A few good seconds

Two new moths for the year on 7th August were both second records for the garden: Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis and Little Conch Cochylis dubitana.

Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis, North Elmham, 7th August

Little Conch Cochylis dubitana, North Elmham, 7th August

The most numerous moths were 76 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella. This was the peak count of the year and a record count for me.

Other moths were 2 Bordered Carls Coptotriche marginea, probable Skin Moth Monopis laevigella (would have been new for the year if it hadn't escaped before I could confirm it), 2 Carrion Moths Monopis weaverella, 2 Blackthorn Slenders Parornix torquillella, Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, 2 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella, Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, Honeysuckle Moth Ypsolopha dentella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, 8 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Knapweed Conches Agapeta zoegana, 3 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 5 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 2 Blotched Marbles Endothenia quadrimaculana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 23 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 7 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 3 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Maiden's Blush, Flame Carpet, 4 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Common Carpets, Small Rivulet, Lime-speck Pug, Double-striped Pug, Dusky Thorn, 2 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Turnip Moths, 3 Flame Shoulders, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Straw Underwing, Dun-bar, Lesser Common Rustic, 2 Flounced Rustics and 4 Straw Dots.

Mayflies, lacewings and caddisflies consisted of 3 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita, Cunctochrysa albolineata, Hemerobius humulinus, Hemerobius lutescens, 2 Micromus variegatus, 2 Ithytrichia lamellaris, Hydropsyche pellucidula, 5 Hydropsyche siltalai, 2 Limnephilus auricula and Leptocerus tineiformis.

Among the bugs Compsidolon salicellum was only my second.  Others were Birch Shieldbug, Forest Bug, Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, Trigonotylus caelestialium and the leafhopper Empoasca vitis.  There was also the psyllid Cacopsylla brunneipennis which was technically the first one I identified as this species.  However in the process of identifying it I realised that it was very probably the same species as one I had identified as Cacopsylla pulchra from 27th July.  I'd been a little doubtful about that ID so it was good to get a second chance to nail it.

Compsidolon salicellum, North Elmham, 7th August

Cacopsylla brunneipennis (female), North Elmham, 7th August

Beetles consisted of Amara apricaria, 6 Bradycellus verbasci, Aphodius rufipes and Harlequin Ladybird.  There were also 7 Hornets.

Hornets, North Elmham, 7th August

There were 3 new moths the following night and again they were all second records for the garden.  In fact the first two were my second records anywhere.  They were Rowan Slender Parornix scoticella, Black-tipped Ermine Yponomeuta plumbella and Gorse Groundling Mirificarma mulinella.

Rowan Slender Parornix scoticella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th August

Black-tipped Ermine Yponomeuta plumbella, North Elmham, 8th August

Gorse Groundling Mirificarma mulinella, North Elmham, 8th August

Elm Midget Phyllonorycter tristrigella was also my second ever, following my first just six nights earlier.  Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta was another species I had seen for the first time this year with two here in the garden and one elsewhere.

Elm Midget Phyllonorycter tristrigella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th August

Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta, North Elmham, 8th August

The rest of the moths that night were 2 Carrion Moths Monopis weaverella, Apple Leaf-miner Lyonetia clerkella, Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, 2 Blackthorn Slenders Parornix torquillella, Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 11 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 68 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, 2 Orange Swifts, Pebble Hook-tip, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Common Carpets, Tawny Speckled Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 2 Magpie Moths, Brimstone Moth, Canary-shouldered Thorn, 5 Dusky Thorns, 4 Willow Beauties, Coxcomb Prominent, 3 Turnip Moths, 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 3 Flame Shoulders, 3 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 9 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Cabbage Moth, Common Wainscot, Common Rustic, 5 Flounced Rustics, 2 Vine's Rustics and 7 Straw Dots.

Mayflies, lacewings and caddisflies were 3 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita, Dichochrysa flavifrons, Dichochrysa prasina, Conwentzia psociformis, Hydropsyche pellucidula and Limnephilus lunatus.

Birch Shieldbug was the only bug, Bradycellus verbasci and Aphodius rufipes the only beetles and there were 4 Hornets and a Common Wasp.

Things then took a turn for the worse and the night of 9th August was dire: just 41 moths of 14 species: Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 22 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Willow Beauty, Turnip Moth, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Six-striped Rustic, Straw Underwing, 4 Flounced Rustics and 3 Straw Dots.

The only other insects I noted were Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus and 2 Hornets.

If that was bad then the following night was even worse - just 9 species of moth!  They were Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 25 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Orange Swifts, Willow Beauty, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Six-striped Rustic, Common Wainscot and 2 Flounced Rustics.

There was also the caddisfly Limnephilus marmoratus, a Hornet and a Common Frog.

Next day I went to Titchwell where the main focus was birds.  But on the way out I stopped at In-focus to pick up my eye-piece that had been in for repairs.  The buddleia in their car park was full of butterflies but among them was something smaller.  Eventually I got a good enough look at it - it was a Gold Spot, and clearly very much at home among the butterflies feeding in the sunshine.

That night there was a slight improvement in numbers of moths though none were new for the year.  There were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii, Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, Dark Ash-bud Moth Prays ruficeps, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, 4 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 2 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 56 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Orange Swifts, Single-dotted Wave, Flame Carpet, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Magpie Moth, Brimstone Moth, Dusky Thorn, Buff Ermine, 2 Flame Shoulders, 4 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Six-striped Rustics, Straw Underwing, Dun-bar, Vine's Rustic and 6 Straw Dots.

Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii (male, gen det), North Elmham, 11th August

Rush Marble Bactra lancealana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 11th August

Lacewings and caddisflies consisted of Hemerobius humulinus, Hemerobius lutescens, 4 Micromus variegatus, Hydropsyche siltalai, 3 Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis and 2 Limnephilus lunatus.

There was one new insect for the year among the beetles, a 10-spot Ladybird - in fact only my second here I think.  Other beetles were Amara apricaria and Nicrophorus investigator.

10-spot Ladybird, North Elmham, 11th August

It's been a good year for Hornets and they peaked in the garden this night with a total of 10 in the moth trap.

Regal Piercer

A wander round the Cathedral Meadows on 27th June produced a good variety of interesting insects including five I'd not previously recorded.  The best of these was a new moth, but embarrassingly I stuffed up the ID at the time.  No excuses for that as it's a distinctive species, but one that wasn't really on my radar and, having found this one on a Sycamore I shoe-horned it into the vaguely-similar Sycamore Piercer Pammene aurita.  Months later I happened upon a photo of a Regal Piercer Pammene regiana and realised immediately that this was in fact the moth I'd seen (these occur on Sycamore too).

Regal Piercer Pammene regiana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

There was also an Orange-spot Piercer Pammene aurana on some Hogweed.

Orange-spot Piercer Pammene aurana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Other moths were Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteucha culmella, and the continuing larvae of the Small Eggars.  There was a good variety of butterflies including 50 Ringlets.

Ringlet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

 Quite a few dragonflies too, including one of my earliest ever Ruddy Darters.

Ruddy Darter, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Both Common Green and Meadow Grasshoppers were found, and surprisingly both were new species for me.  I've not a huge amount with grasshoppers in the past but enough that I should have recorded these two species before now.

Common Green Grasshopper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Bugs included a creche of 48 Parent Bugs, final instars I think, and up to 8 Orthotylus adenocarpi, a new species for me.  I say up to 8 because I only checked one of them carefully.  They were all found on Broom but there are other very similar species occurring on Broom so it is possible that they were not all the same species.

Parent Bugs, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Orthotylus adenocarpi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

This beetle proved to be a Common Malachite Malachius bipustulatus.

Common Malachite Malachius bipustulatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

A hoverfly turned out to be Cheilosia illustrata, another new species for me, and there was also a Hornet.

Cheilosa illustrata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Hornet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

I really enjoyed the display of Musk Mallow in the wildflower meadow:

Musk Mallow, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

The Turkscap Lily was still looking good...

Turkscap Lily, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

That night at home the highlight was a Wood Groundling Parachronistis albiceps, only my third ever and the first for my garden. It seemed to me to be a good year for this species because I went on to have another three, including two more in the garden, however by the time of writing there were only two other records in the Norfolk Moth Survey database this year which is less than usual.

Wood Groundling Parachronistis albiceps, North Elmham, 27th June

Lesser Cream Wave and Shaded Broad-bar were new for the year.

Lesser Cream Wave, North Elmham, 27th June

Shaded Broad-bar, North Elmham, 27th June

Other moths were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Buff Mompha Mompha ochraceella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, 7 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, 10 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, Satin Grass-veneer Crambus perlella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 4 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, 3 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, 5 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Treble Brown Spots, 9 Riband Waves, Garden Carpet, Yellow Shell, 6 Barred Straws, 2 Barred Yellows, Currant Pug, 2 Common Pugs, Double-striped Pug, Small Yellow Wave, 3 Brimstone Moths, Lilac Beauty, Willow Beauty, 3 Mottled Beauties, Engrailed, 2 Clouded Silvers, 4 Common Footmen, 8 Buff Ermines, 3 Heart and Clubs, Heart and Dart, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Double Square-spots, 2 Clays, Common Wainscot, 3 Brown Rustics, Treble Lines, 9 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, Beautiful Hook-tip, 4 Snouts and Fan-foot, and there was one caddisfly, Hydropsyche pellucidula.

Hornet

I get a few Hornets in the moth trap.  So far they've not been a serious problem, though they do predate the odd moth now and then.  If they remain docile enough not to be a threat (to me) they're quite attractive in a strange sort of way...

Hornet, North Elmham, 5th August

5th August was a pretty poor night by recent standards - just 110 moths of 40 species and none of them very remarkable: Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 24 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 27 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stagnata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Chinese Character, Large Emerald, Small Fan-footed Wave, Single-dotted Wave, 5 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Lime-speck Pug, Purple Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Pebble Prominent, Pale Prominent, Buff-tip, 3 Yellow-tails, 3 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 3 Common Footmen, Ruby Tiger, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Nutmeg, Clay, 2 Straw Underwings, Ear Moth, 4 Uncertains, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Straw Dot and Snout.

 Ear Moth (male, gen det), North Elmham, 5th August

Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 5th August