Livox area, Wye Valley
A lovely very warm late morning and early afternoon wander produced some interesting moths and a few butterflies.
The three moths featured here include two I've never seen before plus another I've come across just once in my short time recording.
I've yet to have these confirmed but believe they include the following running from top to bottom....
Screckensteinia festaliella - Bramble False-feather
Bembecia ichneumoniformis - Six-belted Clearwing
Oncocera semirubella - Rosy-striped Knot-horn.
If anybody would like to confirm or pass some comments on these for me that would be appreciated, thanks.
The 'Clearwing' has five 'belts' visible but I guess one is slightly hidden?
I also came across one of our largest UK butterflies the Silver-washed Fritillary actively flying at pace. This one was conveniently stopped at a feeding station, on bramble.
The Oncocera is an outstandingly good record. The only previous record of this distinctive moth of limestone grassland was made by Kevin Dupe at Uskmouth in 2005, presumably a wanderer, so yours is the first suggestion that Oncocera is resident in VC35. The other two moths are nice too!
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly envious of the Oncocera, a moth I've long wanted to see. This record and the one Sam mentions might be the only modern records for Wales.
ReplyDeleteWow thanks for that update Sam, a fabulous result with Oncocera semirubella!
ReplyDeleteGiven the habitat where I found it I would not be surprised to encounter another one of these visually striking moths. The only slight issue is you could easily loose 4 hours looking for it. However, given its importance it would be worth it for sure.