Welcome to the recording blog for the Carmarthenshire Moth and Butterfly Group. Could members please add any moth or butterfly records or any general items of interest by making a new post. Although everyone can comment on a post you will have to be a member to add a new post.
I was pleased to flush this yellow belle at a brownfield site to the immediate NW of the North Dock, Llanelli; it is typically a species of coastal dune grassland in southern Britain. Indeed the former industrial premises were built on sand dune habitat. This particular area also held Essex skippers in July and, today, a clouded yellow flew quickly by - hopefully a good omen for my garden moth trap which will be lit up tonight.
Nothing special about this, just a test post as I had been having trouble entering stuff!
After poking around a bit it seems fine now.
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| Dun-bar 11 July 2026 |
Nothing particularly interesting over the last week, with the only migrant of slight interest being a vestal on 30/8; a treble-bar on the next night was presumably a local wanderer from local brownfield habitat where its food-plant Hypericum spp (St John`s Wort) grows.
Above: vestal and, below: treble-bar
I found this moth outside the trap thinking it was an odd wainscot.
When looking closely, I noticed it's size, shape and the dark shoulder marks. Most importantly I noticed the white spots on this very worn moth. Far from reminding me of a Wainscot it started to remind me of White Point. Obsidentify suggested there's an 84% chance that this is Cosmopolitan. But could it be a worn White Speck? The shape doesn't seem right for that. Any ideas?
I have looked at the hindwings and they appear pure white, which indicates Cosmopolitan.
A relatively large trap was boosted by over 30 Square Spot Rustics. Of interest were two Dichrorampha acuminatana, a Crocidosema plebejana and a Small Dusty Wave. A quite large, dark tortrix with noticeably straight, almost parallel sides turned out to be Acleris sparsana, Leaden Tortrix.
