Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 9: Magpies and Peacocks etc. (Abraxas to Pseudopanthera)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)


Magpie Moth Abraxas grossulariata - 4 singles in the garden between 3rd and 9th August 2019.  This was my poorest year since moving here - I'd averaged about 15 a year between 2015 and 2018.  But if 4 was bad then it was crash and burn in 2020 with none at all.

Magpie Moth, North Elmham, 5th August 2019

Clouded Magpie Abraxas sylvata - None.  I've had 3 here previously (2016 and 2018).


Clouded Border Lomaspilis marginata - 62 in the garden trap between 19th May and 19th August 2019 and 48 between 21st May and 12th August 2020.  I average over 70 a year and these were my worst years here so far.  Elsewhere 16 at the meadows, one at Bintree Wood, 8 in Hellesdon, one at Hills and Holes, 4 at Weybourne and 6 at various sites on Mull.

Clouded Border, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Clouded Border, North Elmham, 1st June 2020

Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata - 6 at home between 7th June and 4th September 2019 (the last being my latest ever) and 9 between 8th May and 9th August 2020.  Numbers here have varied from zero to 13 a year but average just over 6.  Elsewhere one next door, one at the meadows and one at Sculthorpe Moor (the latter on the earlier date of 26th April 2019).

Scorched Carpet, North Elmham, 7th June 2019

Scorched Carpet, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Peacock Moth Macaria notata - None in 2019 but the first for my garden appeared in my trap on 23rd May 2020.  Prior to 2020 there were very few records of this species in mid Norfolk but there were several from a range of locations in 2020.

female Peacock Moth, North Elmham, 23rd May 2020 - the exquisite piece of engineering in the bottom photo is the signa in the corpus bursa (I don't think this spiky scleretised plate is helpful for the ID but it's so fantastic I thought it was worth sharing!)

Sharp-angled Peacock Macaria alternata - None.  I've never seen this species locally and there are only a handful of records in mid Norfolk.  Enough though, perhaps, to think it might turn up here one day.


Tawny-barred Angle Macaria liturata - Singles caught in the garden on 1st June 2019 and 26th June and 20th August 2020.  I had 2 here in June 2018 but they were my first garden records since one on the very first night I trapped here after moving in in August 2014.  Elsewhere 3 at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019 and 2 at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

Tawny-barred Angle, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Latticed Heath Chiasmia clathrata - I believe 2019 was a good year for this species (either migrants or locally-bred moths, or both, I'm not sure) but none made it to my garden trap, however 2020 was another good year and I caught 3 here between 14th July and 8th September.  Blank years aren't unusual here - I've only caught them before in 2015 (once) and in 2018 (4 times), both good years across the county, although not as good as 2019).  Elsewhere singles at the meadows in both 2019 and 2020 and at Hills and Holes and Whitwell Street in 2020. 

Latticed Heath, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Latticed Heath, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Latticed Heath, North Elmham, 8th September 2020

Brown Silver-line Petrophora chlorosata - Singles in the garden moth trap on 24th and 30th June 2019 and 7th and 26th June 2020.  Four a year is more typical here.  Elsewhere 22 at Bintree Wood, 6 at Hills and Holes, 2 in Keswick and 3 on Mull.

Brown Silver-line, North Elmham, 7th June 2020

Brown Silver-line, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Barred Umber Plagodis pulveraria - None.  I've never seen this species and don't really expect it to turn up here, it being a rare woodland species.  But it does occur in woodlands not all that far from here so there must be a fair chance of finding it somewhere near here, perhaps in Bintree Wood?


Scorched Wing Plagodis dolabraria - My worst years so far here with just 6 singles between 2nd June and 7th July 2019 and then only one in 2020, on 27th May.  I've had up to up to 33 in a year (2016) and was averaging 19 a year from 2015 to 2018.  Elsewhere singles at the meadows on 25th and 31st May 2019 and 23rd June 2020, 3 at Bintree Wood and one at Hills and Holes.

Scorched Wing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Scorched Wing, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Scorched Wing, North Elmham, 27th May 2020

Horse Chestnut Pachycnemia hippocastanaria - 2 in NW Spain between Sant Vicenc and Torrelles de Llobregat on 23rd February 2020, the first time I've seen this species which doesn't occur in Norfolk.

Horse Chestnuts, between Saint Vincenc and Torrelles de Llobregat (Spain), 23rd February 2020

Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata - Totals of 119 trapped at home between 5th May and 3rd October 2019 and 141 between 8th May and 19th September 2020.  On average I catch around 190 a year and these were my lowest annual totals so far.  Elsewhere caught next door on 3 nights, at the meadows on 14 nights (total 27), at Swanton Great Wood, Hellesdon, Whitwell Street, Hills and Holes, Brancaster, Weybourne, Row Heath (West Runton) and in Cornwall and on Mull.

Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 19th May 2019

Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 18th July 2018

Bordered Beauty Epione repandaria -7 in the garden between 20th July and 18th August 2019 and then singles on 29th July and 8th August 2020.  It took me a long time to catch my first of these (2 here in 2016) but after 4 more at different sites in 2017-18 I then caught 7 in the garden in 2018 and now another 7 in 2019.  For such a beautiful moth this increase was welcome - let's hope that 2020's return to lower numbers is temporary.

Bordered Beauty, North Elmham, 21st July 2019

Bordered Beauty, North Elmham, 8th August 2020

Speckled Yellow Pseudopanthera macularia - One west of Tiroran on Mull on 10th June 2019.  In Norfolk this day-flying species is restricted to the Brecks - I last saw it here way back in 1991.

Speckled Yellow, west of Tiroran (Mull), 10th June 2019

Orange Moth Angerona prunaria - None.  I've never seen an Orange Moth but although they're pretty rare in Norfolk the few records there have been are pretty widespread across the county, so surely I must have as much chance as anyone of catching one...?


Next page: more Geometridae

New Pigmy for the garden

Another visit to the Cathedral Meadows on Monday 14th added a few more species to the list.  A Large White was the only new butterfly but I managed to get some better photos of other species including Holly Blue and Orange-tip (just too slow for Brimstone).

Holly Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

Orange-tip, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

Green-veined White, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

As well as 5 Large Red Damselflies there was this Common Blue Damselfly, my first this year.

Common Blue Damselfly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

A Dark-edge Bee-fly provided an opportunity for some flight shots...

Dark-edged Bee-fly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

I only found 3 moths: Oak Satin Lift Heliozela sericiella, Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella and Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella.

Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

Hoverflies included another Melanostoma mellinum and my first Epistrophe eligans.

Epistrophe eligans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

I eventually identified this bee as a Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica.

Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

When I got home I found a Varied Carpet Beetle in the house.  Ironically I always seem to find them in the uncarpeted rooms - maybe the ones in the carpeted rooms are hiding in the carpets?

The star of that night's moth trap was a Coarse Hazel Pigmy Stigmella floslactella, a new species for the garden.

Coarse Hazel Pigmy Stigmella floslactella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th May

Also new for the year were Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, Pale Tussock, Heart and Dart (again, worn almost to the point of being unrecognisable) and a Cockchafer.

Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, North Elmham, 14th May

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 14th May

Cockchafer, North Elmham, 14th May

Other moths were 3 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Green Carpet, Common Pug, Brimstone Moth, Chocolate-tip, Flame Shoulder and Nut-tree Tussock, while Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and 3 Limnephilus auricula represented the caddisflies.

Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 14th May

A good mimic

Last Thursday I went for a walk with Vitty at Kelling Heath.  I was hoping to find some moths, especially Eriocrania as I know there are a number of those occurring there.  Not successful in that respect - just found 2 Feathered Brights Incurvaria masculella, 3 Green Long-horns Adela reaumurella and 5 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana. A few butterflies included a nice Green Hairstreak.

We also went to East Ruston Old Vicarage gardens.  Wasn't expecting anything in particular there but found Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella and Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana. Also my first Speckled Wood of the year among the butterflies.  The caddisfly Limnephilus auricula was resting on my car as we returned to the car park.

Green Longhorn Adela reaumurella, East Ruston Old Vicarage gardens, 12th May

Speckled Wood, East Ruston Old Vicarage gardens, 12th May

The moth catch at home that night included 3 new for the year: Garden Carpet, Oak-tree Pug and Marbled Brown.

Garden Carpet, North Elmham, 12th May

Oak-tree Pug, North Elmham, 12th May

Marbled Brown, North Elmham, 12th May

Also Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Streamers, Common Pug, 4 Muslin Moths, Least Black Arches, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Powdered Quaker and 4 Hebrew Characters.  Caddisflies consisted of Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus auricula.

Muslin Moth, North Elmham, 12th May

Next day was poor for moths, though Brimstone Moth was new for the year.  Just Shuttle-shaped Dart and 4 Hebrew Characters.

Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 13th May

Saturday was no better: Muslin Moth, 2 Hebrew Characters and the caddisfly Limnephilus auricula.

On Sunday I took advantage of some bright weather to pop to the local patch where the birding was poor, the mothing was non-existant but I fared much better with other insects along one small stretch of hedgerow.  First up were a couple of Common Carder Bees, one of them in particular almost glowing orange on its thorax.

Common Carder Bee, Bittering, 15th May

Next up was a hoverfly that looked distinctly similar to the Carder Bees (a mimic, so no coincidence).  A large and distinctive hoverfly with bright orange hairs on the thorax, I was pretty sure it was a species I hadn't identified before.  So it proved, it was Criorhina berberina.

Criorhina berberina, Bittering, 15th May

Sat on the same leaf was a pale lacewing, the first of at least half a dozen in the area.  I retained two slightly different-looking examples for checking and both turned out to be Hemerobius lutescens, a new species for me.

Brown Lacewings Hemerobius lutescens, Bittering, 15th May

One more hoverfly proved to be one I had seen before: Helophilus pendulus.

Helophilus pendulus, Bittering, 15th May

Best of the moths that night was a Small Phoenix, my first here.

Small Phoenix, North Elmham, 15th May

Other moths were Garden Carpet, Streamer, Brimstone Moth, Chocolate-tip, 3 Cinnabars, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Powdered Quaker and Hebrew Character.  Limnephilus auricula was the only caddisfly.

I thought this small beetle was a weevil at first but it turns out to be a non-weevil Salpingus ruficollis, the first one I've identified.

Salpingus ruficollis, North Elmham, 15th May