Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 15: Other Clays and Rustics

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Dotted Clay Xestia baja - None.  I've not recorded this species locally but it has been found nearby so hopefully I'll catch one here someday.


Square-spotted Clay Xestia stigmatica - Totals of 10 in the garden between 4th August and 1st September 2019 and 6 between 2nd August and 9th September 2020, the last being my latest ever.  I had 21 in 2015 and have averaged 11 a year - 2020's paltry 6 was my lowest annual total.  Elsewhere one next door and 3 at the meadows.

Square-spotted Clay, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Square-spotted Clay, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020

Heath Rustic Xestia agathina - One at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August 2019 was my first ever, making what would otherwise have been a pretty disappointing field trip seem worthwhile.  Now I just need to find one locally...  None in 2020.

Heath Rustic, Row Heath (West Runton), 31st August 2019

Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa - Totals of 159 caught here between 17th August and 26th September 2019 and 177 between 4th August and 22nd September 2020, more than my average of 128 a year.  A count of 18 on 28th August 2019 was my highest ever here.  Elsewhere 59 at the meadows, mostly over 3 nights, 25 at Whitwell Street, 8 at Swanton Great Wood, one at Row Heath (West Runton) and 57 in Cornwall.  One at Weybourne on 5th July was far and away my earliest ever (my first July record).

Square-spot Rustic, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Square-spot Rustic, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd September 2019 - doing its best to look like a Heath Rustic

Square-spot Rustic, North Elmham, 29th August 2020

Six-striped Rustic Xestia sexstrigata - Totals of 24 here between 10th and 29th August 2019 and 17 between 6th and 24th August 2020.  I average 31 a year here.  Elsewhere one next door.


Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum - Totals of 19 caught in the garden between 20th May and 7th July 2019, at least 178 between 31st July and 10th October 2019, 16 between 18th May and 13th June 2020 and 190 between 31st July and 2nd October 2020.  Since 2015 numbers have varied between 152 and the 206 in 2020 with 8% in the late spring generation and the other 92% in the autumn generation.  Elsewhere recorded next door on all 4 nights, 39 at the meadows over 15 nights (including a later one on 1st November 2019), 4 at Whitwell Street, 3 at Swanton Great Wood, one at Weybourne, 3 at Row Heath (West Runton) and 22 in Cornwall.

Setaceous Hebrew Character, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th September 2019

Triple-spotted Clay Xestia ditrapezium - None.  Disregarding some of my early records when I was misinterpreting a slightly misleading description in the books I have never recorded this species in Norfolk.  Taken at face value, the spread and quantity of records in Norfolk suggest that I ought to be finding this species here regularly enough.  However several highly experienced and long-term moth recorders I know haven't found it in the county either, so I suspect that a lot of the records are misidentified.  It's plausible that I have overlooked the odd one - I'm not confident I would pick one out from its forewing features - but I do check the majority of Double Square-spots pretty carefully including getting at least a glimpse of the hindwing in most cases.


Double Square-spot Xestia triangulum - At least 150 in the garden between 23rd June and 26th July 2019 but probably a few more as I didn't count them on the last couple of nights (the peak count, a record 31, was only 2 nights before that, 23rd July).  In any case, well above the average of 120.  In contrast, 2020 was my worst year here so far with just 59 between 13th June and 31st July.  Elsewhere 5 over 3 nights at the meadows and 7 at Weybourne.

Double Square-spot, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Autumnal Rustic Eugnorisma glareosa - 10 at Tresidder in Cornwall between 7th and 9th October 2020.  I've seen lots of these in Cornwall but still haven't managed to find one in Norfolk.  They're not especially rare here so I should get my first county record before too long and maybe even a local one.

Autumnal Rustic, Tresidder (Cornwall), 9th October 2020

Gothic Naenia typica - None.  I've only ever caught 2 of these, one here in 2015 and one at my last house in Bawdeswell in 2013.


Next page: Nolidae

Cornwall part 1 - mothing at Tresidder

The usual cottage we stay in at Porthgwarra wasn't available for our holiday in Cormwall at the beginning of October, and nor were any of the alternatives that we fancied along this bit of coast.  So we opted for somewhere different, a cottage a bit further inland but in the same area.  Situated in the hamlet of Tresidder at the top of the Penberth valley and looking out across the valley I hoped the moth traps might pull in a few interesting migrant moths.  But of course you need to weather to be right for migrants, and it wasn't ideal.

It was a good six nights though - a decent selection of interesting moths that I don't see at home, whether they were migrants or not.  We stayed six nights, 1st to 6th October, and I ran a Robinson trap every night plus an old Skinner trap whenever there was no real threat of rain (it has no protective cover), which was most nights.

Now, at home I trap every night, release the moths at first light and it seems that hardly any get retrapped the following night.  Here it seemed to be different, and although I let them go at first light some of the moths were hanging around and getting re-caught on subsequent nights.  So the total summed counts for the week below include moths counted on consecutive nights and are higher than the true number of individuals trapped.

Anyway, here are some of the highlights, roughly in order of interest (to me):

• Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis - 1 on 3rd, a migrant and a new moth for me (I don't count one that Dave N brought round to show me once).  Presumably a pregnant female as I found some eggs where it had been sitting, and I'm pretty sure they weren't there before.

Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis, Tresidder, 4th October

• Clancy's Rustic - 1 on 3rd, clearly a migrant (and a pretty tatty worn specimen).  I saw one in a pot on Scillies once but this was the first time I've ever caught one myself.  It turned out to be a good year for this species with Norfolk getting its first ever record later in the month - in fact its first 4 records!

Clancy's Rustic, Tresidder, 3rd October

• Four-spotted Footman - one on 4th.  A migrant, a stunner, and only the second I've ever seen.

Four-spotted Footman, Tresidder, 3rd October

• Vestal -  1 on 3rd and 2 on 5th, presumably all migrants.  I've seen these in Cornwall before, and once at home, but such amazing moths they will always be high up on any list of highlights.

Vestal, Tresidder, 3rd October

Vestals, Tresidder, 5th October

• White-speck - different singles on 3rd, 4th and 5th.  Also migrants I presume and a species I'd only seen twice before.

White-speck, Tresidder, 3rd October

White-speck, Tresidder, 4th October

• Delicate - recorded every night with a total of 106 and a maximum of 33 on 5th.  Although a migrant species I think these must now be breeding locally.  The numbers would have been exceptional if they'd all been migrants, especially during a period when there wasn't an especially strong immigration evidenced by other species.  Anyway, I'd only seen one before so it was great to see so many every night.

Delicates, Tresidder, 1st October

• L-album Wainscot - recorded every night with a total of 19 and a maximum of 6 on 2nd.  Although a migrant species I think these are now breeding locally too.  I'd only ever seen two before.

L-album Wainscots, Tresidder, 1st October

• Scarce Bordered Straw - 1 on 4th.  A migrant species I've only seen on 3 occasions before.

Scarce Bordered Straw, Tresidder, 4th October

• Brindled Ochre - singles on 2nd and 6th.  I've done better for these on past trips when I've stayed at Porthgwarra, but they're always great to see and I've never seen one anywhere else.

Brinlded Ochre, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Flounced Chestnut -  1 on 3rd - only the second I've ever seen though I don't know if they're any commoner down here than they are at home?

Flounced Chestnut, Tresidder, 3rd October

• Feathered Ranunculus - recorded every night with a total of 24 and a maximum of 10 on 6th.  Although this species does occur in Norfolk, mainly along the north coast and in the Norwich area, it's so far eluded me here.  I've seen quite a few in Cornwall on previous trips though, but it's a fabulous moth so always a highlight.

Feathered Ranunculus, Tresidder, 1st October

• Large Ranunculus - 1 on 6th, the only new moth of the trip on the final night - a nice moth and only my fourth although some people in Norfolk get them regularly.

Large Ranunculus (with a Feathered Ranunculus in forst image), Tresidder, 6th October

• Autumnal Rustic - 1 on 2nd then 9 on 5th and 3 on 6th.  Another species that does occur in Norfolk but much less commonly than in the south west.  I'm yet to see one in Norfolk but have seen quite a few in Cornwall before.

Autumnal Rustic, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana - 1 on 4th.  Although I've seen a few of these at home (all but one in 2016) I don't think it's a particularly common species and not one I was expecting to see here.  It was a very worn individual though.

• Little Slender Calybites phasianipennella - 1 on 2nd.  A species I don't see very often - only 5 before.

Little Slender Calybites phasianipennella, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Angle Shades - recorded every night except the first with a total of 42 and a maximum of 15 on 4th.  Although a common resident breeder in the UK this species is also a migrant and with these peaking at the same time as other migrants I suspect a lot of these were migrants.  Although common at home I usually only get the occasional single at home so these numbers are good for me.

Angle Shades, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis - recorded every night with a total of 66 and a maximum of 29 on 4th.  A common migrant species that sometimes reaches home, but it also breeds locally in SW Cornwall and I'm not sure how many of these were migrants vs. locals.

• Dark Spectacle - singles on 2nd and 3rd.

Dark Spectacle, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Pinion-streaked Snout - recorded every night except the last with a total of 28 and a maximum of 14.  A species I encounter fairly often at home, but never in anything like such numbers.

Other migrants were Diamond-back Plutella xylostella (with singles on 1st and 6th), Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella (1 on 6th), Dark Sword-grass (1 on 6th) and Silver Y (3 on each of the first two nights).  I guess the Turnip Moths (6 over 3 nights) may have been migrants too.

Dark Sword-grass, Tresidder, 6th October

The other micro moths recorded were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana (1 on 6th), Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella (1 on 2nd), London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella (1 on 6th), Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana (1 on 4th), Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana (1 on 4th), Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana (9 over 4 nights, max 3), Ashy Button Acleris sparsana (singles on 3rd and 5th), Rhomboid Tortrix Acleris rhombana (singles on 3rd and 5th), Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida ({1 on 6th), Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea (79 over 5 nights, max 73), Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis (singles on 2nd and 3rd) and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla (1 on 2nd, 2 on 4th).

The other macros were Blood-vein (singles 2nd & 3rd), Small Fan-footed Wave (1 on 3rd), Brimstone Moth (17 over 4 nights, max 7), Garden Carpet (1 on 3rd), Common Marbled Carpet (53 over 6 nights, max 13), Grey Pine Carpet (singles on 4th and 5th), Green Carpet (1 on 4th), Double-striped Pug (10 over 5 nights), Willow Beauty (1 on 3rd), Light Emerald (1 on 4th), Yellow-tail (1 on 3rd), Large Yellow Underwing (259 over 6 nights, max 90), Lesser Yellow Underwing (10 over 5 nights, max 5), Setaceous Hebrew Character (258 over 6 nights, max 81), Square-spot Rustic (267 over 6 nights, max 92), Nutmeg (1 on 3rd), Smoky Wainscot (singles on 3 consecutive nights), Common Wainscot (14 over 5 nights, max 5), Black Rustic (65 over 6 nights, max 22), Green-brindled Crescent (5 over 4 nights), Chestnut (2 on 5th), Beaded Chestnut (203 over 6 nights, max 54), Lunar Underwing (360 over 6 nights, max 136), Pink-barred Sallow (2on 4th and 1 on 5th), Lesser Common Rustic (2 singles plus a Common Rustic agg.), Copper Underwing (2 on 3rd), Rosy Rustic (23 over 6 nights, max 6), Burnished Brass (6 over 3 nights), Spectacle (1 on 2nd), Straw Dot (singles on 3 consecutive nights) and Snout (29 over 5 nights, max 14.

Common Marbled Carpet, Tresidder, 1st October

Grey Pine Carpet, Tresidder, 4th October

Double-striped Pug, Tresidder, 4th October

Willow Beauty, Tresidder, 3rd October

Nutmeg, Tresidder, 3rd October

There was also this Knot Grass caterpillar crawling up the wall of the cottage on 2nd.

Knot Grass caterpillar, Tresidder, 2nd October

As you would expect, there was a variety of other insects in the moth traps too, and I'll write about these in a separate post...

Feathered Ranunculus

We headed down to Cornwall for a week on 18th October but had been unable to stay at our usual cottage in Porthgwarra as others had booked it.  We ended up at Trevilley Farmhouse, in Trevilley, just south of Lands End.  We arrived as it was pretty much dark and my first job was to work out where to put the moth trap.  There wasn't a lot of choice really - the garden was small and enclosed but with one small sycamore and some other bushes inside.  In front of the house was open fields, behind it was a farm building and to the side were a few small trees.  Not ideal for mothing as it turned out, but with the trap on the grass in the middle of the garden I hoped it would draw in a few moths from the few neighbouring trees and other vegetation, and perhaps even a few migrants.

Well, no migrants on the first night, but some moths I don't see at home: 8 Feathered Ranunculus and an Autumnal Rustic (both species I usually record at Porthgwarra though).

Feathered Ranunculus, Trevilley, 18th October

Autumnal Rustic, Trevilley, 18th October

In some ways the most interesting record was 11 Red-line Quakers.  Most - all I think - were very different from any Red-line Quaker I've seen at home, dark and reddish.  It seems that they belong to the form rufa, apparently commonest in the north and west.

Red-line Quaker (f. rufa), Trevilley, 18th October

Other moths in the trap that night were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, 4 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, Brimstone Moth, Yellow-tail, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, Small Square-spot, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 4 Square-spot Rustics, Black Rustic, Green-brindled Crescent, 7 Beaded Chestnuts, 39 Lunar Underwings, Large Wainscot and Snout.

Unbeknown to me the couple staying at the cottage we normally hire were also birders and moth-ers and they managed much better... a Radford's Flame Shoulder!  Precisely what I was hoping for.  Ah well.

The following night my quest for migrants was, well, not exactly satisfied, but there was a single Dark Sword-grass.

Dark Sword-grass, Trevilley, 19th October

Otherwise it was mostly the same sort of stuff as the night before: White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, Autumnal Rustic, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Green-brindled Crescents, 11 Feathered Ranunculus, 8 Red-line Quakers, 10 Beaded Chestnuts, 43 Lunar Underwings, Angle Shades and Burnished Brass.

Feathered Ranunculus, Trevilley, 19th October

Angle Shades, Trevilley, 19th October