A good afternoon at the meadows

Had a wander round the Cathedral Meadows at North Elmham on the afternoon/evening of 3rd June and found a decent selection of wildlife.  Dragonflies included 2 Emperors and butterflies included a Common Blue; there were two displaying Green Drakes (Mayflies) Ephemera danica, the green lacewing Chrysopa perla, a Coniopterix Waxfly (a female so not identifable to species) and the Scorpion Fly Panorpa communis.

Common Blue Damselfly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Chrysopa perla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Plenty of moths, the highlights of which were 2 Pea Moths Cydia nigricana, Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana and Small Yellow Underwing in the lower meadows and White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi and Black-edged Marble Endothenia nigricostana along the disused railway.

Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Black-edged Marble Endothenia nigricostana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Other moths were Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, 2 Yellow-barred Long-horns Nemophora degeerella, Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Hedge Case-bearers Coleophora striatipennella, Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 2 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana, 11 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Silver-ground Carpet, Cinnabar, 4 Silver Ys and 4 Straw Dots.

Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Bugs included a Parent Bug and the mirid bug Psallus perrisi, and there was the barkfly Graphopsocus cruciatus.

Psallus perrisi (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Graphopsocus cruciatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

A good number of beetles included 4 Garden Chafers, Cantharis rufa, Cantharis livida, 2 24-spot Ladybirds, 3 Swollen-thighed Beetles, 3 Grammoptera ruficornis, Phyllobius pomaceus and  Phyllobius roboretanus.

Garden Chafer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Cantharis rufa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Swollen-thighed Beetle (female), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Grammoptera ruficornis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Phyllobius roboretanus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Hoverflies included Sphaerophoria taeniata (a new one for me), Eristalis horticola, Helophilus pendulus and Volucella bombylans.  Among the Hymenoptera were Small Black Ant Lasius niger, the sawfly Tenthredo arcuata, Tree Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee and Early Bumblebee.

Spaerophoria taeniata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Helophilus pendulus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Volucella bombylans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Tenthredo arcuata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Tree Bumblebee, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Early Bumblebee, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

I managed to identify two spiders - Common Cucumber Spider Araniella cucurbitina and Metellina mengei.

Cucumber Spiders Araniella sp. - the lower one seemed to check out as a female cucurbitina

Freyer's Pug and Small Angle Shades were the only new moths for the year at home that night.

Freyer's Pug, North Elmham, 3rd June

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 3rd June

Other moths were 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, 3 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 9 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Lesser Pearls Sitochroa verticalis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 3 Common Swifts, 3 Pebble Hook-tips, Blood-vein, Treble Brown Spot, Flame Carpet, 4 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Garden Carpets, 3 Green Carpets, May Highflyer, Currant Pug, 4 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, Pale Oak Beauty, Common Wave, 2 Light Emeralds, 2 Poplar Hawk-moths, Swallow Prominent, Marbled Brown, 9 White Ermines, Cinnabar, 7 Heart and Darts, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Bright-line Brown-eye, 6 Common Wainscots, 3 Brown Rustics, 4 Treble Lines, 5 Mottled Rustics, Silver Y and 8 Straw Dots.

There was also the Mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, the caddisflies Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus lunatus and a Water Boatman that was new for the house: Callicorixa praeusta.

Callicorixa praeusta, North Elmham, 3rd June

Another new garden moth coming to clearwing lure

On Tuesday 20th June I put the Yellow-legged Clearwing lure out again.  No Clearwings but towards the end of the day I caught a Black-edged Marble Endothenia nigricostana in the lure trap.  This was a nice surprise and a new species for the garden.  Actually it was probably the second as I caught a similar-looking moth in identical circumstances the previous week but that one got away before I could confirm the ID.

Black-edged Marble Endothenia nigricostana, North Elmham, 20th June

There was a slight fall-off in moth variety that night but Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, Phoenix and Dot Moth were all new for the year (it seems to be a very poor year for Dot Moth - at the time of writing I've seen just 3 here compared to 26 or 27 in the last couple of years).

Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, North Elmham, 20th June

Phoenix, North Elmham, 20th June

Dot Moth, North Elmham, 20th June

Other moths trapped were Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Brown-barred Tortrix Epagoge grotiana, 3 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 10 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 14 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 4 Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 8 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 11 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 3 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Buff Arches, Common Emerald, Blood-vein, 4 Small Fan-footed Waves, 5 Dwarf Cream Waves, 4 Treble Brown Spots, 37 Riband Waves, Common Carpet, 4 Barred Straws, Grey Pug, V-Pug, 2 Green Pugs, 2 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, Lilac Beauty, Swallow-tailed Moth, Willow Beauty, 2 Mottled Beauties, Engrailed, Common White Wave, 4 Rosy Footmen, 2 Dingy Footmen, 7 Common Footmen, White Ermine, 4 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, Short-cloaked Moth, 3 Heart and Clubs, 2 Heart and Darts, Ingrailed Clay, Double Square-spot, Smoky Wainscot, 3 Brown Rustics, Dark Arches, 2 Tawny Marbled Minors, 7 Uncertains, 4 Mottled Rustics, Marbled White Spot, Burnished Brass, 8 Beautiful Hook-tips, 5 Straw Dots, 5 Snouts, 2 Fan-foots and Small Fan-foot.

Buff Arches, North Elmham, 20th June

Swallow-tailed Moth, North Elmham, 20th June

Other insects included Common Green Caspid Lygocoris pabulinus and a Brown Chafer.

Next day at Ryburgh Banded Demoiselle and Black-tailed Skimmer were among the dragonflies and butterflies included Large and Essex Skippers.  Moths were represented by 3 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana and a Yellow Shell.  I can't get any further than Phallus sp. with this bug.

Psallus sp., Ryburgh, 21st June

That afternoon I discovered that some caterpillars were making short work of one of our roses.  I figured they were sawflies rather than moth caterpillars and looked up sawflies on roses.  It seems that there is at least one similar species but I think they were Large Rose Sawflies Arge pagana.

Large Rose Sawflies Arge pagana, North Elmham, 21st June