Abundant rarely-recorded waxflies

I headed up to the Cathedral Meadows early on Saturday 12th May.  One striking feature was the abundance of Waxflies flying alongside the hedgerows.  There are several species of Waxfly and most are poorly recorded (which is presumably how I added two species to the Norfolk list from my garden last year).  Several can only be identified if they are male, so I retained enough to be reasonably confident that I would have males from each of the two tetrads I was covering.  In the end they were all males and they all proved to be Coniopteryx tineiformis, a very poorly-recorded species.  I had one at home in 2016 but prior to that there was just one record in Norfolk.  I have noticed early morning waxflies flying around hawthorns elsewhere at this time of year before - I bet this is actually a very common and widespread species that simply isn't recorded.  I don't suppose there are all that many people out at five in the morning with nets who are prepared to catch waxflies and examine their genitalia.  Quite odd really - I wonder why not?
 

Coniopteryx tineiformis (males, gen det), Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

There were also a few moths flying around including Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 5 Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella, 2 Pearled Dwarfs Elachista apicipunctella and Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella.

Pearled Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

This Scorpion Fly is another Panorpa germanica.

Parnorpa germanica, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

I think this springtail is Pogonognathellus longicornis, though it's quite a bit smaller than they can get, the antennae were only fractionally longer than the body and the filaments on the empodia (is that the pluaral of empodium?) weren't quite as long as they're supposed to be.  On the scarcer flavescens the antennae should be shorter than the body and the empodium shorter than the claw, neither of which were the case, quite.  I think the similar Tomocerus species have less tapered antennae and spines on the inside of the dens which I couldn't see, but I'm basing this primarily on the descriptions of the 4 Tomocerid species at Naturespot, and I'm not 100% sure there aren't any other contenders I should rule out (or in).

Pogonognathellus longicornis, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

I have struggled a bit using the key to land snails but decided to put a bit more effort in this year as I'm trying to record as many different taxa as possible at the meadows.  Today I identified White-lipped Snail, Strawberry Snail (both of which I had identified before) and Copse Snail (which was entirely new to me).

 Copse Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

White-lipped Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Strawberry Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

As I understand it these slugs can't be identified to either Great Red Slug or Great Black Slug without dissection and examination of their genitalia.  For some reason looking at a slug's naughty bits is somehow less appealing than looking at a moth or waxfly's naughty bits...

Great Red Slug or perhaps Great Black Slug, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Mullein and more

Dave and I have been keen to get our first moth session of the year at Hilgay Fen, the normally inaccessible reserve where Dave has permission to moth-trap.  Perhaps we were a little too keen as the conditions last Friday evening clearly weren't quite good enough for a decent session.  The forecast had been for cloud but this was revised shortly beforehand and we turned up to a clearer and cooler night than we had hoped for.

Consequently the moth list was quite poor: White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana, Common Carpet, Lunar Marbled Brown, White Ermine, Flame Shoulder, Red Chestnut, Powdered Quaker and 2 Hebrew Characters.

Flame Shoulder, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

Caddisflies included Agrypnia pagetana, Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus affinis, 4 Limnephilus auriculas, Limnephilus griseus and Molanna angustata. Of those 3 were species I'd not identified before (pagetana, affinis and angustata).

Agrypnia pagetana, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

Limnephilus affinis, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

Limnephilus auricula, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

Limnephilus griseus, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

I think this beetle must be Carabus nemoralis, another new one for me assuming my ID is correct.

presumed Carabus nemoralis, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

Other inverts included Common Earwig, what I think must have been a young Common Garden Slug, Kentish Snail and White-lipped Snails.

 presumed Common Garden Slug (juvenile?), Hilgay Fen, 6th May

Kentish Snail, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

White-lipped Snails, Hilgay Fen, 6th May

At home that night the clear highlight was a Mullein, not only a fantastic looker but one I rarely encounter - indeed it was my first for 5 years (and therefore also new for the garden).

Mullein, North Elmham, 6th May

A good showing of Prominents too with Pebble Prominent, 3 Lesser Swallow Prominents and 4 Swallow Prominents, the Pebble and Swallow being new for the year.

Pebble Prominent, North Elmham, 6th May

Also Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Streamer, Yellow-barred Brindle, Waved Umber and Hebrew Character.

Caddisflies were Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus auricula.