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 16 October 2016

A quite spell in mid August

A few butterflies seen in the garden on 13th August including Large White, Holly Blue, Peacocks and Gatekeeper.  That night two moths were new for the year: Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella and Copper Underwing.

Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 13th August



Copper Underwing (male, gen det), North Elmham, 13th August


The other moths that night were 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, 2 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Marbled Cosmet Mompha propinquella, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Two-coloured Bells Eucosma obumbratana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana, 7 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 15 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, Orange Swift, Pebble Hook-tip, Blood-vein, 9 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, 2 Common Carpets, Purple Bar, 3 Small Rivulets, 2 Currant Pugs, Tawny Speckled Pug, Double-striped Pug, Treble-bar, 2 Yellow-barred Brindles, Magpie Moth, Brimstone Moth, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, 2 Willow Beauties, Poplar Hawkmoth, Iron Prominent, 2 Lesser Swallow Prominents, 3 Swallow Prominents, 2 Dingy Footmen, Buff Footman, 6 Flame Shoulders, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 16 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Least Yellow Underwing, 4 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Square-spot Rustic, 2 Straw Underwings, Dark Arches, 2 Cloaked Minors, Common Rustic, 7 Flounced Rustics, Uncertain, Burnished Brass, Silver Y, Spectacle and 11 Straw Dots.

Canary-shouldered Thorn, North Elmham, 13th August


Silver Y, North Elmham, 13th August


Marbled Cosmet Mompha propinquella, North Elmham, 13th August


Since owning the key to Lacewings and allies I've only had one Wax Fly which proved to be one that couldn't be fully identified to species level even with the key (a female Conwentzia sp.), so it was good to get one at last that I could fully identify.  This proved to be Coniopteryx tineiformis.

Coniopteryx tineiformis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 13th August


Next day there were Large White, Holly Blue and Peacocks in the garden again and that night Willow Bent-wing Phyllocnistis saligna was new for the year.

Willow Bent-wing Phyllocnistis saligna, North Elmham, 14th August


Other moths on 14th were Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Pale-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila selasella, 14 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 8 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 5 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 4 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 2 Pebble Hook-tips, 5 Single-dotted Waves, 5 Riband Waves, Flame Carpet, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, 4 Common Carpets, 4 Tawny Speckled Pugs, Yellow-barred Brindle, Clouded Border, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Canary-shouldered Thorns, Scalloped Oak, 2 Willow Beauties, Iron Prominent, Swallow Prominent, 2 Dingy Footmen, 3 Flame Shoulders, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, 9 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Six-striped Rustic, Square-spot Rustic, Copper Underwing, Common Rustic, 7 Flounced Rustics, Uncertain, Nut-tree Tussock and 7 Straw Dots.

Next day I popped in to Bunker's Hill near Anmer in my lunch break.  No moths but interesting inverts included the impressive beetle Oiceoptoma thoracicum and a harvestman which I believe to be Mitopus morio.

Oiceoptoma thoracicum, Bunker's Hill near Anmer, 15th August


Mitopus morio, Bunker's Hill near Anmer, 15th August


It was a poor night for moths that night: 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 7 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 8 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ghost Moth, 2 Orange Swifts, 4 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Currant Pug, Treble-bar, Dingy Footman, 4 Flame Shoulders, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Square-spot Rustic, 3 Flounced Rustics, Rosy Rustic and 3 Straw Dots.

Rosy Rustic, North Elmham, 15th August


The following night wasn't much better: Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis corylana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 3 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 5 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, 4 Orange Swifts, Single-dotted Wave, 8 Riband Waves, Common Carpet, Willow Beauty, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 3 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Six-striped Rustics, Lesser Common Rustic, 5 Flounced Rustics, Uncertain, Burnished Brass and 5 Straw Dots.

I did notice a caddisfly that I was pretty sure would be a new species and so it proved: Mystacides azurea.  Unfortunately I didn't notice that my attempt at photographing it had failed badly until it was too late.

A brief lunch-break stroll around Thornham on 17th produced a good selection of butterflies (Large and Small Whites, Common Blue, Peacock, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown).  Also Ruddy Darters and a Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana.

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