Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua - None. I've recorded this migrant species in the garden twice, both in the big influx of 2015.
Mottled Rustic Caradrina morpheus - My best years so far here with 114 between 31st May and 24th July 2019 and 169 between 19th May and 15th July 2020 plus one on 15th September, the first time I've seen one that's clearly been second generation. My average annual total is 92. Elsewhere 7 at the meadows (4 dates), 2 at Hellesdon and 5 at Weybourne.
Mottled Rustic, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019
Mottled Rustic, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020
Mottled Rustic, North Elmham, 15th September 2020
Clancy's Rustic Caradrina kadenii - None. Since the first 3 for Norfolk appeared on the same night in October 2018 there have been another 10 records in the county. This mirrors the situation elsewhere - migrants are turning up more often and it may be colonising. That being so my chances of finding one locally might not be as low as I would normally expect for what is still, for now, a rare migrant. Beware that some Pale Mottled Willows can look suspiciously similar to this species and at least two suspected Clancy's that I've been asked to look at have in fact been Pale Mottled Willows. Some worn examples may need dissecting to be sure.
Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis - Caught in the garden on 2nd May and 12th September 2019 then 3 between 21st May and 17th June 2020 and 3 between 13th and 21st August 2020. The 6 in 2020 equalled my previous best annual total and I've had one nil return (2018) before.
Pale Mottled Willow, North Elmham, 2nd May 2019
Pale Mottled Willow, North Elmham, 24th April 2020
Pale Mottled Willow, North Elmham, 21st May 2020
Uncertain Hoplodrina octogenaria - Recorded in the garden between 16th June and 6th August 2019 with 1,630 by 24th July. I didn't count them after that but the total was already more than double my previous best year. A count of 126 on 22nd July was my largest count ever with several nights exceeding the pre-2019 record of 65. Around 530 a year had been my average over the previous 4 years. A more typical 558 between 6th June (my earliest ever) and 13th August 2020. Elsewhere 23 at the meadows over 8 nights, 5 at Bintree Wood, at least 30 at Hellesdon, one at Brancaster and at least 90 at Weybourne. I've been picking out quite a few Uncertain/Rustic aggs. for dissection where they appear to show overlapping features - it's interesting to see how much overlap there is in pretty much all the characters (although on some characters the extremes appear to be well differentiated). Genitalic features can be tricky too - the shape of the juxta and the number of cornuti in the basal diverticulum, are very variable (assuming I am assessing the latter correctly without actually everting the aedeagus but carefully tearing it open instead - I think I am as I've managed to at least partly evert it on some occasions and my interpretation of the clumps of cornuti seems to match). I don't know if these two species hybridise - if they do so regularly then I suppose that might explain why some individuals that are unclear externally are marginal internally as well, but I think I'd need to dissect a lot more, including obvious ones, before making that sort of claim.
Uncertain, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019
Uncertain, North Elmham, 25th June 2019
male and female Uncertains, North Elmham, 25th June 2020
female Uncertain, North Elmham, 30th June 2020
female Uncertain, North Elmham, 7th July 2020
Rustic Hoplodrina octogenaria - Recorded in the garden between 1st July and 2nd August with 166 by 24th June. I didn't count them after that but, like the previous species, the total was already far more than my previous best year (94 om 2018). Counts of 15 on 22nd and 24th July were my largest counts ever with several nights exceeding the pre-2019 record of 8. 73 a year had been my average over the previous 4 years. Again like the previous species, 2020 was more typical with 84 between 17th June and 8th August. Elsewhere 7 at the meadows, 3 at Hellesdon and 3 at Weybourne. Most of the less obvious examples were gen detted although some worn individuals later in the season were ignored and not recorded either way (especially in 2019).
male Rustic, North Elmham, 2nd July 2019
male Rustic, North Elmham, 16th July 2019
male Rustic, North Elmham, 17th June 2020
male Rustic, North Elmham, 25th June 2020
male Rustic, North Elmham, 27th June 2020
male Rustics, North Elmham, 28th June 2020
male Rustic, North Elmham, 30th June 2020
male Rustic, North Elmham, 2nd July 2020
male Rustic, North Elmham, 10th July 2020
male Rustic, North Elmham, 28th July 2020
Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua - My earliest ever record on 19th May 2019 was the first of 10 first-generation examples caught in my garden up to 25th June. The more numerous autumn generation consisted of 58 caught between 9th August and 13th September. The total of 68 was my best ever, previous years averaging at less than 40. 2020 saw 5 between 21st May and 11th June and 49 between 4th August and 19th September, so an above average year but not as good as 2019. Elsewhere one next door, singles on 6 nights at the meadows, one at Whitwell Street, 2 at Swanton Great Wood, 2 at Row Heath (West Runton) and 5 in Cornwall in early October. Although I don't normally have too much of a problem separating these from Rustics there have been the occasional moths that I've picked out as likely Rustics and then realised on closer inspection that they are Vine's Rustics and occasionally I feel the need to check the genitalia to make quite sure.
Vine's Rustic, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd September 2019
female Vine's Rustic, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020
Silky Wainscot Chilodes maritima - One at the meadows on 26th July 2019 was the first I've caught locally - I've never had one at home. None in 2020.
Silky Wainscot, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th July 2019
Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica - Record totals of 303 in the garden between 19th May and 28th June 2019 and 394 between 8th May (my earliest ever) and 26th June. The average annual tally is around 222. Elsewhere 9 at the meadows (5 nights), 2 at Bintree Wood and one at Hills and Holes.
Treble Lines, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019
Treble Lines, North Elmham, 8th May 2020
Brown Rustic Rusina ferruginea - Unlike most of the above species 2019 was my worst year so far for this species here: 62 between 23rd May and 13th July (average is just under 100 a year). 2020 was better than usual, starting with a caterpillar found in my bathroom sink on 25th March which pupated and emerged on 1st May, followed by 116 moths caught in the trap between 19th May and 11th July. Elsewhere another caterpillar at the meadows on 4th January, single adults there on 4 nights, 3 at Bintree Wood, one at Hills and Holes, one at Weybourne and a total of 47 on Mull.
Brown Rustic, North Elmham, 23rd May 2019
Brown Rustic caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th January 2020
Brown Rustic caterpillar, North Elmham, 25th March 2020
Brown Rustic, North Elmham, 19th May 2020
Bird's Wing Dypterygia scabriuscula - None in 2019 but one at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020. I've caught this species in my garden twice, both in 2015.
Bird's Wing, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020
Old Lady Mormo maura - One found in the kitchen on 8th August 2019, my 8th here and not the first to be found indoors. The use of sugar and wine ropes in 2020 secured larger numbers than I've recorded before - 6 between 16th July and 7th September. The first of these was probably attracted to light (although it wasn't in the trap and wasn't seen until it flew past at first light) but the rest were probably all attracted to the sugar or wine ropes (although the last 2 ended up in the moth trap). Also one at Whitwell Street which also came to light but probably only after being drawn in by the wine ropes set nearby.
Old Lady, North Elmham, 8th August 2019
Old Lady, North Elmham, 30th August 2020
Straw Underwing Thalpophila matura - A total of 43 in the garden between 25th July and 31st August 2019 including a record 5 on 18th August. That was my best year to date - 18 had been my average annual tally - but was eclipsed by 127 between 26th July and 28th August 2020 including 12 on 11th and 13 on 14th August. An impressive 31 caught in next door's garden over just 4 nights in 2019 (10s on 7th and 8th August) - much more than were here at that time. Also 12 at the meadows (3 nights) and one at Bintree Wood.
Straw Underwing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019
Straw Underwing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019
Straw Underwing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020
Saxon Hyppa rectilinea - When looking for moths at Ceann Chnocain on Mull a moth flew in fluttering around on the ground but moving very rapidly. It looked interesting but I couldn't see what it was before the moth disappeared under my car never to be seen again. While it was flapping around I attempted to take a couple of photos but looking at the screen on the back of my camera the quality of the photos was dreadful and I couldn't work out what it was - I thought it had got away. It was only the next day when looking at the photos on my computer screen that I realised that one was in fact sufficient to identify it, and what's more it was a Saxon, a new moth for me and one that isn't found in Norfolk. A shame I didn't get to enjoy this new moth while I was watching it.
Saxon, Ceann Chnocain (Mull), 13th June 2019
Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa - Singles caught at home on 5th May, 27th June and 1st and 4th October 2019. 4 in a year is my equal worst showing (same as in 2015 and 2018) but I've had up to 11 a year. 2020 started with singles on 4 dates from 12th to 22nd January, my first records outside of April to November. Then 6 here between 21st August and 2nd October. Elsewhere 3 at the meadows in September 2019, one at Bintree Wood, one at Swanton Great Wood and 6 in Cornwall.
Angle Shades, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd September 2019
Angle Shades, North Elmham, 12th January 2020
Small Angle Shades Euplexia lucipara - Singles caught in the garden on 17th July 2019 and 5th July 2020 - these were my worst showings so far with 4, 5, 6 and 7 in 2015-2018 respectively. Elsewhere 2 at Carsaig (Mull) in June 2019.
Small Angle Shades, Carsaig (Mull), 12th June 2019
Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 5th July 2020
Crescent Helotropha leucostigma - None. I've never caught this species in my garden but there is a record from my road and I caught one at the old house in Bawdeswell once. Not nearly as common round these parts as it is in the Broads or parts of the coast though.
Dusky Sallow Eremobia ochroleuca - At least 23 caught in the garden moth trap between 17th and 31st July but potentially a few more as I didn't count them on 3 nights. In 2020, 19 here between 11th July and 12th August (20 a year is average). Elsewhere 7 at the meadows and 2 at Bintree Wood. I'm surprised I don't see more day-feeding at the meadows - elsewhere I've seen lots on Knapweed flowers and there's loads of Common Knapweed at the meadows but although I regularly trap them there at night I don't see many during the day.
Dusky Sallow, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th July 2019
Dusky Sallow, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020
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