Description


A diary of my mothing activity covering highlights and photos from my moth trapping activities. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I may mention other wildlife sightings here, especially insects, but for birds see my birding diary.

Sunday 1 November 2015

A repeat of last year's first for Norfolk and some other good moths

The night of 22nd August was a cracker!  389 moths of 86 species but it wasn't the numbers that made it special, it was the quality.

You may recall that last September I recorded Norfolk's first Thatch Groundling Bryotropha basaltinella... well on 22nd August I caught what I suspected was another.  This afternoon I dissected it and confirmed - it is Norfolk's second Thatch Groundling Bryotropha basaltinella.

Thatch Groundling Bryotropha basaltinella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd August


Next best was a Brown Ash Ermel Zelleria hepariella.  The last county record was one I had at my last house back in 2011 - there was another one recorded at Sheringham on the very same day as that one but there had only been 3 Norfolk records previously.

Brown Ash Ermel Zelleria hepariella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd August


Another highlight was the nationally scarce Meadow-sweet Button Acleris shepherdana. Only my second, and being a Meadowsweet feeder it's associated with fens and marshy places, so one in the garden was a good turn-up.

Meadow-sweet Button Acleris shepherdana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd August


Another one that's meant to be rare, though I seem to find them fairly frequently, was White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon wolffiella.  Hot on the heels of the previous day's lifer Bucculatrix ulmella, this night I recorded 2 more Oak Bent-wings Bucculatrix ulmella.  New for the year, at least for the garden, were 2 Bordered Carls Coptotriche marginea and Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae.

Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae (female, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd August


A total of  3 Apple Leaf Miners Lyonetia clerkella was surprising - that's as many as I'd ever seen before.  Other micros recorded were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella,  Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, 7 Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, Purple Argent Argyresthia albistria, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Little Ermels Swammerdamia pyrella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 3 Dark Groundlings Bryotropha affinis, House Groundling Bryotropha domestica, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis corylana, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Maple Buttons Acleris forsskaleana, 2 Dark-triangle Buttons Acleris laterana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrices Acleris variegana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Holly Tortrices Rhopobota naevana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 4 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 32 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 20 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, 5 Chequered Grass-veneers Catoptria falsella, 4 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, Small China-mark Cataclysta lemnata, 4 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 5 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, 6 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

The clear highlight among the macros was another Webb's Wainscot.

Webb's Wainscot, North Elmham, 22nd August


The other macros were 2 Maiden's Blushes, 4 Single-dotted Waves, 5 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, 3 Yellow Shells, Sharp-angled Carpet, Maple Pug, 2 Lime-speck Pugs, 3 Tawny Speckled Pugs, Double-striped Pug, 3 Treble-bars, 5 Yellow-barred Brindles, Magpie Moth, 5 Brimstone Moths, 2 Dusky Thorns, 3 Willow Beauties, 2 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, Ruby Tiger, Turnip Moth, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 24 Flame Shoulders, 34 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, 35 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 3 Small Square-spots, 20 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Square-spotted Clay, 8 Six-striped Rustics, 5 Square-spot Rustics, 2 Cabbage Moths, 4 Common Wainscots, 2 Mouse Moths, 3 Straw Underwings, 4 Dark Arches, 3 Cloaked Minors, 32 Flounced Rustics, 2 Vine's Rustics, 4 Spectacles and 8 Straw Dots.

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