Dark Sword-grass

On Friday night Dave and I set up at Beetley Common, a site close to home that we thought had good potential.  We had a reasonable variety of moths coming to light but I found the best moth as I walked back to the car to get something.  A large moth flew across the path in front of me and duly arrived in my net where I recognised it as a Dark Sword-grass.  I don't see this migrant species very often and it was Dave's first ever.  Not the prettiest moth perhaps but distinctive and interesting for being my first migrant moth of the year.

 Dark Sword-grass, Beetley Common, 15th May

By far the most numerous insect (with the possible exception of tiny flies that we didn't identify) was Cockchafer.  These were becoming quite a nuisance so we potted them up to keep them at bay until we left - around 30 in total.

The other moths were 2 Common Oak Purples Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella, Birch Ermel Swammerdamia caesiella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, Scalloped Hook-tip, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Green Carpets, 4 Brindled Pugs, Brown Silver-line, 3 Brimstone Moths, 2 Waved Umbers, 2 White-pinion Spotteds, Pale Prominent, 2 Pale Tussocks, 3 Orange Footmen, 3 Least Black Arches, Bright-line Brown-eye, Hebrew Character, Treble Lines and 2 Nut-tree Tussocks.

Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella, Beetley Common, 15th May

Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, Beetley Common, 15th May

Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, Beetley Common, 15th May

Orange Footman, Beetley Common, 15th May

Green Carpet, Beetley Common, 15th May

White-pinion Spotted, Beetley Common, 15th May

Birch Ermel Swammerdamia caesiella, Beetley Common, 15th May

 
Not 100% sure about the identity of this bug, but I think it may be Thamnotettix dilutior.

possible Thamnotettix dilutior, Beetley Common, 15th May

 
This is one Mayfly - genus Caenis but apparently you need to dissect them to get a species ID.

Caenis sp., Beetley Common, 15th May

 
Earlier in the evening I'd popped to the patch where at Hell Pit I found a Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella on the car and netted a Chinese Character.

Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella (male, gen det), Hell Pit, Bittering, 15th May

 
At home Green Carpet, 2 Scalloped Hazels, Buff-tip, Treble Lines and Pale Mottled Willow were all new for the year, at least for the house.

Pale Mottled Willow, Norh Elmham, 15th May

Treble Lines, Norh Elmham, 15th May

 
Others were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Poplar Hawkmoths, Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, Least Black Arches, Flame Shoulder, Lychnis, 2 Hebrew Characters and Spectacle.

Pale Prominent, Norh Elmham, 15th May

Poplar Hawkmoth, Norh Elmham, 15th May

 
Anyone out there any good on caddisflies?  This one was huge but I can't find the species.

unidentified Caddisfly, Norh Elmham, 15th May