Grapholita lobarzewskii - the second for Norfolk (and first for the vice-county)

The pheronome lures often attract insects that aren't their target and this Syrphus ribesii (a hoverfly) was one such example.

Syrphus ribesii, North Elmham, 21st June

New moths for the year that night were Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, Clay and Plain Golden Y.

Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, North Elmham, 21st June

Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st June

Plain Golden Y, North Elmham, 21st June

The rest of the moths that unremarkable night were 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Common Emerald, Single-dotted Wave, 3 Treble Brown Spots, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, 2 Barred Straws, Clouded Border, 2 Willow Beauties, Engrailed, Common White Wave, Light Emerald, Elephant Hawk-moth, Common Footman, 9 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Heart and Clubs, Heart and Dart, Ingrailed Clay, Common Wainscot, 2 Brown Rustics, 4 Uncertains, and Spectacle.

If that was poor then the following night is probably best described as tragic.  Just 16 moths of 12 species, in the fourth week of June (and no mayflies, lacewings, caddisflies, bugs or beetles).  It may have been cool but this is ridiculous!  They were London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Common Swift, Single-dotted Wave, Common Footman, 3 Buff Ermines, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Brown Rustics and Dark Arches.

Common Swift, North Elmham, 22nd June

Next day a quick visit to the allotments produced Yellow Shell and a Dock Bug.  I put the pheronome lure out again for Grapholita lobarzewskii.  This is a newly-developed lure and Jon Clifton caught Norfolk's first lobarzewskii in his garden when trialling it last year, but it also attracted a number of Grapholita janthinana.  Aware of this it was no great surprise when I found a Grapholita in the lure trap to find that it was 'just' a Pale-bordered Piercer Grapholita janthinana.  But that's only the second time I've had this moth here so not all that bad really.

Pale-bordered Piercer Grapholita janthinana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

That night was only a little better than the previous one, with London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, 2 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, 5 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 3 Heart and Clubs, 3 Heart and Darts, Double Square-spot, Bright-line Brown-eye, Common Wainscot, 5 Brown Rustics, 3 Uncertains, Burnished Brass, Spectacle and Straw Dot.

The following day got a whole lot better, starting with the contents of the Grapholita lobarzewskii pherenome lure trap.  In it was a moth that looked superficially similar to Grapholita janthinana, but was immediately obviously different from the Grapholita janthinana I'd caught in there the previous day.  For a starter it was substantially larger, but it was also structurally different being noticeably longer and at least proportionately narrower in the wing.  From below the hindwing cilia looked white and when I managed to encourage it to show its hindwings they were really dark.  Surely this was the boy!  I was so sure I was tempted not to dissect it - surely it couldn't not be lobarzewskii!  But this is a significant record and would only be accepted on dissection so I dutifully did the business.  Sure enough, it proved to be a male Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii, the second record for Norfolk (and first for this vice county).  A nice fresh one too, which is something I can't say about most of the janthinana I've seen previously!

Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii (male, gen det), North Elmham, 24th June

Here it is with the Grapholita janthinana from the previous day, for comparison:

Pale-bordered Piercer Grapholita janthinana (left) and Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii (right)

Remarkably this wasn't my only new moth that day as the night's moth trap produced a Rose Case-bearer Coleophora gryphipennella.  To be fair I didn't have much inkling about this one until I dissected it quite a long time later.  They say that the antennae being clearly ringed right to the tip is a good indicator for this species, but to my eyes this species is extremely similar to various other Coleophora species, some of which can have antennae ringed to the tip.

Rose Case-bearer Coleophora gryphipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 24th June

Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, Swallow-tailed Moth and Dingy Footman were all new for the year that night.

Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, North Elmham, 24th June

Swallow-tailed Moth, North Elmham, 24th June

Other moths were Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Inlaid Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 8 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Dwarf Cream Wave, 2 Small Dusty Waves, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, 3 Barred Straws, 3 Barred Yellows, Foxglove Pug, Double-striped Pug, Lilac Beauty, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, Common White Wave, 2 Common Footmen, 8 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 2 Heart and Clubs, 3 Heart and Darts, 2 Flames, Ingrailed Clay, 4 Double Square-spots, Common Wainscot, 4 Brown Rustics, Marbled Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor, Treble Lines, 13 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, 2 Straw Dots and Snout. Caddisflies were Hydropsyche pellucidula and 2 Grouse Wings Mystacides longicornis.

Dotted Chestnut

There weren't so many moths on 23rd April but they did include a Dotted Chestnut, my second here following my first last spring.  As the species spreads northwards I shouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be annual going forward.

Dotted Chestnut, North Elmham, 23rd April

Another Lunar Marbled Brown was noteworthy - my third this year of a species I only added to my garden list last year.  Also trapped were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Frosted Green, Brindled Pug, 2 Brindled Beauties, 2 Common Quakers, 5 Hebrew Characters, 2 Chrysoperla carnea agg. and a Common Wasp.

Common Wasp, North Elmham, 23rd April

The next night there were just 5 moths in the trap: Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana (new for the year), Early Thorn, Brindled Beauty and 2 Hebrew Characters.  A Brown-lipped Snail was the first I'd noticed this year.

Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, North Elmham, 24th April

Next day I returned to the meadows.  It was relatively unproductive but there were 3 species of hoverfly: Melanostoma scalare, Platycheirus albimanus and Syrphus ribesii.

Melanostoma scalare, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Platycheirus albimanus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Syrphus ribesii, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Another ant proved to be Small Black Ant Lasius niger - that's probably the two commonest ant species knocked off now - I wonder how hard it will be to find any others?

Small Black Ant Lasius niger, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I think this yellow mushroom must be a Yellow Fieldcap, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Yellow Fieldcap, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

There is a good display of Cowslips in the wildflower meadow.

Cowslips, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I found some Rue-leaved Saxifrage growing on the chapel ruins, along with plenty of Ivy-leaved Toadflax.

Rue-leaved Saxifrage, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Ivy-leaved Toadflax, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

This tree growing near the chapel doesn't look like an ordinary Cypress to me - I'm erring more on the side of Nootka Cypress, but if anyone can confirm or put me right please let me know.

possible Nootka Cypress, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I think these sheep thought I was going to feed them.  They were disappointed.

sheep, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

That night 3 Hebrew Characters were the only moths in the trap but there was also another Springtail, Orchesella cincta again I think.

Orchesella cincta, North Elmham, 25th April

A fractionally warmer night on 26th secured a small number of moths: Brindled Beauty, Muslin Moth, 2 Hebrew Characters and Nut-tree Tussock. Also a hoverfly Melanostoma scalare, my first here this year.

Early the next morning I popped up to the Cathedral Meadows where I found my first moths for the site at last.  At least 6 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella (2 retained and confirmed) were flying around nettles beneath a beech tree, at least 2 Common Thorn Midgets Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae were flying around the track flanked by Hawthorn and a Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella was flying beneath oaks on the railway.  Although I'd already counted an unconfirmed example the oxyacanthae were my first confirmed individuals of this species anywhere.

Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th April

Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th April

Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, North Elmham, 27th April

I then went to the patch at Bittering and saw my third Pyllonorycter species of the morning, a White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella.

Later that day I found my first Waxfly of the year, inside my study.  It was a Conwentzia sp., but like every other Conwentzia I've caught it was a female and so cannot be identified to species-level.

Conwentzia sp. (female), North Elmham, 27th April

That night there were no moths in the trap but 2 more hoverflies, both Melanostoma scalare.  Nothing at all the following night and just 1 Hebrew Character and another Melanostoma scalare on 29th.