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, 3 December 2018

Some good mothing at the meadows

A return to poor form on 14th June with just 28 species of moth, though these included a lovely Beautiful Golden Y, new for the year.  The others were Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 5 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Treble Brown Spot, Silver-ground Carpet, Scorched Wing, 2 Brimstone Moths, Privet Hawk-moth, 3 White Ermines, 17 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 3 Heart and Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 3 Common Wainscots, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 5 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, 3 Treble Lines and 5 Straw Dots.

Beautiful Golden Y, North Elmham, 14th June


With such a small haul of moths in the trap it was barely light by the time I'd finished going through it, so I took the opportunity to get up to the meadows early.  I netted two Treble-spot Flat-bodies Telechrysis tripuncta as I wandered down the trap, a species that is only recorded in Norfolk about twice a year on average.  I'd only ever seen them twice before.


Treble-spot Flat-body Telechrysis tripuncta, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


These were followed by a Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, along with Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, 2 Timothy Tortrixes Aphelia paleana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella and Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus.

 Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


view across the River Wensum from North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Other wildlife recorded that morning included Green Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus, the hoverfly Melanostoma scalare and a number of Kentish Snails and White-lipped Snails.

I returned to the meadows in the evening for some moth trapping.  It was one of the better night's trapping I've done here (maybe the best?) with 82 species including some nice ones, if nothing enormously unusual: Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella, 4 Hedge Case-bearers Coleophora striatipennella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, 2 Black-headed Dwarfs Elachista atricomella, Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, 2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis cerasana, Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana, 6 Light Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia incertana, Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, 35 Green Oak Tortrixes Tortrix viridana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 6 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, 3 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 5 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 2 Red Piercers Lathronympha strigana, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 3 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Lesser Pearls Sitochroa verticalis, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, 2 Fenland Pearls Anania perlucidalis, 2 Ghost Moths, Blood-vein, Single-dotted Wave, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Green Carpet, 2 Sharp-angled Carpets, Lime-speck Pug, 4 Clouded Borders, 4 Scorched Wings, Mottled Beauty, Pale Oak Beauty, Common White Wave, Common Wave, Light Emerald, Eyed Hawk-moth, 2 Poplar Hawk-moths, 5 Elephant Hawk-moths, Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Marbled Browns, Lobster Moth, Four-dotted Footman, Common Footman, 4 White Ermines, 4 Buff Ermines, 10 Cinnabars, 5 Heart and Darts, 5 Flames, 4 Flame Shoulders, 4 Ingrailed Clays, Small Square-spot, 10 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, 7 Common Wainscots, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Poplar Grey, Grey Dagger, 6 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, Small Clouded Brindle, Large Nutmeg, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 3 Marbled Minors, 10 Middle-barred Minors, 5 Treble Lines, 3 Uncertains, Vine's Rustic, 2 Mottled Rustics, Green Silver-lines, 2 Burnished Brasses, 8 Straw Dots and 2 Snouts.

Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Black-headed Dwarf Elachista atricomella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Small Magpie Anania hortulata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Ghost Moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June



Eyed Hawk-moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Poplar Hawk-moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Elephant Hawk-moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Swallow Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Pale Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Lobster Moth (with Green Oak Tortrix), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Four-dotted Footman, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Cinnabar (with Green Oak Tortrix), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Small Square-spot, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Clay, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Grey Dagger (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Small Angle Shades, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Large Nutmeg, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June



Green Silver-lines, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Other inverts recorded included Common Toad, 4 mayflies that I think were probably Caenis horaria, the caddisflies Phryganea grandis, 2 Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus flavicornis, the mirid bugs Phylus palliceps and Stenodema laevigata, a Great Blackclock beetle Pterostichus niger, a luminescing Glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca, the sawfly Tenthredo livida and the spider Nuctenea umbratica.

Common Toad, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Phylus palliceps, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Great Blackclock Pterostichus niger, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


luminescences from a Glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June


Tenthredo livida, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June

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