I don't recall why a moth-trapping session at the Cathedral Meadows produced such a low number of moths (given it was a good night at home) - it might of been the night my generator packed up shortly after starting as it ran out of oil. Anyway a Lobster Moth was nice, but otherwise the moths were fairly unremarkable with Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, 6 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea, 6 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 2 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 8 Common Swifts, 4 Green Carpets, White Ermine, 2 Flame Shoulders and 6 Middle-barred Minors.
Lobster Moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June
There were some other note-worthy insects, including the Mayfly Caenis horaria (one of the Angler's Curse species, and the first one of these I've postitively identified).
Caenis horaria, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June
There was a Hawthorn Shieldbug, and caddisflies included my first ever Hydropsyche contubernalis, 3 Phryganea bipunctata and 20 Grouse Wings Mystacides longicornis.
Hydropsyche contubernalis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June
Grouse Wing Mystacides longicornis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June
There were also a couple of insects I couldn't identify: one a Water Boatman which turned out to be a female - you need a male to identify them to species level, and the other a beetle (family Hydrophilidae I think) which should prove identifiable but which I've so far been unable to key out successfully. Update December: I finally managed to identify the beetle - it was Enochrus melanocephalus, a new one for me.
Water Boatman sp., North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June
Enochrus melanocephalus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June
That night I had the Mayfly Caenis horaria at home too, and also another insect that was new for the house, Macrocera phalerata. I don't usually do flies except for hoverflies and a small number of other distinctive species, but Macrocera are pretty distinctive with their long legs, ridiculously long antennae and heavily patterned wings.
Macrocera phalerata, North Elmham, 1st June
It wasn't too shabby a night for moths with no less than 17 new moths for the year: Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella (only my second at home), 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Twin-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella, Oak Hook-tip, Green Pug, 4 Scorched Wings, Peppered Moth, Ingrailed Clay, Tawny Marbled Minor and Middle-barred Minor.
Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella, North Elmham, 1st June
Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, North Elmham, 1st June
Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, North Elmham, 1st June
Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, North Elmham, 1st June
Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, North Elmham, 1st June
Twin-bnarred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella, North Elmham, 1st June
Oak Hook-tip, North Elmham, 1st June
Peppered Moth, North Elmham, 1st June
Ingrailed Clay, North Elmham, 1st June
Tawny Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 1st June
Middle-barred Minor, North Elmham, 1st June
Strictly speaking you have to gen det Buff Ruff Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella to positively identify them, but I usually have a pretty good idea of what they are going to be without getting them under the microscope, but in order to record them accurately and gauge relative abundance of the different species I normally gen det each one I catch to make sure I have an accurate record. I had to draw a line today though, as there were no less than 51 Coleophora caespititiella - or at least 51 moths that I'm pretty sure were casspititiella. I did check 17 of them, and sure enough all these did prove to be casspititiella, but I couldn't justify wading through the whole lot of them this time and let the rest go.
Other moths that night were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, 3 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, 2 Hedge Case-bearers Coleophora striatipennella, Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Hedge Tortrix Isotrias rectifasciana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, 5 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, 3 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 11 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 3 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, 4 Common Swifts, Chinese Character, 2 Cream Waves, 2 Treble Brown Spots, Flame Carpet, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Garden Carpets, 9 Green Carpets, May Highflyer, 5 Mottled Pugs, 9 Common Pugs, Grey Pug, Scorched Carpet, 2 Brown Silver-lines, 2 Brimstone Moths, Pale Oak Beauty, Privet Hawk-moth, Poplar Hawk-moth, Lesser Swallow Prominent, 3 Orange Footmen, 2 White Ermines, 3 Cinnabars, 3 Heart and Darts, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 3 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, Marbled Minor, 4 Treble Lines, 3 Spectacles and 7 Straw Dots.
Privet Hawk-moth, North Elmham, 1st June
Three of the five caddisflies recorded were new for the year: Hydroptila sparsa, Oxyethira flavicornis and Limnephilus flavicornis. The other two were Ithytrichia lamellaris and Hydropsyche pellucidula.
Hydroptila sparsa, North Elmham, 1st June
Oxyethira flavicornis, North Elmham, 1st June
Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 1st June
Also new for the year were 4 males of the leafhopper Oncopsis flavicollis and the soldier beetle Cantharis rufa.
Oncopsis flavicollis, North Elmham, 1st June
Cantharis rufa, North Elmham, 1st June
Other insects included the mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, the mirid bug Psallus varians, 2 Black Sexton Beetles and a Common Wasp.
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