Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) (Part 4: Buttons II (Acleris to Pseudargyrotoza))

 TORTRIX MOTHS (TORTRICIDAE) (continued)


Tufted Button Acleris cristana - None in 2019 but one in the garden moth trap on 30th January 2020.  2019 wasn't my first blank year here but I had 6 here in the previous 3 years.

male Tufted Button Acleris cristana, North Elmham, 30th January 2020

Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana - A total of 92 in the garden trap between 20th July and 18th October 2019.  Although only one less than 2018 this was my worst year since moving here and I recorded double this number in 2016.  It picked up a bit in 2020 with 123 between 6th July and 28th October.  Very few elsewhere: one next door, one at the meadows and 2 in Cornwall.

Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th July 2020

Ginger Button Acleris aspersana - None.  I've only recorded 3 of these, all in my garden in 2016-2017.


Meadow-sweet Button Acleris shepherdana - One at the meadows and 2 in my garden trap on the same night, 4th August 2019, and another at home 5 nights later.  3 in my garden is exceptional - I'd only ever had one here before, in 2015, but it wasn't a particularly good year for the species elsewhere in Norfolk - in fact there were only 2 others reported in the county in 2019!  None in 2020.

male Meadow-sweet Button Acleris shepherdana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

male and female Meadow-sweet Buttons Acleris shepherdana, North Elmham, 4th August 2019

male Meadow-sweet Button Acleris shepherdana, North Elmham, 9th August 2019

Sallow Button Acleris hastiana - One in the garden trap on 25th December 2019, a nice Christmas present being a species I have only recorded here 3 times before (2016 and 2017).  None in 2020.

male Sallow Button Acleris hastiana, North Elmham, 25th December 2019

Heath Button Acleris hyemana - I caught my first ever example of this species in my parent's garden in Keswick (the one in Cumbria not the one in Norfolk) on 6th April 2019.  It was quite a worn individual that wasn't showing the distinctive markings often associated with this species, and so required gen detting to resolve (although I did have an inkling that it might be this species).  This species does occur in Norfolk and can apparently be seen on sunny days, though it hasn't ever been recorded close to here, and nowhere even remotely close since the start of this millenium.

male Heath Button Acleris hyemana, Keswick (Cumbria), 6th April 2019

Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana - A total of 8 caught in my garden trap in 2019 which is just about my highest annual total here (average 5 a year).  3 were between 15th March and 22nd April, the spring (hibernated) generation, one on 12th July was the only one from the summer generation and the other 4 were from the autumn (and overwintering) generation between 28th September and 25th November.  The same generation made up 4 of 2020's records between 16th January and 15th February and then there were singles on 11th and 13th July.  Elsewhere a larval record from the meadows on 24th August 2020 (thanks to Rob Edmunds for confirming this one).

male Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 15th March 2019

female Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 22nd April 2019

female Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 12th July 2019

male Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 28th September 2019

male Rusty Oak Buttons Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 25th November 2019

male Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 31st January 2020

male Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 4th February 2020

male Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham, 13th July 2020

caterpillar and pupa of Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th August 2020 (pupa photographed on 9th December)

Rusty Birch Button Acleris notana - None.  Despite the close proximity of 2 Birch trees (one very mature) to my garden I have never recorded this species here (or anywhere locally).


Elm Button Acleris kochiella - None.  I've never seen this species but the species has increased significantly in recent yearas and is now widespread in Norfolk, so I should think I must be in with a good chance of catching one locally.


Grey Birch Button Acleris logiana - One in my garden moth trap on 5th July 2020 was my first here, and indeed my first anywhere since just before I moved here in 2014.

female Grey Birch Button Acleris logiana, North Elmham, 5th July 2020

Lichen Button Acleris literana - None.  Another one I'm yet to connect with, but with a scattering of records around the county there must be a fair chance of me finding one round here.  Hope so anyway - they look fabulous!


Brassy Tortrix Eulia ministrana - One in my garden trap on 31st May 2019 was a new moth for the garden.  None in 2020.

Brassy Tortrix Eulia ministrana, North Elmham, 31st  May 2019

Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana - Singles caught in my garden on 4 nights between 31st May and 31st July 2019 and 3 between 12th June and 4th July 2020.  Although these are average showings I've had 2 blank years (and 10 in 2016).  Elsewhere 3 at the meadows and one at Weybourne.

Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019

Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Next page: more Tortricidae

March Moths

I omitted to mention this Orange Ladybird in my last post - I trapped it on 21st February.

Orange Ladybird, North Elmham, 21st February

After a few blank nights while the Beast from the East brought lots of lovely snow things finally thawed on Sunday 4th March when a Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana appeared on the front door.

A trip to Fakenham on 5th produced my first Bee of the year, a Honey Bee I think.  Also Yellow Brain fungus or it's very similar counterpart (thanks again to James for confirming).  There were a couple of Springtails on the base of the fungus.

Honey Bee, Fakenham, 5th March

Yellow Brain (most likely Tremella mesenterica but possibly T aurantia), Fakenham, 5th March

Springtail sp., Fakenham, 5th March

That night Chestnut and Satellite turned up in the trap.

Satellite, North Elmham, 5th March

The following night was quiet with just Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 3 March Moths and 2 Chestnuts.  There was nothing the next night and just a single March Moth on 8th March.  Things picked up again on 9th with 5 Dotted Borders, 3 Hebrew Characters and 2 Chestnuts.

The following day I noticed a fly scuttling across the patio, a behaviour I don't recall seeing in flies before.  I've not done much with flies but thought this might be worth attempting to identify.  Eventually I narrowed it down to a Megaselia sp. but couldn't get any further with it.  It belongs to the family Phoridae, appropriately known as Scuttle Flies.

Scuttle Fly Megaselia sp., North Elmham, 10th March

That night saw a signifiant up-turn in number and variety of moths: 7 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, 4 March Moths, Pale Brindled Beauty, 2 Dotted Borders, Clouded Drab and Chestnut.  The Clouded Drab was new for the year.

Clouded Drab, North Elmham, 10th March

The following night produced 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Oak Beauty, 3 Dotted Borders and Hebrew Character, and then after a blank night, Common Quaker was new for the year on 13th, with Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut.

A Winter Shades Tortricodes alternella was new for the year on 14th - a species I don't get many of here (average one a year).  The only other moths that night were 2 Hebrew Characters.

Winter Shades Tortricodes alternella, North Elmham, 14th March

There were Clouded Drab, 2 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut on 15th and then I was away on the night of 16th.  I did leave the trap running though (on timer) and when I returned in the evening there was a Clouded Drab in it. No more moths in the snow that night thouugh, or the next couple of nights.

Things re-started with 2 Hebrew Characters on 19th and another 2 on 20th, the latter alongside an Oak Beauty.  I visited Great Ryburgh on 21st and found a Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana in the hide.  That night a Tufted Button Acleris cristana was new for the year; also Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 4 Hebrew Characters.

Tufted Button Acleris cristana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st March

The next night was the best night of the year so far with Small Quaker and Grey Shoulder-knot new for the year.  I didn't get the latter species last year and never get many.  The others were 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, March Moth, Oak Beauty, Dotted Border, 4 Common Quakers, Clouded Drab, 4 Hebrew Characters, Satellite and Chestnut.

Sallow Quaker, North Elmham, 22nd March

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 22nd March

Another new moth for the year appeared the following night: Shoulder Stripe.  The other moths that night were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 3 March Moths, Oak Beauty, Dotted Border, Small Quaker, 4 Common Quakers, 2 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut.

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham, 23rd March

Another Grey Shoulder-knot was the highlight the following night.  There was also March Moth, Small Quaker, 11 Hebrew Characters, Satellite and 2 Chestnuts.

Sunday 25th was mild and sunny and as I took the scenic route back home from Norwich at lunch-time I thought I'd probably see a few Brimstones.  A glimpsed butterfly at Swanton Morley was probably Small Tortoiseshell, my first butterfly this year.  Eventually I did see a Brimstone, just down the road at Worthing - and then a second Brimstone outside my house when I drew up.

The only micro in the trap that night was a good one, Red-letter Flat-body Agonopterix ocellana, a species that perhaps surprisingly I hadn't seen until last year.  Other moths that night were 3 March Moths, 2 Oak Beauties, 2 Small Quakers, 12 Hebrew Characters, Grey Shoulder-knot and Chestnut.

Red-letter Flat-body Agonopterix ocellana, North Elmham, 25th March

The following night there was March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, Small Quaker, Common Quaker and 7 Hebrew Characters. No new moths for the year on 27th either though another Winter Shade Tortricodes alternella was noteworthy. The others were March Moth, 3 Small Quakers and 10 Hebrew Characters. A Black Sexton Beetle was my first this year.

Winter Shades Tortricodes alternella, North Elmham, 27th March

Black Sexton Beetle, North Elmham, 27th March

There was only a single Common Quaker on 28th.  This Red Chestnut was new for the year the following night.  Other than that it was still very quiet though: Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 3 Hebrew Characters.

Red Chestnut, North Elmham, 29th March

The next night was poor again: Small Quaker, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 2 Hebrew Characters.  The month ended with Small Quaker, Common Quaker and 3 Hebrew Characters on 31st.


I've been working through a number of beetles I retained last year and managing to put names to most, some more easily than others, but the last one proved a real struggle.  Part of the problem was that I failed to correctly identify what family it belonged and after spending several hours on it on 3 occasions I was ready to give up.  Then I came across the beetle families page on the UK Beetle Recording website and this led me to Scirtidae, the Marsh Beetles.  I'd somehow missed this family so after all this time I was glad to finally have a lead.  In the end I still couldn't get a species-level ID as I believe it's a female Elodes sp., a genus in which only the males are identifiable (at least according to the references I've been using).  On the one hand disappointing that I couldn't resolve it fully but on the other hand satisfying that I finally managed to get as far as I think is possible with such a troublesome beast.

Elodes sp., North Elmham, 19th July 2017

Cydia ulicetana - garden first

When I got home from Row Heath it wasn't far off time to go through the moth trap at home.  The biggest surprise was a moth that's abundant around gorse but which hadn't made it to my garden before: Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana.

Others new for the year here were Hedge Shade Isotrias rectifasciana, Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana, Figure of Eighty, Clay Triple-lines, Purple Bar, Common White Wave, Small Square-spot, Middle-barred Minor and Small Fan-foot (plus the Mayfly Green Drake Ephemera danica).

Hedge Shades Isotrias rectifasciana, North Elmham, 27th May

Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana, North Elmham, 27th May

Figure of Eighty, North Elmham, 27th May

Clay Triple-lines, North Elmham, 27th May

Purple Bar, North Elmham, 27th May

Small Square-spot, North Elmham, 27th May

A late Tufted Button Acleris cristana was unexpected - and it looked like it had been out too long!

Tufted Button Acleris cristana, North Elmham, 27th May

Other moths were Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 2 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Blood-vein, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Common Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, 2 Green Carpets, 8 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, Brown Silver-line, Peppered Moth, Pale Oak Beauty, 5 Light Emeralds, Coxcomb Prominent, Buff-tip, 2 Pale Tussocks, Orange Footman, 5 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Heart and Dart, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Light Brocade, 2 Rustic Shoulder-knots, 3 Brown Rustics, Clouded-bordered Brindle, 5 Treble Lines and 3 Straw Dots.  Also the caddisfly Glyphotaelius pellucidus.

Light Brocade, North Elmham, 27th May

Next day Dave and I headed up to Salthouse Heath to search for Large Red-belted (and Yellow-legged) Clearwings using pheronome lures.  We drew a total blank unfortunately, but saw a few other moths: probable Bridge Roller Ancylis uncella, >200 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana, Small Rivulet and 2 Brown Silver-lines.

At home this Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella was inside the house, new for the year.

Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella, North Elmham, 27th May

Also during the day there was a Chalk Knot-horn Phycitodes maritima in the garden.  Next post will cover the night's moth trap contents.