September expedition

Disappointingly it was very wet on the morning of our walk but thankfully the weather was beginning to clear as we started our final expedition. The forecast led us to plan a short nature hunt with mixed groups sent to different parts of the canal bank with lists of items to find (including leaves, seed and fruit). Each group was asked to observe the dominant colours of autumn — purples and reds rather than the bright colours of summer.

The nature hunt was followed by the presentation of prizes, rewards and certificates to the children who participated in our local biodiversity competition. Ruairí, who completed a biodiversity survey with his brothers, Richard and Eoin, won the overall prize for his additional submission of a quadrat survey. Grace and Annie won the art prize for their canal bank survey. A reported on the competition appeared in the Westmeath Examiner. The certificates were supplied by Waterways Ireland and the prizes and rewards were sponsored by Westmeath County Council.

We were very grateful to Kevin Sexton for coming from Dublin to judge the competition and to the Roe family for providing such kind hospitality during the project.





Date: 24 September 2016 Time: 12-1

Attendance: 30 (including 12 children)

What we observed and talked about —

Flowers: Bulrush, Burdock, Common Knapweed, Devil's-bit Scabious, Dog Rose, Ivy, Tutsan
Trees: Ash, Blackthorn, Beech, Elder, Hawthorn,Sycamore

Here's an interesting copper-coloured insect observed just after the expedition.It's a Pterostichus cupreus, a beetle which is usually found near water.

August expedition

Many of the group were away, so a small number came on the August walk. We started by putting up new stickers along the canal path to indicate our collaboration with both Waterways Ireland and the National Biodiversity Data Centre. We followed this with a scent test and the consensus correctly identified a small plant with yellow florets as pineapple weed.

The weather was good, so we were able to enjoy a number of dragonflies and damselflies, with the Amber-winged Hawker (Aeshna grandis) patrolling the canal bank and both the Ruddy Darter (with its conspicuous red body) and the duller-looking Common Darter resting on the warm path. Aeshna grandis used to be called the Brown Hawker but is now commonly named for its distinctive glowing amber wings. The average length is 73mm and its average wingspan is 102mm. Unlike many insects, males and females look similar. It's probably the easiest dragonfly to watch as it doesn't pay much attention to people and flies in short glides over vegetation.

Looking at the grasses, the flowers and the hedge fruit, we observed the early autumn palate of the flora — the darker pink/purple colours replacing the brighter white/yellow colours of the summer. Examples on our walk included devil's-bit scabious and purple loosestrife (its name comes from the ancient belief that if the plant were placed on the necks of yoked oxen, it would prevent them from being quarrelsome!)

We noticed for the first time that bistort (Persicaria bistorta) is growing on the bank. This is a new development.

We discussed how different flower heads can be from one another, contrasting the pure white funnel-shaped bindweed with the domed, tightly-packed cluster flowerheads of devil's-bit scabious (the name comes from the short, bitten-off appearance of the rootstock). Devil's-bit scabious is a favourite of bees and butterflies and it's very encouraging to see that it's spreading along the canal.




We also talked again about the fact that buttercups, for instance, generally have five petals, while the dreaded ragwort, for example, has 13 petals. The smaller Fibonacci numbers (3,5,8,13,21) are common in the design of flowers. We might have a closer look at this subject next year.

Date: 27 August 2016 Time: 12-1

Attendance: 10 (including 4 children)

 

What we observed and talked about —

Bees: Bombus pascuorum
Birds: Blackbird, Swallow
Butterflies: Speckled Wood

Damselflies: Common Blue Damselfly
Dragonflies: Amber-winged Hawker, Common Darter, Ruddy Darter

Macro moths: August Thorn, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Oblique Carpet

Micro moths: Ringed China-mark, Rush Veneer
Other insects: Common Green Grasshopper, hoverflies

Flowers: Bindweed, Bistort, Bramble, Bulrush, Cleavers, Common Knapweed, Common Nettle, Creeping Cinquefoil, Devil's-bit Scabious, Eyebright, Glaucous Sedge, Lady's Bedstraw, Marsh Woundwort,  Pineapple Weed, Purple Loosestrife, Red Bartsia, Red Clover, Ribwort Plantain, Silverweed, Taraxacum agg., Water Mint, Wild Carrot, Yellow Flag 
Grasses: Yorkshire Fog

Trees: Ash, Hawthorn, Willow

July expedition

It began to rain shortly before noon — so there was little possibility of seeing active butterflies and bees. Waterways Ireland's cutting of the banks has left very few flowers, so we abandoned our usual walk in favour of the high bank to the north of the canal (west of the bridge), which is beautifully floriferous. We began by examining some moths which had been trapped overnight.

Within 300 metres of the bridge, we saw a lot of orchids. For most members it was their first sight and scent of the fragrant orchid. Getting down and smelling it was compulsory! A really good magnifying glass enables people to make out details which cannot be seen by the naked eye; it can, actually, be essential for identification.

Two small flowers which we examined were Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) and Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris). We discussed how many plants are named for their real or supposed medicinal benefits. Eyebright, as its scientific name indicates, has traditionally been used in medicine, most often for eye complaints, as its English name indicates. The mottled purple and yellow marking on the flowers are like the colours of a black eye. Compresses and tinctures made from Eyebright were used to treat eye disorders. Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) was until recently a popular wound herb, the leaves being used for cuts and bruises. The leaves taste mildly bitter and can be used as salad greens.

You might not know it from its name (but the saint's name is a hint) that Saint John's Wort is a very important source of herbal medicine, used in salves for burns and in anti-depressants. Both Milkwort and Polygala refer to a traditional belief that the little plant helps to increase milk yields in cattle. There are many willows along the high bank. The bark of this tree yields salicylic acid, a core ingredient of aspirin. Even this small sample highlights the importance of maintaining a wide variety of wild flowers as new medicinal uses of plants are being discovered all the time.

As well as viewing night-flying moths that had been trapped, we saw several day-flying moths along the high bank. The Beautiful China-mark (Nymphula nitidulata) is most often found by canals, rivers and lakes. Its larva feeds on Bur-reed and Yellow Water-lily. The Magpie (Abraxas grossulariata) is so called because of its general similarity to the colouring of the bird. Its larva feeds on Blackthorn, Hawthorn and similar trees.

Date: 23 July 2016 Time: 12-1

Attendance: 14 (including 6 children)

What we observed and talked about —

Butterflies: Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small White, Speckled Wood

Damselflies: Common Blue Damselfly

Macro moths: Barred Straw, Burnished Brass, Common Emerald, Magpie, Gold Spangle

Micro moths: Beautiful China-mark, Orchard Ermine, Udea lutealis
Other insects: horseflies, hoverflies

Mammals: Pigmy Shrew
Flowers: Autumn Hawkbit, Black Medick, Bramble, Bur-reed, Bush Vetch, Common Bird's-foot Trefoil, Common Knapweed, Common Milkwort, Common Ragwort, Common Valerian, Dog-rose, Eyebright, Fragrant Orchid, Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil, Lady's Bedstraw, Ox-eye Daisy, Prickly Sowthistle, Red Clover, Saint John's Wort, Selfheal, Speedwell, Tormentil, Water Dock, Wild Carrot, Yarrow
Grasses: Common Quaking-grass, Common Sedge, Crested Dog's-tail, Red Fescue, Timothy Trees: Ash, Hawthorn, Wayfaring Tree
Other plants: Bracken, Horsetail

Large butterflies

Look out for the larger butterflies during the sunshine this week. There are Peacock butterflies and maybe Painted Lady butterflies. Here's a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) seen on the high bank of the canal last week. Most of these Red Admirals are summer migrants.

If you happen to have Buddleia in your garden, it's a particular favourite of the Red Admiral.

June expedition

Our June walk began with us examining some of the moths from the night's trapping. The Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor), one of the largest insects in the area, was much admired for its beautiful pink and green markings.

The Light Emerald (Campaea margaritata) is one of several green moths: somewhat surprisingly moths do not generally have the green colour of leaves and grass for camouflage.

We saw the first of the annual damselflies — the Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)— resplendent in its vivid blue. In the past week Grace and Annie, while surveying the flora of the canal bank, saw the Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) and the Banded Jewelwing (Calopteryx splendens).

The young people asked about cuckoo spit that they observed on some of the plants. It's a white frothy liquid secreted by the nymphs of insects called Froghoppers (Cercopidae). The liquid protects the nymph from predation. It doesn't damage the plants.

Again the weather was poor and we saw very few butterflies and bees. By late June we should have been seeing good numbers of Ringlet and Meadow Brown butterflies (instead saw only Speckled Wood and Small Tortoiseshell). They have since appeared but in small numbers. Then again the grass has been cut short for about two metres on either side of the path and that has inevitably reduced the numbers.

Our main focus was on three of the four types of orchid which we see on the canal — the Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), the Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) and the Common Twayblade (Listera ovata). The last of these, being pale yellow or green, is hard to see and takes some practice to find. The fourth orchid, the Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea), flowers later and will be admired on our July walk. All of these orchids are relatively rare in Ireland now and should never be picked.

During the month Gerry had the first sighting in 2016 of a Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). This is very good news as these beautiful little birds were often seen before the two harsh winters of 2009 and 2010. It uses overhanging branches (1-2 metres above the water) to watch for fish, so you might like to eye up some suitable places along the canal bank. Although 60 per cent of its diet is fish, it also feeds on insects.

As well as the project undertaken by Grace and Annie on the canal bank, Ruairí and Eoin have begun a quadrat study of grassland flora. many thanks to Eugene, who constructed a square-metre quadrat for us to use.

This fascinating study is being done in response to a request from the National Biodiversity Data Centre as part of its National Sampling Framework. We have completed two studies in Lesley’s garden and two on the high bank.

Two families have had some success in establishing wildflower meadows in their gardens even in this first year. We're collecting seed from the meadow in Lesley’s garden for distribution. Orchids appeared along the road in two areas of uncut grass, showing what may happen if you leave an uncut area (it's only likely to happen if the grass hasn't been improved and is effectively the same as the surrounding fields).

Waterways Ireland have given us small notices to put outside our gardens. We hope each family will use one to help raise awareness.

Date: 25 June 2016 Time: 12-1

Attendance: 13 (including 5 children)

What we observed and talked about —

Bee: Bombus pascuorum

 

Butterflies: Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood

Damselflies: Common Blue Damselfly

Flowers: Arrowhead, Bramble, Common Bird's-foot Trefoil, Common Knapweed, Common Nettle, Common Plantain, Common Spotted Orchid, Common Twayblade, Creeping Buttercup, Dandelion, Dog-rose, Field Bindweed, Ox-eye Daisy, Prickly Sowthistle, Pyramidal Orchid, Red Clover, Silverweed, White Clover, Yellow Flag, Yellow Water-lily

Hoverflies: Helophilus sp.

 

Macro moths: Common Carpet, Elephant Hawkmoth, Green Carpet, Light Emerald

Micro moths: Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix, Brindled Plume

Trees: elder, hawthorn

Hoverfly

Thanks to Eugene for this photograph of a hoverfly feeding on the pollen of an Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) taken on our monthly walk in June. Hoverflies are pollinators. They, unlike the majority of insects, can digest pollen. The surface coating of pollen is resistant to the digestive juices of most insects. The yellowness of a hoverfly can reflect the amount and type of pollen which it has eaten.

This is one of the Helophilus species of hoverflies. Alas this photograph doesn't reveal which of the varieties of Helophilus hoverflies this is. They are distinguishable by the markings on the hind leg. So we need to photograph both the body and the legs next time. These kind of hoverflies are most frequent in damp places and are often seen basking on waterside vegetation.

What may happen if you leave your grass uncut

This is what may happen if you leave your grass uncut from the beginning of May. Orchids popped up in the roadside verge outside two houses on our road. One of these patches has since been cut but we hope to be able to preserve these sites next summer.

These are Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), the same species we observed on our biodiversity walk at the end of June. The appearance of these flowers is only likely to happen where the grass has not been reseeded (if it is essentially unimproved grassland).

25 June

In recent weeks you might have been hearing the male cuckoo calling in Baltrasna. He's most clearly heard in the early morning when there are fewer noises to compete with.

Our monthly expedition will take place on Saturday, 25 June at 12 noon. We hope to include a walk to an area of abundant orchid growth. These no longer grow on the south bank, due to the development of the towpath and the impact of mowing, but appear in a few places along the north bank.

On our walk along the canal we should see some butterflies that appear in midsummer, including the Meadow Brown and Ringlet.

Last month we saw the Spring Hawker (Hairy Dragonfly) patrolling its territory along the canal bank. We can expect to see an even larger dragonfly (Common Hawker or Brown Hawker) and possibly some colourful smaller dragonflies, such as the Ruddy Darter.

There should again also be an opportunity to view some moths before we set out on our walk. Several moths have been recorded for the first time in the area this month, including this Aristotelia ericinella that feeds on heather.

May expedition

For our May expedition we were blessed with better weather and more things to see and discuss. During the month Peter and Eugene had completed our construction project (grant aided by Waterways Ireland). The bird boxes and bug hotels were treated by the young people on a Friday evening. 

They were placed along the canal and in members’ gardens. In the week preceding the expedition, a very large bug mansion was placed on the high bank near the bridge and two smaller ones along the canal towpath. These represent a huge effort on the part of Peter and Eugene and we were very pleased to receive colourful signage from Waterways Ireland. Thanks to Waterways Ireland we also now can put up signs at both ends of the walk to warn walkers and cyclists of the event.

 

 Our expedition began by spending 10 minutes looking at the moths which had been trapped overnight in the Roes’ garden beside the canal. The trap was opened in the shade of a tree and we were able to see a wide variety of moths in terms of colour, shape and size. 

The smallest one was an Epiblema scutulana, which feeds on thistles.

It doesn’t have an English name; its scientific name refers to it feeding on roots and then to its pattern resembling a Roman shield. 

It has a bird-dropping style pattern and is, therefore, confident of not being predated by birds. We passed the resting moth round the group in an egg box. A White Ermine was passed around the group in a bug viewer.

 

Despite it being sunny, we were disappointed to see few butterflies and bees. Eoin was the most successful recorder as he had been allotted the Hairy Dragonfly (Spring Hawker). Its presence and the upward growth of horsetail gave us a chance to talk about relics from the age of the dinosaurs.

Among the other things seen and discussed were:

• hawthorn in full bloom;
• Common Frog
• flag iris at the edge of the canal (the only iris native to Ireland);
• bog bean in the water.
  

Further out in the canal were the first leaves of the water lily.

Most of the newly-blooming flowers were yellow, including silverweed and bird’s foot trefoil, which attracts the Common Blue butterfly. Anther interesting yellow flower that appears on the boreen and in members’ gardens is wood avens (the only one of the three avens native to Ireland that we can see here — the others being mountain avens and water avens).

We discussed the pervasive and damaging presence of bracken, which looks like an attractive fern but which suppresses wild flowers and produces carcinogenic spores in autumn. Members were encouraged to try to eliminate it in their gardens by repeated cutting (it can take up to six years to eradicate).

   

Date: 28 May 2016 Time: 12-1.15

Attendance: 19 (including 8 children)

What we observed and talked about —

Amphibians: Common Frog

Bees: Bombus lucorum, Bombus pascuorum

Birds: Blackbird, Great Tit

 

Butterflies: Green-veined White, Orange-tip, Small Tortoiseshell

                   Speckled Wood, Wood White

Damselflies: Common Blue Damselfly

Dragonflies: Spring Hawker

Flowers: Marsh Marigold, Dandelion, Nettle, Lady’s Smock, Silverweed,

               Wood Avens, Dog Violet, Vetch, Red Clover, White Clover, Sedge,

               Water Mint, Bindweed, thistles, Flag, Buttercup, Common Plantain,

               Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Water Lily, Meadowsweet, Bog Bean, Herb Robert

Macro moths: Alder Moth, Muslin Moth, Pale Tussock, Small Square-spot,

                       White Ermine

Micro moths: Epiblema scutulana

Plants: bracken, bulrush, horsetail

Trees: elder, hawthorn, willow

April expedition

 Our April expedition took place on a disappointingly cold day with a sharp wind. It was, therefore, inevitable that we would see very few bees and butterflies. We did, however, photograph two bumblebees (Bombus lucorum) during the event. 

There’s always something to enjoy and we had time to examine flowers.

1. Lady’s Smock (sometimes called Cuckoo Flower) is a larval food-plant for the Orange-tip and Green-veined White butterflies. Members of the group pointed out that some of the flowers are white, while others are lilac pink — both are attractive to the butterflies.
   

 

2. Dandelion is a good plant for early pollinators. We blew some dandelion clocks and marvelled at the ease with which the dandelion spreads its seeds.

3. Marsh Marigold is another bright yellow plant and grows at the edge of the water.
   

All plants have Latin names and these make them recognisable across the world:

• Lady’s Smock is Cardamine pratensis (showing that it grows in meadows);
• Marsh Marigold is Caltha palustris (showing that it grows in marshy ground);
• Dandelion is Taraxacum officinale (indicating its traditional use in herbal medicine).

It’s not necessary to remember these names but with a little understanding interesting connections can be made.

We also looked at trees along our route:

1.                  a row of conifers, much loved by the seed-eating goldfinches;

2.                  willow, which with early flowers full of pollen is great for insects and other invertebrates (creatures without a backbone);

3.                  hawthorn, which is good for May blossom and in autumn has red haws popular with some birds;

4.                  elder, which has June blossoms and berries in autumn;

5.                  ash, which we identified as suitable trees for bird-nesting boxes as there was a lot of birdsong — we spotted robins, chaffinches, blue tits, blackbirds and a song thrush.

 

 Date: 30 April 2016 Time: 12-1

Attendance: 27 (including 14 children)

What we observed and talked about —

Bees: Bombus lucorum

Birds: Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Robin, Song Thrush

Flowers: Marsh Marigold, Dandelion, Nettle, Lady’s Smock

Plants: bramble, ivy

Trees: birch, elder, hawthorn, willow

Green-veined White

Here's the very fresh-looking Green-veined White (Pieris napi) that we saw on today's walk. It's probably Ireland’s most common butterfly. It is one of six members of the Pieridae family resident in Ireland. Among the others are the Orange-tip.

The veins of the hindwings covered with black scales give it its trademark green appearance. The larval foodplants include lady's smock and other cresses. The adult butterflies can be seen flying between April and September.

Large moths

During the summer several large moths are active in the locality. These include the Elephant Hawkmoth with a wingspan of 45-60 mm, the Poplar Hawkmoth (70-100 mm) and the Garden Tiger (45-65 mm). These have all been recorded in Baltrasna and Marlinstown in the past few years. This morning an additional large moth was recorded in Marlinstown for the first time.

This is the spectacular Eyed Hawkmoth (Smerinthus ocellata) and is of the same immediate family as the Poplar Hawkmoth. It has a wingspan of 70-80 mm. Its larva feeds on willows, apple trees and crab apple trees (both wild and cultivated). Although you might not spot this important pollinator at night, you might see its large lime-green caterpillar during the day (from June to September).

Marsh Marigold

On our monthly biodiversity walk on Saturday we saw the first flowering Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) on the canal bank. It's a member of the Ranunculaceae family, which includes buttercups. It's a perennial plant that dies down in autumn and overwinters with its buds near the surface of marshy soil.

We can look out for the micro-moth Micropterix calthella that feeds on Marsh Marigold. Its flight season is from April to early July. It bites open the anther (the pollen-producing part of the stamen) of the Marsh Marigold to eat the pollen. The caterpillars are present in summer and autumn.

Fledgling

Here's a fledged robin (Erithacus rubecula) in the garden. Note the primary and secondary feathers and the fluffy look — no sign of the red breast yet. The gestation period of robins is a fortnight. It has been fed in the nest by both parents for a week. After fledging it is fed by the father while the mother starts another brood.

The overall survival rate of robins born in April is 53 per cent. If this little fellow survives, he will become independent after 16-24 days. Robins eat insects, seeds and fruit. As insectivores they help to prevent overpopulation of insects. As seed and fruit eaters, they help to spread plants when the seeds are dispersed in their droppings.

Robins have learnt to be relatively tame in gardens. Sometimes they will even learn to trust a person enough to feed from the hand. They are often the earliest voices in the dawn chorus.

Bees active

With the weather cooler than a typical April, some of the early pollinators have been subdued. There are some moths and a few butterflies (Small Tortoiseshell) but you are most likely to see bees — they will be flying even on a cool, overcast morning, whereas the butterflies greately prefer warm midday sunshine.

Here's a fairly common bee — Bombus lucorum (the White-tailed Bumblebee). It's feeding on the white flowers of Pulmonaria (a member of the Boraginaceae family) in a garden on the road. This bee visits a wide range of flowers. The queens emerge in February; the workers don't appear till the summer.

Pygmy Shrew

Do be aware that your pet cat will kill birds and small rodents (putting a small bell on the collar will reduce the death toll). Also it's likely that your dog instinctively will jump into the undergrowth and kill small rodents, even when on the lead. This shrew was, I'm afraid, dispatched by our dog.

The Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus) is Ireland’s smallest mammal. It's body length is about 6 cm. It's an important habitat indicator in three ways. It feeds on insects, spiders and snails and these will be more abundant in a healthy habitat. It has to consume up 1.25 times its body weight (about 6 g) each day in order to survive. This means that it might require as many as 250 prey items per day, making it a formidable predator. It favours places of shelter, including hedgerows, field borders and woodland — these kinds of habitat are under pressure from agriculture and development and the presence of shrews indicates that traditional rural habitats are being preserved. Thirdly, the Pygmy Shrew is a favourite prey of the Barn Owl, a protected species with numbers in severe decline in Ireland. There have been occasional sightings of this bird in Marlinstown in recent years.

Red Sword-grass

In the moth trap this morning was this interesting moth. The Red Sword-grass (Xylena vetusta) is a member of the Noctuidae family. The adult moth appears first in the autumn, then overwinters, probably under loose bark, and re-emerges in the spring when mating occurs. Its larva appears in the summer, feeding on a variety of woody and herbaceous plants, including heathers and bog myrtle.

This moth rests with its wings closed tightly around its body, so as to resemble a dead piece of wood. This is a common form of camouflage for woodland moths. It has a wingspan of 52-62mm.

Early flowers

Here are two of the early flowers in bloom near the canal.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is a member of the Asteraceae family (daisies). It's a perennial herbaceous plant that spreads by seeds and rhizomes.As it normally flowers before the dandelion, it's an important early flower for bees. It's also a favourite foodplant of the larva of the Triangle Plume Moth (Platyptilia gonodactyla), yet to be recorded in the area but possibly present.

Primrose (Primula vulgaris) is a member of the Primulaceae family. It is a perennial. The flowers are hermaphrodite. Individual plants bear either pin flowers (longuistylus flower with the capita of the style prominent) or thrum flowers (brevistylous flower: with the stamens prominent). Fertilisation can only take place between pin and thrum flowers.Pollination is mainly by bees.

What can we do to help the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan?

A few practical ways to support the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan:

1. Leave an area of grass (or strips of grass) which may grow long until the end of the summer. Dandelions, daisies, clover etc. will grow and provide food for the bees. It will not wreck your garden! It’s tough to cut at the end of the season but it’s the only hardship. You might be rewarded with orchids, which are a great treat. 

2. If you mow the roadside grass outside your house, reduce the frequency of the mowing. Short grass looks neat but doesn’t provide any food for bees. Consider just two cuts in the year.

3. Plant a shrub that flowers in early spring. It will look cheerful and will be a vital source of food for the bees. Here's a bee busy feeding today on heather in the garden.

4. Throughout the year have some flowers which provide pollen for the bees and pleasure for you. They could be in flowerbeds or in pots. Some, like spring bulbs, can be naturalised under deciduous trees. These should be single flowers as bees can’t get into double flowers. Vegetables and fruit are a great addition; even some pots of herbs are very good.

Pale Brindled Beauty

Here's the first new moth of 2016. We have been trapping moths on the boreen for several years and each year we record additional species for the first time.

This Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria) is quite well distributed in Ireland. Its larva feeds on a wide variety of broadleaved trees. Its flight season is from January-March. This is a male; the female is wingless.