I`d given up...

 I went for a walk this afternoon to the adjacent Stradey Woods with the intention of a general nat hist ramble with some targeted leaf mining thrown in. One target tree was lime, to see if a particular leaf miner (Stigmella tiliae) was to be found but - again - no luck (I`d looked for it last Saturday at Gelli Aur). Another was Stigmella samiatella on sweet chestnut, but after looking at many leaves, failure again.

Returning home I was having difficulty as, although not lost (I`ve known these woods since childhood) various pathways were overgrown by brambles - the result of the death of ash trees and the general demise of some older trees letting in light to the ground layer. I saw a potential route but it was a dead-end, with dense and quite high brambles making that option impractical and I did n`t wish to do the usual `Monty Python` `funny walks` raising my legs high to traverse the thick growth. So, I turned around and there, quite low down in front of me, was the desired Stigmella samiatella on a sweet chestnut leaf! I`d given up, but luck intervened - thank you, brambles! There are two previous Carms records, made by Sam Bosanquet and myself independently at a site c ESE of Pont Abraham (on the M4 extension), and, checking online, there are only six Glamorgan records, all in the east of that county.

Moths on iRecord

I've just verified a bunch of iRecords and thought I'd share a few recent highlights. The National Botanical Garden moth'ers have done quite nicely for migrants during October with Scarce Bordered Straws on the 1st and 6th, Small Mottled Willow on the 1st, Gem on the 6th and a Convolvulous Hawk-moth (pic) on the 9th. However star of the show was a Death's-head Hawk-moth catapillar (pic)seen by Nicola Capon at Meidrim on the 15th September

It`s not what you think!

 En route home from my Gelli Aur visit on Saturday (10/9), I stopped off at Carreg Gwenlais quarry, Carmel Woods. Walking into the main quarry area along the circular footpath around that site, I noticed that many of the leaves of a particular hazel, which was overhanging a streamlet, were covered in lumps of mucus. This old bush is on the main path into the quarry, not an obscure minor side path, though I`ve not noticed this mucus before. What was it? I saw that there seemed to black `dots` within the mucus - larvae, and I laughed at myself when I thought of `escaped Amazonian tree-frogs` or something similarly daft. I took some photos, which are shown below.

Later, at home, online searching by asking the appropriate questions, led me to a creature whose relatives often visit our moth traps - though not necessarily this particular species. The mucus forms part of the life cycle of a caddis fly called Glyphostaelus pellucidus and it has been, not inappropriately, dubbed `tree snot`! (look too at part of my title to this posting - `It`s not what you think!`). It is really worth googling the scientific name of this caddis to learn of its fascinating life cycle. The species has actually already been recorded quite close to the quarry - at the `turlough` a little to the NW.

Above: one of the mucus `blobs` and, below: looking into the quarry with the particular hazel on the left-hand side.

Some greenery....

 As a break from the moths themselves, I`ve been busy doing some leaf mining recently, mostly making records of various common species in the Llanelli area. An easy one to spot this year is the mines of Bedellia somnulentella on bindweed Calystegia (or `Ladi-wen`- `white lady`, as it is known locally); the mines have been particularly abundant this late summer/autumn period and make an useful way to get records of this micro-moth. I`ve also been - unsuccessfully, alas - targeting a few species including various specialist micros found on hornbeam and lime. There are quite a few fastigiate hornbeams (non-native in Carms) planted in central Llanelli, but their upright growth form makes searching difficult and only a couple of generalist leaf mining micros have been found - not the ones that I was after! Also, I`ve been looking for a particular leaf miner (and other micros) on lime trees for years, so a special visit was made to Gelli Aur on Saturday to look for it (Stigmella tiliae) as there is a magnificent mature avenue of lime trees at this locality. Black smut on the leaves hindered the search but viewing was possible against the light - but, again, no success!

Whatever, here are a couple of easy ones to look for, found on some uncommon Carms trees. At Gelli Aur churchyard a huge London plane had abundant Phyllonorycta plantani `blister mines`, easily found due to their size, whilst a couple of days earlier I was pleased to find another Llanelli site (and new 10km sq) for another large mine, this time on Norway maple - Phyllonorycter joannisi (looking like little fried eggs!). Both species occur on the under-surface of the leaves.

                 Above: Phyllonorycter plantani on London plane at Gelli Aur churchyard.

                                  Above: Phyllonorycter joannisi at Seaside Park, Llanelli.

Carry on Mythimna...

 To accompany Adam`s white-speck and Arfon`s white-point captures and to form a triad of the genus Mythimna migrants, may I offer my cosmopolitan from the preceding night (Sunday 11/9). There was also an influx of turnip moths and the beautiful merveille du jour was out in modest numbers.

                                                          Above: the cosmopolitan

                                           Above: the cosmopolitan surrounded by admirers...

Last night - a night of heavy rain and strong winds - my trap was again on the flat roof but, in spite of the home-made shelter, the wooden-sided trap received a good soaking on one side (though the contents were dry). The same strong wind, accompanied by sunshine, is currently drying the trap (as well as my washing!). Unlike Arfon`s multiple migrant successes, only two (common) migrants were present in my actinic trap, though there was the usual scattering of autumn moths which are often missed by those who cease trapping too early in the season - for example, quite a few black rustics, lunar underwings, beaded chestnuts and, in smaller numbers green-brindled crescents and Blair`s shoulder-knot, the latter having - to my eyes - rather a sinister `look` but also possessing exquisite camouflage if placed against the bark of a mature cypress (its larval food-plant).

                                                          Above: Blair`s shoulder-knot

My failed hopes for last night in terms of migrants were partially kindled yesterday afternoon (coupled with online predictions in the mothing community) by the appearance of a hummingbird hawk-moth on Salvia outside my window; it was a larger individual to the one that had been present until about a fortnight ago. Today, again looking out of the window whilst typing at my PC, I saw a vapourer moth alight on the middle of the glass pane and, immediately, out I went with pot in hand. When I reached it less than 30 seconds later it had gone, but glancing sideways, I noticed it fluttering amongst a spider`s spinning with the spider next to it! It was rescued and put in my pot, though I was not sure if it had received a dose of the spider`s disabling venom. Checking the moth about half an hour later it was alive, but with one wing injured. Female vapourers are flightless and rely on the males with their large sensitive antennae finding them but my moth cannot fly and, furthermore, the males lack mouth-parts so my individual is sadly doomed, as all males vapourers are.

                                                       Above: the injured vapourer

White Speck in Burry Port

 I can't match Arfon's achievements in the back of beyond (Ffarmers) but it's always nice to catch a new moth, especially a juicy macro.

Abernaint, Ffarmers

Nice selection of migrants in this morning's trap including 2 White-points (NFY - pic), 9 Small Mottled Willows, 2 Rush Veneers, 5 Rusty Dot Pearls, 4 Turnips (catching a lot more of these than usual this autumn), 1 Scarce Bordered Straw and 1 Palpita vitrealis. I'm also seeing a lot more Carcina quercana (Oak Longhorn) that previous years.