Hills and Holes (Hockham)

Saturday 9th July was the Norfolk Moth Survey event at Hills and Holes near Hockham.  A superb site that I've never been to before - in fact it was completely off my radar and I never even knew it existed.  Dave and I set our lights in one area and it was so good that we never left it to go and see what the others had in their traps.  We totalled 114 species including multiple individuals of 2 species I'd never seen before: 3 Bugloss Case-bearers Coleophora pennella and 5 White-strap Sobers Syncopacma larseniella.

White-strap Sobers Syncopacma larseniella, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Bugloss Case-bearers Coleophora pennella (male above & female below, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July

My first ever NMS event at Weston Park in 2011 produced a white Coleophora which I put down as kuhlweiniella based on the fact that a diffierent individual that I didn't see was collected and confirmed as that species.  In hindsight that was flawed logic - no reason at all to assume they were both the same species and the one I saw wasn't checked.  So although it was already on my list, the gen detted White Oak Case-bearer Coleophora kuehnella from Hills and Holes probably should have been my third lifer of the night. Grotty worn specimen though!

White Oak Case-bearer Coleophora kuehnella (male, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July

Other good micros included 3 Dotted Ermels Ethmia dodecea, White-shouldered Sober Sophronia semicostella and Ash-coloured Sober Acompsia cinerella.

White-shouldered Sober Sophronia semicostella, Hills and Holes, 9th July

The rest of the micros were 3 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, 5 Grey Rush Case-bearers Coleophora glaucicolella, Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, Meadow Neb Metzneria metzneriella, 3 Water-mint Conches Phalonidia manniana, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, 3 Orange Pine Tortrixes Lozotaeniodes formosana, 2 Red-barred Tortrixes Ditula angustiorana, 3 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, 2 Yellow Oak Buttons Aleimma loeflingiana, 2 Green Oak Tortrixes Tortrix viridana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Pine Marbles Piniphila bifasciana, White-backed Marble Hedya salicella, Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, 7 Orange-spotted Shoots Rhyacionia pinicolana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 80 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, 2 Twin-barred Knot-horns Homoeosoma sinuella, 5 Brown Plumes Stenoptilia pterodactyla and White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla.

Orange Pine Tortrix Lozotaeniodes formosana, Hills and Holes, 9th July

White-backed Marble Hedya salicella, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Orange-spotted Shoots Rhyacionia pinicolana, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Water-mint Conch Phalonidia manniana (female, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July

The best macro was one of the last moths found, a fantastic Festoon.  I've only seen a couple before and both of those were seen in pots having been found by other people on events like this, so my first opportunity to get a reasonable photo.

Festoon, Hills and Holes, 9th July

One Cream Wave sp. looked for all the world like a Cream Wave, including its size, wing shape and wing markings, but it would be a very late date for that.  I gen detted it and it proved to be one of 8 Lesser Cream Waves, but it did make me wonder whether these two species can be wholly reliably identified without dissection, especially if they are not at the extremes of size.

Other macros were 2 Ghost Moths, Buff Arches, Figure of Eighty, Small Fan-footed Wave, Dwarf Cream Wave, Large Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Shaded Broad-bars, Common Carpet, Barred Straw, Blue-bordered Carpet, Brown Scallop, Toadflax Pug, Green Pug, Clouded Magpie, 3 Brown Silver-lines, Brimstone Moth, Swallow-tailed Moth, 2 Peppered Moths, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, 2 Engraileds, 3 Clouded Silvers, Barred Red, 2 Pine Hawkmoths, Elephant Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, 2 Buff-tips, Yellow-tail, White Satin, Rosy Footman, Red-necked Footman, Four-dotted Footman, 2 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, Buff Footman, Short-cloaked Moth, Heart and Club, Flame, Flame Shoulder, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, Dot Moth, Brown-line Bright-eye, Clay, 2 Smoky Wainscots, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 2 Poplar Greys, Sycamore, Miller, Grey Dagger, 3 Coronets, Small Angle Shades, 2 Dark Arches, Light Arches, Clouded Brindle, Slender Brindle, Ear Moth, 3 Marbled White Spots, Green Silver-lines, Burnished Brass, Silver Y, Beautiful Golden Y, Spectacle, 2 Blacknecks, Beautiful Hook-tip, Straw Dot, Snout and Small Fan-foot.

Blackneck, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Brown Scallop, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Coronets, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Miller, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Red-necked Footman, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Ear Moth (male, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July

Pine Hawkmoth, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Clouded Brindle, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Toadflax Pug, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Best of the other things were a pair of Scarce Emerald Damselflies that spent the evening on my sheet.  It's 17 years since I last saw these!

Scarce Emerald Damselflies, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Also the green lacewing Chrysopa perla and 2 Honey Bees.  I didn't pay too much attention to the caddisflies as I haven't got time to sort them all out in the peak moth season (not this year anyway), but I did retain one - and it turned out to be a new one for me, Ceraclea fulva.