Some minor updates

 Completely eclipsed by the multiple successes of Arfon Williams (well done, Arfon!), I offer my latest update. Wednesday 12/8  yielded a surprise visitor that was totally unexpected for my essentially woodland-edge garden - a rosy wave. This species is normally a moth of upper saltmarsh habitat and is known from several sites  in SE Carmarthenshire such as near WWT Penclacwydd, North Dock (Llanelli) and Pembrey Saltings, though it is very likely to occur at other saltmarshes such as those along the Tywi and Taf. I was going through my actinic trap and had counted three clay triple lines (amusingly appropriate for a moth with that name) when, initially and briefly, I thought there was a fourth present but as it was potted up, realised it was different. It was looked at after a `cool down` in the fridge and it was a rosy wave! It may actually be new for SN40 as most moth recorders at Pembrey Burrows focus on the southern arm of the dunes and saltings (SS49) and ignore the northern dunes and marsh (SN40). Photo below.

Thursday 13/8 had a modest mix of local species and common migrants in my west Llanelli trap - slightly noteworthy species (in a Carms context) such as cream-bordered green pea, clay triple lines, Vine`s rustic and lime-speck pug, as well as the usual (certainly for 2026!) small mottled willows and others representing the migrants. A resident micro (described as `local` nationally) provided the best record - Stenolechia gemmella. It was new to me and with only a handful of Carmarthenshire records. It feeds on oak, so its scarcity is perhaps surprising. Photo below.

Friday 14/8 brought me a bordered straw (photo below) and a striped hawk-moth but the latter species - for the second time this year - `did a runner` or, rather, a `flyer`.  As I lifted, as is normal practice, the egg cartons one by one to check what was underneath one carton revealed a striped hawk-moth with its wings already `buzzing`. I turned to fetch a larger container -only about three steps away - returned within seconds to the trap and it was gone! Never mind, we have Arfon`s superbly crisp photo of a couple to beautify next year`s newsletter. There are a lot of these hawk-moths around at present.

More generally over the last three weeks or so, cream-bordered green peas have been regular, with up the three present, daytime hummingbird hawk-moths (singles) have been seen a couple of times in my garden and once at another Llanelli garden. Compared to last year (so far), Palpita vitrealis (photo below)has only turned up twice for me, the second time being on 10/8. 

Abernaint, Ffarmers

Caught this cracking little beaut this morning - Diasemia reticularis, which according to Pyralid and Crambid Moths (and Ian Morgan) was last recorded in Carms in 2021 and 2013. Total of 16 UK records between 1949 – 2022. Only (!) 125 Small Mottled Willows this morning

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Abernaint, Ffarmers

A whopping 664 Small Mottled Willows in and around this morning's trap! Other migrants were Vestal, Scarce Bordered Straw, two Palpita vitrealis and 5 Rusty Dot Pearls.

Recent highlights at Abernaint, Ffarmers

Highglights from yesterday's trap included three firsts - my first Striped Hawk-moth double, my first Clifden Nonpareil of the year and my first Maiden's Blush ever. Over the last couple of months I've also trapped 7 Yellow-legged Claearwings in the garden (nr Ffarmers).

Some more `catch up` posts

 Apart from the desired moths, various other visitors call into my trap from time to time:

Above: `Smile for the camera!`. This long-eared bat seemed smug and contented when I examined the trap left out the preceding night (24/4). There were n`t too many moths in the trap - I wonder why?

Above: This small beetle had a `wood-boring look`, though I did n`t recognise it. However, Christian Owen duly kindly obliged. It is Pycnomerus fuliginosus, an introduced species originally from Australia and first noted in the UK back in 1962. It is new to Carmarthenshire.

Above: another beetle - the `tanbark beetle` Phytamodes testaceus, new to me but with a previous record from the Pembrey Forest area.

Essex Skipper - 1st Carmarthenshire photos

  Last summer, at the very end of July 2025, I received a report - via intermediaries - of an Essex Skipper sighting on rough grassland immediately south of Burry Port railway station but, by the time I`d investigated a few days later, there was no sign of this butterfly. The 2025 sighting was by Dominic Davidson, a well-respected birdwatcher with good knowledge of butterflies and dragonflies.

As with moths, it is desirable to obtain confirmation by photograph (or specimen) to ensure the validity of a sighting and to that aim I circulated identification notes on this species and the need to search for it along the coastline of SE Carmarthenshire. These were sent to potentially interested individuals so that optimum effort could be made during 2026. I also decided to search myself for this skipper which resembles the Small Skipper, but which has various i/d differences. In the event it was prudent to make a personal search as there was no response from any other potential helpers. My photos were confirmed by George Tordoff who stated:  "Yes, no doubt about it. It`s refreshing to be sent good photos showing the diagnostic feature [the black-tipped antennae] rather than the usual blurry phone pics taken from above that I usually get sent".  

My first sighting (on 9/7) was at the North Dock, Llanelli, where several were seen in rank but flower-rich grassland on a brownfield site (SS49987 99697) located to the immediate NE of the dock basin and adjacent to the restaurant which occupies an old castellated building known as the `Pump House`. Soon afterwards, I found some more at a nearby brownfield area at the NW of the dock (at SS49554 99919) and subsequently this species was also seen at Pentre Awel, Machynys (SS 50972 98534). Here it was seen on mature brownfield grassland to the immediate E of the new Pentre Awel main building.

During July Jon Baker was in touch to tell me of sightings he`d made on 2/7 of White-letter Hairstreaks just W of Castle Hill Cottage near Llansteffan Castle at SN 348102 and that he was undertaking a mini-project to try to photograph all of the county`s butterflies, so I informed him of the location of the North Dock Essex Skippers. He seemingly misunderstood my directions (and grid reference) and he instead visited the area near the Millennium Coastal Park restaurant (near the car park to the SE of the dock) on 10/7 and not the one I`d identified. Nevertheless he reported a sighting of a female Essex Skipper and noted that he`d obtained a `record shot` photo.

Finally, I also had a couple of White-letter Hairstreak sightings in my west Llanelli garden this July (on 19/7 & 20/7). Earlier in the month (4/7), Emily Ivens saw and photo`d one at Sandfields, Llanllwch, W of Carmarthen.

Some more moth updates...

 I`ll take the opportunity here to add some updates of good records made by other recorders in Carmarthenshire, though there are likely to be others that I`m totally unaware of. 

Mention was made in my previous post of the three sightings of Eastern Bordered Straw - a new species for the county. Arfon Williams provided a good photo of his sighting (of 30/5) which is shown below.

Earlier in the season on 25/5, Belinda Jackson caught a Fern at Carmel - a scarce moth in our county due to its dependence on its larval food-plant - traveller`s joy - which is quite localised though it is frequent in the eastern part of Carmel Woods.  Belinda also caught a Ni moth in this general period on 28/5 when she also trapped a Striped Hawk-moth.. A photo of the Fern, followed by Belinda`s Ni and Striped Hawk-moth are shown below.

Finally, I`d like too mention George Tordoff`s spectacular capture at Pembrey Burrows on 16th July - a Dark Crimson Underwing, new to Carmarthenshire. He also caught a Ni moth and a Tissue, the former a very scarce migrant and the latter a rare resident.