Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 8: Pugs III and Seraphims etc. (Eupithecia III to Trichopteryx)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)


Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata - Totals of 146 in my garden between 15th May and 4th July 2019 and 119 between 26th April and 29th June 2020.  146 is my highest total so far (average is 114).  Elsewhere 15 at the meadows and also recorded at Bintree Wood, Sculthorpe Moor, Hills and Holes, Weybourne, Keswick (Cumbria) and on Mull.  I'm always a bit paranoid about overlooking one of the scarce or rare pugs so tend to check more than I probably really need to, but this approach has got me a few interesting records in the past that I would have overlooked (including one or two of my Satyr Pugs for example).  Worn ones can be particularly confusing and it's not all that unusual for me to get mixed up between even familiar species like Grey Pug.  I've picked fresher examples to show below so these are among the more straightforward ones that I checked, although the third one had me quite puzzled, not that there were any clear candidates for an alternative ID.

male Common Pug, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019

male Common Pug, North Elmham, 29th May 2019

male Common Pug, North Elmham, 30th May 2019

male and female Common Pugs, North Elmham, 3rd June 2019

female Common Pug, North Elmham, 19th June 2019

male Common Pug, North Elmham, 20th June 2019

male Common Pug, North Elmham, 23rd May 2020

Mottled Pug Eupithecia exiguata - A total of 11 here 19th May and 2nd June 2019 making it just about my worse year here (average about 16) followed by an on-par 16 between 8th May and 1st June 2020.  Elsewhere one at the meadows and 2 at Hills and Holes.

Mottled Pug, North Elmham, 19th May 2019

Mottled Pug, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Yarrow Pug Eupithecia millefoliata - One in the garden on 23rd July 2019 was a new moth for the garden and only my second adult anywhere.

female Yarrow Pug, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Tawny Speckled Pug Eupithecia icterata - Totals of 7 caught in the garden between 25th July and 25th August 2019 and 14 between 8th and 19th August 2020, either side of the average of around 10-11 per year.  Elsewhere one next door and one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.


Bordered Pug Eupithecia succenturiata - 4 in the garden between 5th July and 8th August 2019 and 5 between 24th July and 11th August 2020 (the last being my latest ever).  5 was my best annual total but this species is quite erratic with 3-4 in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and none at all in 2015 or 2017.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 7th July 2019 and one next door on 8th August 2019.

Bordered Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Bordered Pug, North Elmham, 8th July 2019

Shaded Pug Eupithecia subumbrata - None.  This is quite scarce in Norfolk away from the Brecks and the coast but I caught one here in my garden in 2016 and 2 together in 2017.


Grey Pug Eupithecia subfuscata - Totals of 12 trapped here between 2nd June and 12th July 2019 and 10 between 21st May and 1st July, which are very average numbers.  Elsewhere 3 at the meadows, one at Hellesdon, one at Hills and Holes (on 21st May 2020, my earliest ever) and 5 on Mull.

male Grey Pug, North Elmham, 3rd June 2019

male Grey Pug, North Elmham, 7th June 2019

female Grey Pug, North Elmham, 10th June 2019

male Grey Pug, North Elmham, 11th June 2020

Treble-bar Aplocera plagiata - An average year in 2019 with 10 trapped here between 2nd June and 30th August then an exceptional 37 between 18th May and 26th August 2020 (my previous best annual total was 15).  Elsewhere one at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August 2019 and one at the meadows on 8th September 2020. 

Treble-bar, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

female Treble-bar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

Lesser Treble-bar Aplocera efformata - None.  I carefully check each and every Treble-bar I find for Lesser Treble-bar but so far have found absolutely no evidence that they exist.


Streak Chesias legatella - Singles caught in the garden on 17th October 2019, 17th October 2020 and  8th November 2020.  These were my 3rd to 5th records here following singles in November 2014 and November 2015.

Streak, North Elmham, 17th October 2019

Streak, North Elmham, 17th October 2020

Streak, North Elmham, 8th November 2020

Broom-tip Chesias rufata - None.  I've only seen this species in the Brecks which is where the vast majority of recent Norfolk records have been, but there are a couple of recent records from elsewhere in the county and a good spread of older records, and there are some good patches of Broom locally so I'm optimistic that it might be lurking round here somewhere.


Grey Carpet Lithostege griseata - None.  Like Broom-tip, Grey Carpet is mainly found in the Brecks and that's the only place I've seen it.  However unlike Broom-tip, there have been quite a few records of Grey Carpets in mid Norfolk (e.g. Dave Norgate had one in Toftwood in 2018 and David Knight has had one just down the road from here in Worthing) so I reckon I've got more than half a chance of getting one locally sometime.


Seraphim Lobophora halterata - I think this was one of the 2-3 commonest moths that I'd not seen until 2019 but that year it finally gave itself up with one to MV light at the meadows on 25th May, swiftly followed by another to LEDs at a different part of the meadows on 31st May.  Further afield one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

Seraphim, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Seraphim, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Seraphim, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Small Seraphim Lobophora halterata - Singles trapped in the garden on 11th July 2019 and 24th June 2020.  I've now caught 5 here, until the last one all in odd years.

Small Seraphim, North Elmham, 11th July 2019

Small Seraphim, North Elmham, 24th June 2020

Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata - Just one caught in the garden in 2019, on 8th August.  Numbers of this species fluctuate greatly but this was exceptionally bad - 5 was my previous worst year and in 2016 I caught 38.  2020 was only a bit better with 7 between 5th and 21st August.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 4th August 2019.

Yellow-barred Brindle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Early Tooth-striped Trichopteryx carpinata - None in 2019 but I added this species to my garden list in 2020 catching one on 22nd April and then a different one on 24th April.  There was only one previous record in this 10km square but having caught one at my last house in Bawdeswell and also one at Bawdeswell Heath, I knew they weren't very far away.

Early Tooth-striped, North Elmham, 22nd April 2020

Early Tooth-striped, North Elmham, 24th April 2020

Orange Underwing Archiearis parthenias - None.  I haven't found this species in North Elmham yet but I've had it not very far away in Bintree Wood (and at Sparham Pools).  I generally don't find many day-flying moths in my garden (although maybe there's a chance as there's a Birch in my front garden and another in the neighbour's garden behind mine) and I don't have much chance at the meadows either as the meadows are quite Birch-depleted.


Next page: more Geometridae

Copper Ermel, Dowdy Plume, Dune Villas and a leaf cut by a bee

For the third night in the row, 24th August was a good night.  The highlight was my first ever adult Copper Ermel Roeslerstammia erxlebella.

Copper Ermel Roeslerstammia erxlebella, North Elmham, 24th August

New for the year were Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella, Centre-barred Sallow and Old Lady.

Centre-barred Sallow, North Elmham, 24th August

I was more surprised to see a Rosy Footman, a pristine fresh individual so I suspect a second generation which isn't normal for this species.  Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea was also my first of its second generation this year, although for that species it's the first spring generation that's a relatively new phenonemon.

Four species of migrant moth was good for here:  3 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis, 2 Rush Veneers Nomophila noctuella and Silver Y.

Other micros were Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, Wainscot Smudge Ypsolopha scabrella, Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis corylana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 5 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 7 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 3 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 3 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, 6 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 7 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis and Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.

The remainder of the macros were 3 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Riband Waves, Flame Carpet, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 6 Common Carpets, 10 Green Carpets, 2 Wormwood/Currant Pugs, Tawny Speckled Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 3 Treble-bars, 3 Yellow-barred Brindles, 25 Brimstone Moths, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, Dusky Thorn, 3 Willow Beauties, 2 Poplar Hawkmoths, 2 Iron Prominents, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Swallow Prominent, 19 Flame Shoulders, 24 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 10 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Small Square-spot, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 5 Square-spot Rustics, 2 Common Wainscots, Copper Underwing, 2 Straw Underwings, Dark Arches, Cloaked Minor, Common Rustic, 9 Flounced Rustics, 2 Burnished Brasses, 2 Spectacles, 30 Straw Dots and 3 Snouts.

Treble-bar (female), North Elmham, 24th August

Green Lacewings consisted of 2 Cunctochrysa albolineata and Dichochrysa flavifrons.  Caddisflies included a Athripsodes albifrons and bugs included a Forest Bug.

Next day I headed up to Burnham Overy for some birding.  Saw some birds but the non-birds were more varied and interesting.  I saw 4 Toads, 2 Natterjacks and 2 Common Toads.  Later on with Andrew B and his colleague we found a Common Lizard.

Common Lizard, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Natterjack, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

There were a lot of plume moths in the dunes.  Some looked like, and one was subsequently confirmed as being, Breckland Plume Crombrugghia distans - at least 10 of these seen.  Others looked rather like Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, but they didn't seem big enough.  I couldn't immediately see what else they could be though, so suspecting that's what they were I retained one just in case.  Good job I did... they were, or at least that one was, Dowdy Plume Stenoptilia zophodactylus, a new moth for me.  At least 6 of these, assuming they were all the same.

 Breckland Plume Crombrugghia distans (male, gen det), Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Dowdy Plume Stenoptilia zophodactylus (male, gen det), Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Other moths were 6 Spindle Ermines Yponomeuta cagnagella, 2+ Beautiful Groundlings Caryocolum marmorea, 6 Yellow-spot Tortrixes Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 10+ Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Hook-tipped Grass-veneer Platytes alpinella, Straw-barred Pearl Pyrausta despicata, 3 Common Carpets and 3 Yellow Belles.

Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Butterflies included getting on for 200 Small/Green-veined Whites along the sea wall.  Both species were involved - I identified and counted 55 Small Whites and 23 Green-veined Whites.  Also Small Copper, 3 Brown Arguses, Common Blues, Small Tortroiseshells, Wall Browns, Meadow Browns, Gatekeeper, Small Heaths (most of the non-Whites were in the dunes).  Dragonflies included Migrant Hawker and at least 2 Ruddy Darters.

I was mystified by a green thing flying with a strange up and down motion through the dunes.  It had quite a big very green body and was flying most bizarrely - or at least that was what I first thought.  When it landed I realised that it was in fact a bee carrying a leaf!  Although I was vaguely aware that there was such a thing as a leafcutter bee I'd never seen one carrying a leaf it had cut before.  Turns out, I think, that it was Silvery Leafcutter Bee Megachile leachella, my first leafcutter in the UK.

Silvery Leafcutter Bee Megachile leachella, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Other interesting insects included 2 Dune Villas, a distinctive Bee Fly I was familiar with only through a couple of photos I'd seen on Twitter recently.

Dune Villas Villa modesta, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

These two hoverflies looked so different from one another I'd have imagined they were different species were it not for the fact that they were copulating.  Turns out they were (both) Sphaerophoria scripta.

Sphaerophoria scripta, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Andrew Bloomfield kindly showed me some more spiders.  These included Tegenaria agrestis, Alopecosa barbipes and a Theridion sp.  I think he said he needed to check the ID of the latter and I've not followed up to find out which species it was.  The very limited research I've done (googling) suggests it may be Theridion pictum though if I remember rightly T varians was mentioned.

Alopecosa barbipes, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Theridion sp. (looks like images of Theridion pictum), Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Andy also pointed out some interesting grasshoppers.  First were a couple of Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers one of which was an unusual pink form.  There was also Mottled Grasshopper and Andy found a Long-winged Conehead, apparently not a common sighting here.

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Long-winged Conehead, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August

Also thanks to Andy for pointing out Tiny Earthstars - a rare fungus that is not found at many other sites.

Tiny Earthstars, Burnham Overy Dunes, 25th August