Ginger Button

A drop in numbers on 25th July though 447 moths of 113 species wasn't exactly terrible.  The highlight was a Ginger Button Acleris aspersana.  Not hugely rare, but the first time I've identified one.

Ginger Button Acleris aspersana (male), North Elmham, 25th July

Only two others were new for the year: a House Groundling Bryotropha domestica and the wonderful Oak Eggar.

Oak Eggar, North Elmham, 25th July

Good counts of common macros included 62 Common Footmen and the year's peak count of 44 Uncertains.  Other macros were 4 Buff Arches, 2 Common Emeralds, Blood-vein, Least Carpet, 15 Small Fan-footed Waves, Small Dusty Wave, 7 Single-dotted Waves, 13 Riband Waves, 3 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, 3 Common Carpets, Yellow Shell, Barred Yellow, July Highflyer, 6 Small Rivulets, Green Pug, 2 Small Yellow Waves, 2 Clouded Borders, Early Thorn, Purple Thorn, Peppered Moth, 5 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, 4 Clouded Silvers, Elephant Hawkmoth, 2 Iron Prominents, Coxcomb Prominent, Chocolate-tip, 3 Yellow-tails, Black Arches, Round-winged Muslin, 20 Rosy Footmen, 20 Dingy Footmen, 13 Scarce Footmen, 3 Buff Footmen, 5 Buff Ermines, 3 Ruby Tigers, Cinnabar, Heart and Dart, 4 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 7 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Lychnis, 4 Clays, 11 Smoky Wainscots, 3 Grey Daggers, Coronet, Straw Underwing, 2 Dun-bars, 5 Dark Arches, Rufous Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor, 2 Cloaked Minors, 2 Common Rustics, Lesser Common Rustic, Rustic, Nut-tree Tussock, Burnished Brass, 3 Spectacles, Beautiful Hook-tip, Snout and 3 Fan-foots.

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, North Elmham, 25th July

Least Carpet, North Elmham, 25th July

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 25th July

The first 64 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana that I recorded at home this year were all males.  The first female was on 24th July and two on 25th were also female.  It doesn't seem to be uncommon among lepidoptera for males to emerge before females but with some species their appearance seems to be so discreet that one wonders how they ever manage to breed.

Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, North Elmham, 25th July

The other micros were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, 12 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 8 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, 2 Tipped Oak Case-bearers Coleophora flavipennella, Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella, 2 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, 3 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Dotted Grey Groundling Athrips mouffetella, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 3 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 3 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, 3 Dover Shades Cnephasia genitalana, White-triangle Button Acleris holmiana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, 5 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 11 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, 6 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula nitidulata, 12 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis and Bee Moth Aphomia sociella.

Not much noted apart from moths, mainly because I ignored the caddisflies and mayflies for now.  Both Common Toad and Common Frog were knocking around as I went through the trap though.