Our annual pilgrimage to Pensychnant Nature Reserve nearly didn’t happen this year after a devastating wildfire swept across Sychnant Mountain earlier in the week. The fire destroyed around 230 acres of heathland, leaving much of the mountain blackened and inaccessible. Sadly, this meant our planned search for the rare Ashworth’s Rustic on the mountain had to be cancelled.
Utter devastation
Thankfully, the event itself was back on, though trapping could only take place around the nature reserve, not on the mountain.
Not wanting to miss the chance of seeing this iconic Welsh moth, Jenna and I headed into Snowdonia and found an alternative site to trap for the night.
Three traps were put out around Llyn Ogwen
It turned out to be well worth the effort, with over 20 Ashworth’s Rustic coming to the traps by morning.
Morning mist over Llyn Ogwen
We took several back to Pensychnant so visitors could enjoy seeing this incredible species up close.
Pensychnant nature reserve
The Ashworth's rustic is a very localised species, occurring only in the mountainous regions of North Wales, where it inhabits slate and limestone hills.
The single generation flies between June and August, when it comes to light.
It was great to catch up with familiar faces and meet new ones throughout the day.
Marc congratulating me on saving the day by trapping the Ashworth's Rustic
Alongside the Ashworth’s Rustics, there were over 50 species of moths on display, including Clearwings, Hawkmoths and a fantastic selection of micros and macros. The gallery was once again filled with beautiful wildlife artwork, and, as always, there was plenty of tea, cake and moth chat.
Best bit of the day: Karen's homemade cakes.
A huge thank you to Julian, Karen and all the volunteers for making the weekend possible despite everything that had happened. Considering the circumstances, it was a brilliant event and one we’ll certainly remember