Description


A diary of my mothing activity covering highlights and photos from my moth trapping activities. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I may mention other wildlife sightings here, especially insects, but for birds see my birding diary.

Monday 24 July 2017

Holt Lowes, my first garden Clearwing and a Mugwort Plume

I stopped briefly at Bintree Mill on the way up to the coast on 13th June, finding lots of Banded Demoiselles.  At Cley non-avian highlights were Four-spotted Chaser and Black-tailed Skimmers.

Next I had a look round Holt Lowes, in part to look for Clearwings.  In that respect it was worse than a failure - not only did I fail to see any Clearwings but I also dropped and lost my Large Red-belted Clearwing lure somewhere in the valley.  Fortunately I did see some interesting moths that made the visit worthwhile.  As I entered the valley I netted a grass-veneer which I thought might possibly be Marsh Grass-veneer Crambus uliginosellus.  Foolishly having obtained that one I didn't look very hard at any of the next 100 or so similar Crambids, believing that due to their abundance they must have all just been Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella.  Well it turned out that the one I retained was Crambus uliginosellus as I'd initially suspected, a new species for me, and now I'm left wondering whether the other 100 or so were too (would be interesting to find the species in such large numbers), or if I was just lucky and the rest were the commoner species.  Wish I'd looked a bit more carefully at the others.

Marsh Grass-veneer Crambus uliginosellus, Holt Lowes, 13th June


Nearly as good (perhaps better, but not new for me) were two Olive Marbles Phiaris micana.


Olive Marbles Phiaris micana, Holt Lowes, 13th June


Other moths included Netted Argent Argyresthia retinella, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Bridge Roller Ancylis uncella, 10 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Common Carpet, Double-striped Pug, Brown Silver-line and Marbled White Spot.

Netted Argent Argyresthia retinella, Holt Lowes, 13th June


Dragonflies included Common Blue, Azure and Large Red Damselflies, Broad-bodied Chasers and at least a dozen Keeled Skimmers.

Keeled Skimmer, Holt Lowes, 13th June


I retained a couple of Scorpion Flies for checking and both proved to be Panorpa communis.

Panorpa communis (female, gen det), Holt Lowes, 13th June


Beetles included my first Black-striped Longhorn Beetle Stenurella melanura.

Black-striped Longhorn Beetle Stenurella melanura, Holt Lowes, 13th June


Other insects included Tree, White-tailed and Buff-tailed Bumblebees all buzzing round a single bush.

I'd had no success with Clearwings at Holt but I put out the lure for Currant Clearwing at home and was delighted to find a Currant Clearwing in the lure trap.  My first Clearwing in the garden and the first to have proved that the lure trap actually works.

Currant Clearwing, North Elmham, 13th June


That night the star of the show was a Mugwort Plume Hellinsia lienigianus, a new species for my garden and only my second anywhere.

Mugwort Plume Hellinsia lienigianus, North Elmham, 13th June


Also new for the year here were Brown Elm Bell Epinotia abbreviana, Ghost Moth and Four-dotted Footman.

Brown Elm Bell Epinotia abbreviana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 13th June


Ghost Moth, North Elmham, 13th June


Four-dotted Footman, North Elmham, 13th June


Other moths were White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 9 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 11 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Common Swift, Single-dotted Wave, Riband Wave, Barred Straw, Common Marbled Carpet, Currant Pug, 2 Common Pugs, Willow Beauty, Light Emerald, Marbled Brown, Buff-tip, 15 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 3 Heart and Darts, Ingrailed Clay, Shears, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 2 Brown Rustics, Middle-barred Minor, 2 Mottled Rustics, Burnished Brass, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, 7 Straw Dots, Snout and Small Fan-foot.  Common Earwig and the caddisfly Hydropsyche pellucidula were the only other insects noted.

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