gobirding.eu Mothing Diary: Dark Spinach and Oak Nycteoline

With 442 moths of 92 species, 21st July wasn't exactly a bad night but compared to the previous night it felt a lot quieter. Indeed there was only one new moth for the year, a Straw Underwing, and nearly half of the moths were the same species: 219 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella.

Straw Underwing, North Elmham, 21st July

The other moths were Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, Red Birch Midget Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella, 7 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, 2 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 3 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, 3 Cinerous Nebs Bryotropha terrella, House Neb Bryotropha domestica, Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta, Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Red-barred Tortrixes Ditula angustiorana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, 5 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 2 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 6 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 14 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis, Ghost Moth, Pebble Hook-tip, Chinese Character, Blood-vein, Least Carpet, 5 Small Fan-footed Waves, 11 Single-dotted Waves, 7 Riband Waves, 3 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Common Carpet, Small Phoenix, Small Rivulet, Sandy Carpet, Bordered Pug, V-Pug, Double-striped Pug, 5 Clouded Borders, Early Thorn, 3 Scalloped Oaks, 3 Willow Beauties, Pale Prominent, 3 Yellow-tails, Round-winged Muslin, 7 Rosy Footmen, 14 Dingy Footmen, 4 Scarce Footmen, Buff Footman, 12 Common Footmen, Ruby Tiger, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Double Square-spots, Brown-line Bright Eye, 2 Clays, 6 Smoky Wainscots, Dun-bar, 3 Dark Arches, Light Arches, Cloaked Minor, 3 Common Rustics, Dusky Sallow, 2 Fen Wainscots, 11 Uncertains, Rustic, Mottled Rustic, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Beautiful Hook-tip, Straw Dot and 2 Fan-foots.

4 speices of mayfly was good: there was Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum, 2 Green Drakes Ephemera danica and 3 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita. Caddisflies were 2 Hydropsyche pellucidula, Hydropsyche siltalai, Medium Sedge Goera pilosa and Athripsodes aterrimus. Beetles consisted of another Amara apricaria, Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes and Hydrobius fuscipes.

The following night there were slightly fewer moths and slightly less variety (425 moths of 88 species) but there was some good quality among them including 4 new macros for the year: Dark Spinach, Lime-speck Pug, Coronet and Oak Nycteoline. The Dark Spinach and Oak Nycteoline were both only my second records here.

Dark Spinach, North Elmham, 22nd July

Coronet, North Elmham, 22nd July

Oak Nycteoline, North Elmham, 22nd July

The other moths were Barred White Clothes Moth Nemapogon clematella, Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, 2 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella, 8 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Grey Ermine Yponomeuta sedella, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 3 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, Ash-coloured Crest Acompsia cinerella, 2 Orange Crests Helcystogramma rufescens, 2 Four-spotted Obscures Oegoconia quadripuncta, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 4 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 5 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, 2 Maple Buttons Acleris forsskaleana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, 3 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 204 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 5 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 22 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, Ghost Moth, Buff Arches, Small Blood-vein, Least Carpet, 6 Small Fan-footed Waves, 13 Single-dotted Waves, 7 Riband Waves, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, Currant Pug, Double-striped Pug, 4 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, 3 Early Thorns, 4 Scalloped Oaks, 4 Willow Beauties, Engrailed, Common Wave, Poplar Hawk-moth, Pale Prominent, 2 Yellow-tails, 2 Rosy Footmen, 14 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, Buff Footman, 11 Common Footmen, 3 Buff Ermines, 2 Ruby Tigers, Turnip Moth, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Double Square-spots, 2 Clays, 3 Dun-bars, Dark Arches, Common Rustic, 9 Uncertains, 3 Rustics, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Spectacle, Herald, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, Snout and 2 Fan-foots.

Another Conwentzia psociformis was good value, only my second example of this waxfly here following my first earlier this year. There was also the brown lacewing Micromus variegatus.

Conwentzia psociformis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd July

There was some good quality among the other insects too including a new caddisfly for me, Tinodes unicolor. A shame it didn't survive long enough for me to photograph it alive... Other caddis were Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus, Molanna angustata, Athripsodes aterrimus and Grouse Wing Mystacides longicornis.

Tinodes unicolor, North Elmham, 22nd July

There was a new beetle for me too: Ophonus puncticeps. Other beetles were Nicrophorus investigator, Orange Ladybird and Lagria hirta. There was also the leafhopper Oncopsis subangulata.

Ophonus puncticeps, North Elmham, 22nd July

Chris Mills invited me over to go through his moth trap at Themelthorpe, so I rocked up at his on the morning of 23rd to go through what he had caught the previous night. Two of the highlights were Orache Case-bearer Coleophora saxicolella and Eyelet Sober Thiotricha subocellea, both species I haven't yet recorded here in North Elmham.

Orache Case-bearer Coleophora saxicolella (female, gen det), Themelthorpe, 22nd July

Other things I noted down (and the counts are conservative guesses in many cases) were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Small Red Slender Caloptilia rufipennella, White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella, Willow Bent-wing Phyllocnistis saligna, 5 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 4 Clover Case-bearers Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, 2 Lesser Tawny Tubics Batia lunaris, 3 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, 3 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, probable Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta, 4 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Cnephasia sp., Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Diamond-back Marble Eudemis profundana, 8 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 30 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, probable Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Oak Eggar, Oak Hook-tip, 2 Chinese Characters, 3 Buff Arches, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, Single-dotted Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Small Phoenix, 5 July Highflyers, Brimstone Moth, Dusky Thorn, 2 Early Thorns, 7 Willow Beauties, Clouded Silver, Poplar Hawk-moth, Pebble Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Yellow-tails, 2 Black Arches, 4 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 6 Common Footmen, 2 Ruby Tigers, 2 Heart and Darts, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame Shoulder, 8 Double Square-spots, 4 Clays, 7 Smoky Wainscots, Lunar-spotted Pinion, Small Clouded Brindle, 3 Common Rustic aggs., Beautiful Hook-tip and 2 Straw Dots.

Later that day I had a wander round the Cathedral Meadows where butterflies included 6+ Purple Hairstreaks and 2 Holly Blues. There were a few moths too: Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 4 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis and Blood-vein.

Red Admiral, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd July

Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd July

Bugs included a mating pair of Forest Bugs, 2 Hairy Shieldbugs and a new species for me swept off Mugwort, Apolygus lucorum.

Forest Bugs, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd July

Apolygus lucorum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd July

Other bits and pieces included Field Grasshoppers, the scorpion fly Panorpa communis and this larva I found on some Male Fern. I think it may be one of the brown lacewings but have no idea how to tell which one, if indeed I am right.

unidentified larva, possibly of a brown lacewing sp., North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd July

Flies included the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade Fly), a couple of Noon Flies Mesembrina meridiana which I don't have any record of having identified before and a dance fly which I think is probably Tachydromia umbrarum. I found a key for these but struggled to use it as it contained so many terms I wasn't familiar with (mostly unhelpfully abbreviated). There are a lot of similar species in the genus but this seems to be one of the commoner species and there weren't any couplets in the key leading to this species that I thought went the other way (but there were plenty for which I wasn't sure either way).