Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) (Part 3: Buttons I (Tortrix to Acleris))

TORTRIX MOTHS (TORTRICIDAE) (continued)


Small Purple Button Spatalistis bifasciana - None.  I've only ever seen one of these and it wasn't local to here, but all the Norfolk records are from the last 20 years and most in the last 10 years, which suggests it's on the increase.  Not many records in this vice county yet, but it's widespread enough in the east so it should turn up here sometime.


Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana - 3 in the garden trap between 24th and 28th June 2019 but none here in 2020.  This was my first blank year - between 1-4 is normal but I had an exceptional 23 in 2018.  Elsewhere 6 at the meadows between 23rd June and 7th July 2019 (one in 2020), and 2 at Bintree Wood on the earlier date of 13th June. 

Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana - 7 in the garden trap between 24th June and 19th July 2019, about an average showing but just a single one here in 2020, on 23rd June.  Also 4 at the meadows in 2019 only.

Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, North Elmham, 23rd June 2020

White-triangle Button Acleris holmiana - None.  These were my first blank years here for this distinctive and attractive moth - in previous years I've recorded 1-6 in the garden.


Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana - At least 20 in the garden (not counted every night) between 19th July and 23rd August 2019 and 20 again between 17th July and 22nd August 2020.  These are slightly above-average totals.  Elsewhere recorded next door and at the meadows.

Maple Button Aleimma forsskaleana, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Yellow Rose Button Acleris bergmanniana - None.  I am yet to find this species but given the spread of records in Norfolk it must surely only be a matter of time before I do.


Strawberry Tortrix Acleris comariana - None.  I've only had one confirmed record of this species, at home, in 2017.


Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana - just 4 in my garden trap between 15th August and 24th September 2019.  I've had more than that in a night before and average 16 per year, so this was an exceptionally poor total, but 2020 was only slightly better with 6 between 9th and 19th August.  Only one elsewhere, at Row Heath (West Runton).

male Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, North Elmham, 15th August 2019

male Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, North Elmham, 27th August 2019

female Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, Row Heath (West Runton), 31st August 2019

female Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, North Elmham, 20th September 2019

male Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, North Elmham, 24th September 2019

male Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

female Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, North Elmham, 14th August 2020

male Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, North Elmham, 15th August 2020

Ashy Button Acleris sparsana - 3 at home between 30th September and 7th October 2019, my equal-worst year (double this on average) and a healthier 7 between 11th September and 9th November 2020.  Also one at the meadows and 3 in Cornwall.

Ashy Button Acleris sparsana, North Elmham, 11th September 2020

Ashy Button Acleris sparsana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th November 2020

Rhomboid Tortrix Acleris rhombana - 5 here between 30th August and 18th October 2019 and 5 again between 16th August and 20th October 2020, typical showings for this species.

Rhomboid Tortrix Acleris rhombana, North Elmham, 20th October 2020

Notch-wing Button Acleris emargana - one in the garden trap on 11th September 2019.  This species is nearly annual here with up to 3 a year but none in 2020.


Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana - A total of 8 here in 2019, 5 of the summer generation between 23rd June and 17th July and 3 in the autumn (hibernating) generation between 3rd November and 19th December.  One of the latter generation appeared on 10th March 2020 and then the summer season kicked off with a record 3 on 24th June, followed by another 4 by 16th July.  None in the autumn generation in 2020.  This species is listed as rare and up until 2015 it seems that that was an accurate description.  Numbers have surged in the last 5 years though, and it can hardly be described as rare any longer. 

Separation of this species from the Acleris laterana/comariana complex is not always straightforward based on external features and although I had a pretty good idea what most of these would turn out to be I have had individuals which I would have passed off as laterana had I not dissected them to eliminate comariana.  Equally I have had examples that I thought were going to be schalleriana but which proved to be laterana.  I think it is possible to identify some without recourse to dissection but personally I think it wise to build up a good level of experience of gen detted individuals before being confident about this, and at the moment I'm still building up that experience (although there was one particularly clear individual that I let go with just a photo in 2020).  Despite having caught 32 of these here now, I'm yet to record a single one anywhere else.

male Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

male Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

male Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, North Elmham, 11th July 2019

male Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, North Elmham, 17th July 2019

male Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, North Elmham, 19th December 2019

male Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, North Elmham, 10th March 2020

male Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, North Elmham, 13th July 2020

Next page: more Tortricidae

The end of 2018 - finishing with 614 moth species in the garden

By late November it's no surprise that mothing was slow, the garden trap producing the Winter Moth, 2 Chestnuts, Yellow-line Quaker and the caddisfly Limnephilus lunatus on 25th. Just 2 Winter Moths on 26th and Winter Moth, Scarce Umber and Limnephilus lunatus on 27th.

It was a bit better on 28th with Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, 2 December Moths, Winter Moth, Mottled Umber, White-point, Chestnut, the caddisflies 3 Limnephilus lunatus and Limnephilus vittatus and the mirid bug Pinalitus cervinus.

Another Dark Sword-grass was the highlight on 29th November, my second in a few days but only my third here since moving in in 2014.  The only other moths that night were Winter Moth and White-point.  There was also the springtail 'Entomobrya intermedia' (in inverted commas because the Hopkin key seems to think this is just a form of Entomobrya nivalis rather than a distinct species).

Dark Sword-grass, North Elmham, 29th November

'Entomobrya intermedia', North Elmham, 29th November

Only one moth the following night, but a Scarce Umber is always nice.

There was a selection of bits and pieces in the trap to kick off December: Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 December Moths, Winter Moth, 2 Mottled Umbers, 2 Chestnuts, the caddisfly Limnephilus lunatus, 8 of the mirid bugs Pinalitus cervinus and the barkfly Ectopsocus petersi. Potentially better than any of those was a psyllid that got away before I could examine it.

With a relatively mild night on 2nd December I had another torch-lit wander round the meadows and found a nice variety of things.  I found at least 40 Winter Moths (including 3 mating pairs) but no other adult moths. A cluster of eggs was eventually identified (thanks to some help from people on Twitter) as belonging to Vapourer moth.

pair of Winter Moths, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd December

Vapourer eggs, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd December

Most of the above were on Oak tree trunks and this was also where I found a couple of bugs: Deraeocoris lutescens and my first Cardiastethus fasciiventris.  There were also 3 Great Four-spot Treerunners (beetles) Dromius quadrimaculatus and 20 Oak Apple Gall Wasps Biorhiza pallida.

Cardiastethus fasciiventris, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd December

I found 3 rove beetles including a mating pair.  I left the latter to their business but examined the lone individual to identify it - it proved to be Tasgius ater, the first time I've identified this species.

Tasgius ater, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd December

Other things I found included 2 Broom Psyllids Arytaina genistae, 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata, 4 Lace-weave Spiders Amaurobius similis*, Irish Yellow Slug Limacus maculatus and at least 2 Common Rough Woodlice Porcellio scaber.   *Theoretically these could have been Amaurobius fenestralis, but if I understand correctly the habitat was better for similis.

Broom Psyllid Arytaina genistae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd December

presumed Lace-weave Spider Amaurobius similis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd December

Irish Yellow Slug Limacus maculatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd December

The moths at home that night were Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 2 December Moths, Winter Moth, Scarce Umber, and Chestnut.  There was also the caddisfly Limnephilus lunatus, Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, the barkflies Ectopsocus briggsi and Valenzuela flavidus, an Edwardsiana leafhopper and a new leafhopper for the garden, Aphrodes makarovi.

Aphrodes makarovi, North Elmham, 2nd December

The following night there was just a Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea and then on 4th just a Common Earwig Forficula auricularia. On 5th there were 2 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, 3 Mottled Umbers and 5 of the mirid bug Pinalitus cervinus.

Next day there was -winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Winter Moth, the caddisfly Limnephilus auricula, 2 mirid bugs Pinalitus cervinus and 2 Common Heart-shields (beetles) Nebria brevicollis. There was also a female Acericerus leafhopper but I don't know of a reliable way of distinguishing females of this genus. Whichever it was, it would be new for the garden.

Acericerus sp., North Elmham, 6th December

Just 1 Winter Moth the following night and then things got really slow with nothing at all on many nights.  There was a Dark Chestnut on 9th, another springtail Entomobrya intermedia-type on 12th, Mottled Umber on 13th and 4 Winter Moths on 14th.

On 15th I joined the Norfolk Fungus Study Group at Bawdeswell Heath for a very interesting fungus foray.  54 species of fungi were recorded, though I didn't attempt to see all of them, preferring to take notes on the ones I did see and photograph as I figured I would learn more that way.  I still managed around 33 species.  Here are a few of them:

fungus on fungus: Ochre Cushion (the dark bits) growing on Birch Polypore (the bracket fungus), Bawdeswell Heath, 15th December

Candlesnuff Fungus, Bawdeswell Heath, 15th December

Conifercone Cap - growing on a conifer cone, Bawdeswell Heath, 15th December

Olive Oysterling, Bawdeswell Heath, 15th December

Phacidium multivalve (the bigger spots on the LH leaf) and Holly Speckle (the finer spots on the RH leaf), Bawdeswell Heath, 15th December

Signs of moths included a Mottled Umber, the mine of Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea and feeding signs of Shaded Case-bearers Coleophora potentillae (a species I have never seen).

There were 3 Winter Moths in the trap on 16th along with this springtail, a new species for me, Vertagopus arboreus.

Vertagopus arboreus, North Elmham, 16th December

I found the leafmine of Golden Pigmy Stigmella aurella, and a 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata, at the meadows on 17th.

leafmine of Golden Pigmy Stigmella aurella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th December

I was a little bit surprised to find what I believe is Sweet Violet flowering, quite unseasonal I think.

Sweet Violet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th December

There were a few more moths at home that night, with Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana, 7 Winter Moths and 3 Mottled Umbers.

Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 17th December

Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 17th December

The following night saw a return to normal for this time of year, one moth, a Mottled Umber.  There were 2 Winter Moths and a 7-spot Ladybird on 19th, 3 Winter Moths and 4 Mottled Umbers on 20th, single Winter Moth and Mottled Umber on 21st and 2 Winter Moths on 22nd.

Fungi at the meadows on 22nd included Yellow Brain and both the species that produce speckling on Holly leaves, Phacidium multivalve and Holly Speckle Trochila ilicina.

Yellow Brain, North Elmham, 22nd December

I was away for a few days over Christmas and the days I was here there wasn't much happening.  But there was something in the moth trap on 28th December - an aphid.  I tentatively identified it as Hellebore Aphid Macrosiphum hellebori, an ID that seemed fairly likely in view of the proximity of my moth-trap to some Hellebores.  This was confirmed later on 29th when I found a colony of them on the underside of the Hellebore leaves.

Hellebore Aphid Macrosiphum hellebori, North Elmham, 28th December

Hellebore Aphid Macrosiphum hellebori, North Elmham, 29th December

There was a Mottled Umber in the trap on 29th and then on 30th there were 2 Viburnum Buttons Acleris schalleriana, Winter Moth, Mottled Umber and Dark Chestnut. The Acleris were the finale of a fantastic year for this species - I ended up with 11 individuals which isn't bad considering there haven't been that many seen in the entire county in any previous year.

A 7-spot Ladybird was the only insect noted at the meadows on New Year's Eve but there was a nice bit of Dog's Sick Slime Mould...

Dog's Sick Slime Mould, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st December

Also some Mint Mildew Neoerysiphe galeopsidis.  As usual, thanks to James Emerson for assistance with these.

Mint Mildew Neoerysiphe galeopsidis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st December

Finally, for 2018 at least, that night the garden moth trap delivered Ashy Button Acleris sparsana and 3 Winter Moths.

I finished the year with 614 moth species trapped in the garden, higher than 2017 (598 in the end, a bit more than I reported at the time as I had missed some off) but not as high as in 2016 (627).   They consisted of 310 micros and 304 macros.