Small Brindled Beauty Apocheima hispidaria - None in 2019 but I finally added this species to my garden list when I caught one in the trap on 17th February 2020, the first one I'd caught anywhere since 2014. Previously I'd recorded it twice at my last house in Bawdeswell. (I caught another at home in 2021).
Small Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 17th February 2020
Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria - 2019 was my best year so far for this species with 26 between 26th January and 23rd February and then my first ever December record on 19th. 18 up to 14th February 2020 was more typical and then at the end of the year there were further December records on 14th and 16th. Also 2 at the meadows in January 2020.
Pale Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 26th January 2019
Pale Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 19th December 2019
Pale Brindled Beauty, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th January 2020
Pale Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 16th December 2020
Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria - 7 in the garden between 30th March (my earliest ever) and 2nd May. At the time this was my median year but much closer to my 2 worse years (6 each) than my 2 better years (17 and 24). 2020 smashed the records with 51 between 12th and 26th April including peak counts of 10 on 22nd and 12 on 23rd - I'd never caught more than 5 in a night before. This species seems to be quite local - I never caught a single one at Bawdeswell and have only ever found one other elsewhere in the UK. In Spain on 23rd February 2020 I caught 3 moths that I was convinced would turn out to be some European species of Brindled Beauty that I'd never seen or heard of before but in the end, despite their pale grey appearance (completely lacking any olive tones) and early flight period, it seems that these were Brindled Beauties too. The pattern more-or-less matches British examples and I can't find any reference to any other species that occurs in Spain and looks anything like this, so presumably this is the local form of Brindled Beauty.
Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 30th March 2019
Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 24th April 2019
Brindled Beauties, between Sant Vicenc and Torrelles de Llobregat (Spain), 23rd February 2020
Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 12th April 2020
Oak Beauty Biston strataria - 12 in the garden here in 2019 including both my earliest ever (10th January) and my latest ever (25th April). 11 here between 14th February and 23rd March 2020. These were pretty average years. Elsewhere 2 at the meadows. Such hideously fabulous moths!
Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 9th February 2019
Oak Beauty, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th March 2019
Oak Beauty, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019
Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 19th March 2020
Peppered Moth Biston betularia - Totals of 8 in the garden between 24th May and 24th July 2019 and 10 between 13th June and 11th August 2020. 2019 was my worst total but numbers have been consistently low since 2017, at least compared to 2015-16 when I trapped 113 over the 2 years. Elsewhere 2 at Bintree Wood, 3 at Weybourne (including a melanic individual) and one on Mull.
Peppered Moth, North Elmham, 27th May 2019
Peppered Moth, Ceann Chnocain (Mull), 13th June 2019
Peppered Moth, Weybourne, 5th July 2019
Spring Usher Agriopis leucophaearia - One trapped in the garden on 15th January 2019 and then a record 3 caught on 6th February; in 2020 just singles on 17th and 28th January. I usually get 3-4 a year but 2018 was a blank year (2021 has been my best year so far). Elsewhere 4 by torchlight at the meadows on 9th February 2019 and one in January 2020.
Spring Usher, North Elmham, 15th January 2019
Spring Usher, North Elmham, 17th January 2020
Spring Usher, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th January 2020
Scarce Umber Agriopis aurantiaria - A total of 10 between 17th and 27th November 2019 making it my best year yet for this species. A more typical 3 between 7th and 17th November 2020. Previous year totals have ranged from zero to 8 and a count of 4 on 26th November 2019 was my highest ever number trapped on a single night. Elsewhere one at the meadows on 13th November 2020.
Scarce Umber, North Elmham, 17th November 2019
Scarce Umber, North Elmham, 7th November 2020
Scarce Umber, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th November 2020
Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria - Totals of 20 in the garden between 9th February and 18th March 2019 and 14 between 16th January and 26th March 2020, above and below average respectively. Elsewhere 7 at the meadows on 4 nights. At home this species is often at the house windows rather than in the trap and at the meadows it is invariably found by torchlight rather than coming in to light (even when lights are set nearby).
Dotted Border, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st March 2019
Dotted Border, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th March 2020
Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria - at the start of the year one in the garden on 3rd January and then, equalling my record count here, 5 on 6th January. In the second winter period, a total of 17 starting from 31st October. These continued into 2020 with 7 up to 9th January, then there were 26 between 23rd October and 26th December 2020 (with none continuing in to 2021). The 2019 numbers were pretty typical but 2020 was my best year here so far. None anywhere else - surprisingly I still haven't found this species at the meadows. The photos below have been selected to show some of the variation found within this species.
Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 24th November 2019
Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 23rd October 2020
Mottled Umbers, North Elmham, 9th November 2020
Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 10th November 2020
Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 18th November 2020
Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 20th November 2020
Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 11th December 2020
Waved Umber Menophra abruptaria - 8 at home between 24th April and 31st May 2019 and 11 between 23rd April and 21st May 2020. 2019 was my worst year here so far - 12 a year is average. Elsewhere 5 at the meadows, one at Sculthorpe Moor, one at Hills and Holes and one in Spain.
Waved Umber, North Elmham, 23rd April 2019
Waved Umber, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019
Waved Umber, between Sant Vicenc and Torrelles de Llobregat (Spain), 23rd February 2020
Waved Umber, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020
Next page: more Geometridae
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