-tail moth (which flew off on opening unfortunately)
2 Common Pug,
Small Magpie

Also one unidentified - very worn but two obvious dots. Is it a micro? Any help appreciated.

 Busy identifying Hawk moths - "Why is one small?"

 Great excitement as the big pink one is discovered.

 Elephant Hawk moth on the school window as it escaped in the classroom.

 Small Elephant Hawk moth - a school garden first :-)

Little and Large

Any help with this one?

New for garden

Another new micro moth for the garden last night with several chrysoteuchia culmella in the trap. Also a dusky brocade new for the year.

last nights moths-help please

The more I catch the more i realise I haven't got a bloody clue!

I think this a Beautiful Golden Y rather than Plain GY?

 Large Yellow Underwing?  Bit more patterned than in book!

 Double SQ Spot with pink tinge

 Micro for those of you with the book. Ta

Another micro from a few nights ago-only about 5mm

 I think this is the rebeli form of Willow Beauty also from a few nights ago

Cemaes Catch 26th June 2012

 Broad barred White

 Middle barred Minor -I think?

 Moth sp 1

 Moth sp 2

 Moth Sp 3

Moth sp 4

Dark Arches 15
Heart and Dart 19
Clouded bordered brindle 5
Rivulet 1
Brimsone 2
Lychnis 1
Garden Carpet 1
Green Carpet 1
Plain Golden Y 1
Middle barred Minor 1
Broad barred White 1
Scalloped Hazel 1
A little help with the small brown jobs if possible please ?

Couple more

A couple of more new for the year last night with light arches and a green pug plus a moth that lives up to its name an uncertain, I think! Think this an uncertain rather than similar the rustic

Despite the rain, it was a good night for moths last night. I've got quite a few I need to identify, but it all takes time (I usually leave it until just before I finalise my list for the year).


Here are a few I have already processed, two of which I don't know yet, so any help would be appreciated.


Coxcomb Prominent (I usually get one of these every year)

I half recognise this fellow, but on a quick scan of the book I can't place it.

I think this is one of the minors, but not sure which. And I'm a veggie, so I'm not dissecting the poor thing!

Picking up nicely

 Probably the best catch yet for me; a cracking Buff Arches-what a smart creature.

 I think this is a Double Square Spot below

 Purple Clay on the right and not sure about the left:

 Ingrailed Clay below:

Moth numbers improving at last.

A couple of better moth catches last night in the school moth traps with some lovely species for the kids to get out of the traps.

Night of June 24th/25th
3 Heart and Dart
1 Heart and Club
1 Dark Arches
2 Angle Shades
2 Marbled Beauty
3 Garden Carpet

Night of June 25th/26th
1 Common Rustic
8 Heart and Dart
1 Heart and Club
1 Grey Dagger
1 Scalloped Hazel
1 Buff Ermine
3 Dark Arches
3 Marbled Beauty
1 Ribband Wave
3 Garden Carpet
1 Green Pug
3 Common Pug
1 Common Marbled Carpet

Any comments or corrections of the below appreciated as usual.

 One of two Angle Shades

 Dark Arches numbers on the increase

Green Pug

One of my favourite species - Grey Dagger

 Rosy Minor I think?

 Is this Marbled Beauty as opposed to Willow Beauty? What is the best way of telling them apart?

A Scalloped Hazel - a first for the gardens

Huge numbers ...

...of Six Spot Burnet at South Stack on Anglesey last night.

A bit better

Few more moths in the trap last night but only this small dusty wave was new for year, one of the darkest I've caught. Also: Cabbage x1 Heart and dart x7 Heart and club x3 Common pug x2 Dark arches x2 Large yellow underwing x1 Garden carpet x2 Brimstone x1 Angle shades x1 Light brown apple moth x1 Bee moth x2

Every year, we get a small swarm (if that's the right way to describe it) of Nemophora degeerella moths in our woodland. What I find interesting is that every year for the last three years, they appear in exactly the same 5 metre square patch of woodland and nowhere else in the garden. Because of their habit of perching on top of the tallest plants, they are very frustrating to try to photograph - the slightest breeze blows them all over the place making focusing very difficult. It's taken me the last two days and I don't know how many shots to get this one. This is actually the same shot, cropped twice - once to show the very ridiculous antennae and then to show the wing pattern, which is hard to appreciate in the wild.

Next challenge will be to try to catch them doing their flight dance! I'm just not sure if it would be possible even. I may have to resort to film, just wish I could afford a high speed camera for it.

Weekend Moths - June 23/24th

Quiet in the garden trap at Penrhyn bay this weekend. 

7 Heart and Dart
Small Magpie
2 Clouded boarderd Brindle

Confirmation that I've got these right or corrections if I'm wrong would be appreciated.

 Clouded Bordered Brindle 

 Heart and Dart

Small Magpie

Dragonfly Nymph - terror of the pond dipping pond!

Dragonfly Nymph - anyone got an i.d.? Four spotted Chaser?

Inspiring a generation.....hopefully.

Whilst out in the Cloccaenog Forest with 30 children for the last 3 days, I tried my best to inspire the younger generation with a bit of old fashioned nature study. Small mammal trapping, bird photography, pond-dipping were all on the menu but moth trapping was probably the biggest hit! Above is a picture of the moth group, still in their p.j's opening the traps at 6.30am!

The new school skinner trap. Should make coming to school a bit more fun for some kids!

2 Elephant Hawks moths were caught - probably the favourite species with the kids.

Closely followed by the Popular Hawk Moth. If any species should inspire a child, it should be this beauty!

What a gorgeous creature the Elephant Hawk Moth is.

Buff Ermine.

White Ermine

Cinnibar Moth

Common Rustic? - I've got a bit rusty as this is the first time I've had the traps out this year. Corrections or confirmations much appreciated.

Common Swift.

Flamne Shoulder.

Heart and Club

i.d. Help needed please?

Help id.d needed please - the wings were a lovely gold but I think it's a bit worn.

A great few days - despite the weather and just goes to showe that the X-box generation can still be won over by the natural world.