GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)
Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata - Totals of 146 in my garden between 15th May and 4th July 2019 and 119 between 26th April and 29th June 2020. 146 is my highest total so far (average is 114). Elsewhere 15 at the meadows and also recorded at Bintree Wood, Sculthorpe Moor, Hills and Holes, Weybourne, Keswick (Cumbria) and on Mull. I'm always a bit paranoid about overlooking one of the scarce or rare pugs so tend to check more than I probably really need to, but this approach has got me a few interesting records in the past that I would have overlooked (including one or two of my Satyr Pugs for example). Worn ones can be particularly confusing and it's not all that unusual for me to get mixed up between even familiar species like Grey Pug. I've picked fresher examples to show below so these are among the more straightforward ones that I checked, although the third one had me quite puzzled, not that there were any clear candidates for an alternative ID.
Mottled Pug Eupithecia exiguata - A total of 11 here 19th May and 2nd June 2019 making it just about my worse year here (average about 16) followed by an on-par 16 between 8th May and 1st June 2020. Elsewhere one at the meadows and 2 at Hills and Holes.
Yarrow Pug Eupithecia millefoliata - One in the garden on 23rd July 2019 was a new moth for the garden and only my second adult anywhere.
Tawny Speckled Pug Eupithecia icterata - Totals of 7 caught in the garden between 25th July and 25th August 2019 and 14 between 8th and 19th August 2020, either side of the average of around 10-11 per year. Elsewhere one next door and one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.
Bordered Pug Eupithecia succenturiata - 4 in the garden between 5th July and 8th August 2019 and 5 between 24th July and 11th August 2020 (the last being my latest ever). 5 was my best annual total but this species is quite erratic with 3-4 in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and none at all in 2015 or 2017. Elsewhere one at the meadows on 7th July 2019 and one next door on 8th August 2019.
Shaded Pug Eupithecia subumbrata - None. This is quite scarce in Norfolk away from the Brecks and the coast but I caught one here in my garden in 2016 and 2 together in 2017.
Grey Pug Eupithecia subfuscata - Totals of 12 trapped here between 2nd June and 12th July 2019 and 10 between 21st May and 1st July, which are very average numbers. Elsewhere 3 at the meadows, one at Hellesdon, one at Hills and Holes (on 21st May 2020, my earliest ever) and 5 on Mull.
Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata - Totals of 146 in my garden between 15th May and 4th July 2019 and 119 between 26th April and 29th June 2020. 146 is my highest total so far (average is 114). Elsewhere 15 at the meadows and also recorded at Bintree Wood, Sculthorpe Moor, Hills and Holes, Weybourne, Keswick (Cumbria) and on Mull. I'm always a bit paranoid about overlooking one of the scarce or rare pugs so tend to check more than I probably really need to, but this approach has got me a few interesting records in the past that I would have overlooked (including one or two of my Satyr Pugs for example). Worn ones can be particularly confusing and it's not all that unusual for me to get mixed up between even familiar species like Grey Pug. I've picked fresher examples to show below so these are among the more straightforward ones that I checked, although the third one had me quite puzzled, not that there were any clear candidates for an alternative ID.
male Common Pug, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019
male Common Pug, North Elmham, 29th May 2019
male Common Pug, North Elmham, 30th May 2019
male and female Common Pugs, North Elmham, 3rd June 2019
female Common Pug, North Elmham, 19th June 2019
male Common Pug, North Elmham, 20th June 2019
male Common Pug, North Elmham, 23rd May 2020
Mottled Pug Eupithecia exiguata - A total of 11 here 19th May and 2nd June 2019 making it just about my worse year here (average about 16) followed by an on-par 16 between 8th May and 1st June 2020. Elsewhere one at the meadows and 2 at Hills and Holes.
Mottled Pug, North Elmham, 19th May 2019
Mottled Pug, North Elmham, 8th May 2020
Yarrow Pug Eupithecia millefoliata - One in the garden on 23rd July 2019 was a new moth for the garden and only my second adult anywhere.
female Yarrow Pug, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019
Tawny Speckled Pug Eupithecia icterata - Totals of 7 caught in the garden between 25th July and 25th August 2019 and 14 between 8th and 19th August 2020, either side of the average of around 10-11 per year. Elsewhere one next door and one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.
Bordered Pug Eupithecia succenturiata - 4 in the garden between 5th July and 8th August 2019 and 5 between 24th July and 11th August 2020 (the last being my latest ever). 5 was my best annual total but this species is quite erratic with 3-4 in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and none at all in 2015 or 2017. Elsewhere one at the meadows on 7th July 2019 and one next door on 8th August 2019.
Bordered Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019
Bordered Pug, North Elmham, 8th July 2019
Shaded Pug Eupithecia subumbrata - None. This is quite scarce in Norfolk away from the Brecks and the coast but I caught one here in my garden in 2016 and 2 together in 2017.
Grey Pug Eupithecia subfuscata - Totals of 12 trapped here between 2nd June and 12th July 2019 and 10 between 21st May and 1st July, which are very average numbers. Elsewhere 3 at the meadows, one at Hellesdon, one at Hills and Holes (on 21st May 2020, my earliest ever) and 5 on Mull.
male Grey Pug, North Elmham, 3rd June 2019
male Grey Pug, North Elmham, 7th June 2019
female Grey Pug, North Elmham, 10th June 2019
male Grey Pug, North Elmham, 11th June 2020
Treble-bar Aplocera plagiata - An average year in 2019 with 10 trapped here between 2nd June and 30th August then an exceptional 37 between 18th May and 26th August 2020 (my previous best annual total was 15). Elsewhere one at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August 2019 and one at the meadows on 8th September 2020.
Treble-bar, North Elmham, 18th May 2020
female Treble-bar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020
Lesser Treble-bar Aplocera efformata - None. I carefully check each and every Treble-bar I find for Lesser Treble-bar but so far have found absolutely no evidence that they exist.
Streak Chesias legatella - Singles caught in the garden on 17th October 2019, 17th October 2020 and 8th November 2020. These were my 3rd to 5th records here following singles in November 2014 and November 2015.
Streak, North Elmham, 17th October 2019
Streak, North Elmham, 17th October 2020
Streak, North Elmham, 8th November 2020
Broom-tip Chesias rufata - None. I've only seen this species in the Brecks which is where the vast majority of recent Norfolk records have been, but there are a couple of recent records from elsewhere in the county and a good spread of older records, and there are some good patches of Broom locally so I'm optimistic that it might be lurking round here somewhere.
Grey Carpet Lithostege griseata - None. Like Broom-tip, Grey Carpet is mainly found in the Brecks and that's the only place I've seen it. However unlike Broom-tip, there have been quite a few records of Grey Carpets in mid Norfolk (e.g. Dave Norgate had one in Toftwood in 2018 and David Knight has had one just down the road from here in Worthing) so I reckon I've got more than half a chance of getting one locally sometime.
Seraphim Lobophora halterata - I think this was one of the 2-3 commonest moths that I'd not seen until 2019 but that year it finally gave itself up with one to MV light at the meadows on 25th May, swiftly followed by another to LEDs at a different part of the meadows on 31st May. Further afield one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.
Seraphim, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019
Seraphim, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019
Seraphim, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020
Small Seraphim Lobophora halterata - Singles trapped in the garden on 11th July 2019 and 24th June 2020. I've now caught 5 here, until the last one all in odd years.
Small Seraphim, North Elmham, 11th July 2019
Small Seraphim, North Elmham, 24th June 2020
Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata - Just one caught in the garden in 2019, on 8th August. Numbers of this species fluctuate greatly but this was exceptionally bad - 5 was my previous worst year and in 2016 I caught 38. 2020 was only a bit better with 7 between 5th and 21st August. Elsewhere one at the meadows on 4th August 2019.
Yellow-barred Brindle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019
Early Tooth-striped Trichopteryx carpinata - None in 2019 but I added this species to my garden list in 2020 catching one on 22nd April and then a different one on 24th April. There was only one previous record in this 10km square but having caught one at my last house in Bawdeswell and also one at Bawdeswell Heath, I knew they weren't very far away.
Early Tooth-striped, North Elmham, 22nd April 2020
Early Tooth-striped, North Elmham, 24th April 2020
Orange Underwing Archiearis parthenias - None. I haven't found this species in North Elmham yet but I've had it not very far away in Bintree Wood (and at Sparham Pools). I generally don't find many day-flying moths in my garden (although maybe there's a chance as there's a Birch in my front garden and another in the neighbour's garden behind mine) and I don't have much chance at the meadows either as the meadows are quite Birch-depleted.
Next page: more Geometridae
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