White Birch Case-bearer (Coleophora betulella)

After a good night on 5th July, and a Currant Clearwing to pheromone lure during the day, there was another good night on 6th July with 464 moths of 114 species.  Prize among these was my first ever White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella.  Maybe not everyone's cup of tea I'll admit - it was a pretty worn specimen and there wasn't a hope of identifying it based on its external features.

Currant Clearwing, North Elmham, 6th July

White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 6th July

Quite a lot of other new moths for the year too (for the garden - had seen some of these elsewhere): Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, Lesser Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, 2 Dover Shades Cnephasia genitalana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, 12 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, Chequered Pearl Evergestis pallidata, Dusky Pearl Udea prunalis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Brown Scallop, Scalloped Oak and Small Rufous.

Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, North Elmham, 6th July

Lesser Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, North Elmham, 6th July

Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 6th July

Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, North Elmham, 6th July

Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, North Elmham, 6th July

Dusky Pearl Udea prunalis, North Elmham, 6th July

Brown Scallop, North Elmham, 6th July

Small Rufous, North Elmham, 6th July

The rest of the moths were 10 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 3 Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, 2 Hawthorn Ermines Paraswammerdamia nebulella, 2 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, 2 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 7 Common Yellow Conches Agapeta hamana, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, 5 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, Brown-barred Tortrix Epagoge grotiana, 3 Red-barred Tortrixes Ditula angustiorana, 2 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, 2 Yellow Oak Buttons Aleimma loeflingiana, 8 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 2 Many-plume Moths Alucita hexadactyla, 80 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Inlaid Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Satin Grass-veneers Crambus perlella, 3 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 4 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, 19 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 5 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, 3 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Chinese Character, Buff Arches, Common Emerald, Blood-vein, 3 Small Blood-veins, 9 Small Fan-footed Waves, Dwarf Cream Wave, Small Dusty Wave, 11 Single-dotted Waves, 17 Riband Waves, 4 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Shaded Broad-bar, Common Carpet, Barred Straw, July Highflyer, Scallop Shell, Small Rivulet, Sandy Carpet, 4 V-Pugs, 4 Double-striped Pugs, Small Yellow Wave, 2 Clouded Borders, 3 Early Thorns, Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Engrailed, Common White Wave, Common Wave, 4 Clouded Silvers, 3 Elephant Hawk-moths, Yellow-tail, 12 Rosy Footmen, 3 Dingy Footmen, Buff Footman, 30 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, Flame, Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Double Square-spots, 2 Dot Moths, Clay, 4 Smoky Wainscots, Marbled Beauty, Brown Rustic, 3 Dark Arches, Middle-barred Minor, Common Rustic, 34 Uncertains, 4 Rustics, 5 Mottled Rustics, 4 Beautiful Hook-tips, Straw Dot, 9 Snouts, 14 Fan-foots and Small Fan-foot.

Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, North Elmham, 6th July

The mayfly Lake Olive Cloeon simile was new for the year. 

Lake Olive Cloeon similie, North Elmham, 6th July

One of 2 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita moulted from sub-imago to imago the following day:

Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita, North Elmham, 6th July

Lacewings consisted of Chrysoperla carnea agg., Cunctochrysa albolineata and Dichochrysa flavifrons.  Among the caddisflies Molanna angustata was new for the house and Crunoecia irrorata new for the year.  The others were Hydropsyche pellucidula, Medium Sedge Goera pilosa and Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus.

Molanna angustata, North Elmham, 6th July

Crunoecia irrorata, North Elmham, 6th July

There were 5 Iassus lanio (leafhoppers), 2 Common Red Soldier Beetles Rhagonycha fulva and 4 Lagria hirta (another beetle).

hannoverella and dodecella

My first garden Meadow Brown of the year was on 22nd June, along with a Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana.  That night the best moth in the trap was a New Poplar Pigmy Ectoedemia hannoverella - a new species for me (or so I thought - read on for a 2018 edit).  Some seem to frown upon even attempting to identify Stigmella/Ectoedemia species in adulthood (the leafmines are generally much easier) but this one keyed out quite smoothly and the genitalia were spot on.  There aren't any records of adults in Norfolk and compared to other Nepticulidae I've identitfied not all that many records of leafmines either.  Most records are from the Brecks and the Fens with just one record from Dereham being relatively close.  However, it's a recent arrival to the UK and is spreading so I shouldn't be surprised if they're all over the county before long.

New Poplar Pigmy Ectoedemia hannoverella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd June - or not: see below*

* Edit 2018: OK, there's a reason why as I said above some frown upon attempting to identify these in adulthood.  I got a bit suspicious after having two more in 2017 and another in 2018 which seems a lot for a Poplar-feeding species given the distance from here to the nearest Poplars.  Having looked into it a bit more it now seems possible - indeed likely - that they are not hannoverella but Spotted Black Pigmies Ectoedemia subbimaculella.  I cannot rule out hannoverella, nor the Holm-Oak species heringella as both the external appearance and the genitalia are very similar between all 3 species, but as there is an Oak tree close by (subbimaculella feeds on Oak) and no Poplar or Holm-Oak very close I think subbimaculella is most likely.  Not entirely sure why I overlooked this as a possibility - probably because most of the photos online show much better patterned individuals than any of mine.

A Pine Groundling Exoteleia dodecella was new for the house and only the third time I've seen this species.

Pine Groundling Exoteleia dodecella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd June

New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, Light Arches and Rufous Minor were new for the year.

New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, North Elmham, 22nd June

Light Arches, North Elmham, 22nd June

Rufous Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd June

An Eastern Case-bearer Coleophora vestianella was my third this year (second at home) but I'd only ever seen one before.  Other moths recorded were Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, Cypress Tip Moth Argyresthia cupressella, Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Meadow Case-bearers Coleophora mayrella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, 2 Gorse Crests Brachmia blandella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, 2 Yellow Oak Buttons Aleimma loeflingiana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 10 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 11 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 12 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, 4 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, 3 Common Emeralds, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Treble Brown Spots, 25 Riband Waves, Silver-ground Carpet, 7 Barred Straws, Barred Yellow, Common Pug, V-Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Clouded Border, Scorched Wing, Brimstone Moth, Lilac Beauty, Swallow-tailed Moth, 4 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, 2 Common White Waves, Common Wave, 3 Light Emeralds, Coxcomb Prominent, Buff-tip, 7 Rosy Footmen, 8 Common Footmen, 8 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Short-cloaked Moth, 2 Flames, Large Yellow Underwing, 2 Double Square-spots, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, 2 Smoky Wainscots, 8 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, Dark Arches, 21 Uncertains, 2 Mottled Rustics, Burnished Brass, 3 Beautiful Hook-tips, 3 Straw Dots, 6 Snouts and 4 Fan-foots.   There was also a Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis inside the house.

Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, North Elmham, 22nd June

Bugs included another Macrotylus solitarius - the third for Norfolk after the one I caught the previous night.  Also a Stenotus binotatus with an unidentified mite on its right eye.  Caddisflies included Leptocerus tineiformis.

Macrotylus solitarius, North Elmham, 22nd June

Stenotus binotatus with mite, North Elmham, 22nd June

Painted Neb

Sunday 5th July was much quieter than the previous day but two Plume moths made it on to the year list: Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (rather belatedly) and Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla.

Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, North Elmham, 5th July

Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, North Elmham, 5th July

Engrailed was also new for the year.

The others were Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella, 4 Large Ivy Tortrices Lozotaenia forsterana, 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 10 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Common Swift, Common Emerald, Small Fan-footed Wave, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 4 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, Garden Carpet, 5 Barred Straws, Common Pug, Clouded Border, 2 Peppered Moths, 2 Common White Waves, Common Wave, 3 Buff-tips, 8 Common Footmen, 13 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Short-cloaked Moth, 4 Heart and Clubs, 2 Heart and Darts, Flame, 3 Double Square-spots, Nutmeg, 4 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 2 Clays, 3 Brown Rustics, 3 Dark Arches, Marbled Minor agg., 14 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, 6 Mottled Rustics, Marbled White Spot, 4 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle, 3 Beautiful Hook-tips, Straw Dot and 2 Snouts.

  Rustic, North Elmham, 5th July

Another of these beetles that are probably Malthinus flaveolus:

probable Malthinus flaveolus, North Elmham, 5th July

6th July was better again with  87 species.  Among these was my first Painted Neb Eulamprotes wilkella.  These are reasonably common at the coast (where I was to go on to see several a few days later) and also in the Brecks, but except for an old record near Kings Lynn there don't seem to be any inland Norfolk records away from the Brecks.  So not expected here really.

Painted Neb Eulamprotes wilkella, North Elmham, 6th July

Several new for the year included my second ever Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella, a New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, Obscure Groundling Bryotropha similis, Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, Peach Blossom, Blue-bordered Carpet, Yellow-tail and Common Rustic.

Peach Blossom, North Elmham, 6th July

Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 6th July

New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, North Elmham, 6th July

Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, North Elmham, 6th July

Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 6th July

Common Rustic (female, gen det), North Elmham, 6th July

Here's the genitalia of the Bryotropha similis with a Bryotropha affinis for comparison, showing the stouter gnathos (the arm if you imagine the top bit as a head) of the similis.  The live insects are shown below.

male genitalia of Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis (left) and Obscure Groundling Bryotropha similis (right), North Elmham, 6th July

Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, North Elmham, 6th July

Obscure Groundling Bryotropha similis, North Elmham, 6th July

The other micros were 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, 4 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, 2 Buff Cosmets Mompha ochraceella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrices Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana (male, gen det), 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 9 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 6 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, 30 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, 5 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 7 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 3 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula stagnata, 5 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis and 3 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella.

Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, North Elmham, 6th July

Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stagnata, North Elmham, 6th July

Other macros were Ghost Moth, Common Emerald, 6 Dwarf Cream Waves, 4 Single-dotted Waves, 4 Treble Brown Spots, 20 Riband Waves, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Barred Yellow, Sandy Carpet, Common Pug, Grey Pug, Small Yellow Wave, 2 Clouded Borders, 2 Lilac Beauties, 2 Willow Beauties, 2 Mottled Beauties, Engrailed, Common White Wave, Elephant Hawkmoth, Coxcomb Prominent, 3 Buff-tips, 2 Rosy Footmen, Four-dotted Footman, Scarce Footman, 8 Common Footmen, 9 Buff Ermines, Short-cloaked Moth, 3 Heart and Clubs, Heart and Dart, Large Yellow Underwing, 3 Double Square-spots, 4 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, 5 Smoky Wainscots, Common Wainscot, 3 Brown Rustics, 4 Dark Arches, Dusky Brocade, 20 Uncertains, Rustic, 3 Mottled Rustics, Green Silver-lines, 6 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle, 7 Beautiful Hook-tips, Straw Dot, 5 Snouts and 3 Fan-foots.

Small Yellow Wave, North Elmham, 6th July

Dingy Footman, North Elmham, 6th July

Mottled Beauty, North Elmham, 6th July - a dark-banded variant I don't see very often

Next day (7th July) was very poor by recent standards and, unusually at the moment, nothing new for the year.  I recorded Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 12 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 5 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, Common Emerald, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, Single-dotted Wave, Treble Brown Spot, 5 Riband Waves, 3 Barred Straws, Barred Yellow, Lilac Beauty, 3 Willow Beauties, Engrailed, Clouded Silver, Buff-tip, Rosy Footman, 3 Common Footmen, 4 Buff Ermines, Heart and Club, 2 Heart and Darts, 2 Double Square-spots, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 2 Brown Rustics, 18 Uncertains, Rustic, Mottled Rustic, Silver Y, Straw Dot, 3 Snouts and Fan-foot. 

Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, North Elmham, 6th July

Engrailed, North Elmham, 6th July