I have just finished a three-night attempt to catch an interesting migrant on the back of the recent heat wave with its supposed desert dust etc from Africa; I failed - not even a single silver y! It`s good to see that others are getting better results, but my present-day garden trap site in the western suburbs of Llanelli does not compare to my (much-missed) previous location at Pwll, which was surrounded by a mix of habitats and significantly less street lighting.
I trapped for the last three nights (Weds 15th to Fri 17th June) with the largest number of species being circa 25, though the moths were different on each night (eg 8 elephant h/ms on Thurs, none on the other nights) and with the cloudier conditions on Friday bringing a welcome mix of micros. Incidentally, while many of you may have been basking in the hot sunshine yesterday (Friday), a sea mist rolled in along the SE Carms coast from c 1.30pm, making it overcast and quite cool.
I`ve done a little daytime mothing, including failing so far in attracting yellow-legged clearwings to the appropriate pheromone lure at a site (in front of Stradey Castle, Llanelli) where I`d found it - without pheromones - back in the early 1990s. Yesterday`s sea-mist also hindered my first go at finding white-barred clearwing among young alders at the Ffos-las ex open-cast coal site. More positively, last week I chanced upon the tubular spinnings of Pachyrhabda steropodes under fronds of soft shield-fern at Stradey Woods, a local site where I`d not seen it before; this adventive micro is now withing easy walking distance of my home.
It`s good to read the posts of Adam, Andy and Sally (with top-notch photos too) that are keeping the Carms moth blog `alive` - thanks to all.
Stop Press: Arfon Williams caught a striped hawk-moth last night (Fri 17/6) at Ffarmers in N Carms - well done once more, Arfon - lucky blighter!
Not entirely for mothing reasons, street lights should be turned off at midnight.
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