Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 12: Underwhelming Beauties and other Ennomins (Peribatodes to Campaea)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)

I call Willow Beauty and its related species the Underwhelming Beauties because to me the name Beauty is quite wrongly applied to this group.  OK, a fresh Mottled Beauty has some subtle elegance that could, at a stretch, be described as beautiful in a niche sort of way, but compared with the Pine Beauty, Bordered Beauty, Marbled Beauty and even the Brindled Beauties, this group really don't deserve the accolade of Beauty.  Whoever first called these Beauties was either having a laugh, or they had never actually seen a Willow Beauty...


Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria - Recorded in the garden on 42 dates between 31st May and 26th August 2019.  At least 57 individuals were involved but as they weren't counted on 10 dates the true total may have been higher.  Even so it was undoubtely a poor year - over the previous 4 years I had averaged 110 per year.  In contrast I caught a record 213 here between 30th May and 21st September 2020.  Elsewhere recorded from next door, 5 at the meadows and one at Bintree Wood.

Willow Beauty, North Elmham, 30th May 2020

Willow Beauty, North Elmham, 4th September 2020

Satin Beauty Deileptenia ribeata - None.  I've not seen this species since 2014 and I've never seen it anywhere closer than Hockering.  In fact it hasn't ever been recorded any closer, so probably not much chance of finding it here.  Away from the Brecks it's found at several scattered woodland locations so there's a chance it might be lurking in a wood near...


Mottled Beauty Alcis repandata - 19 caught here between 4th June and 17th September 2019 and 22 between 17th June and 2nd August 2020, my worst years here so far - my average tally for a year is 32.  Elsewhere 5 at the meadows (4 dates), 8 at Bintree Wood (2 dates), 4 at Weybourne and one on Mull.

Mottled Beauty, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Mottled Beauty, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Mottled Beauty, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June 2019

Mottled Beauty, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Mottled Beauty, Bintree Wood, 24th July 2020

Pale Oak Beauty Hypomecis punctinalis - 9 at home between 20th May and 25th June 2019 and 6 between 19th May and 15th June 2020.  9 was my equal highest total (with 2018) and I've never had less than 3.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 31st May 2019 and 3 at Bintree Wood on 13th July 2020.

Pale Oak Beauty, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Pale Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 19th May 2020

Engrailed Ectropis crepescularia - Totals of 18 trapped in the garden between 9th March and 21st September 2019 and 7 between 7th July and 22nd August 2020.  18 is average but 7 was my worst annual total to date.  Elsewhere 3 at the meadows, one at Bintree Wood, one at Bodney and one at Weybourne.

Engrailed, North Elmham, 9th March 2019

Engrailed, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Brindled White-spot Parectropis similaria - None.  I've never had one of these at home - indeed there are no records from my 10km square - however there are plenty of records only a short distance to the east of here (for example I caught 4 at Bawdeswell Heath one night in 2014).


Grey Birch Aethalura punctulata - One at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April and 2 at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.  I'd only ever seen this species twice before and I've never seen one very locally, but the other guy who traps in my road has caught one so hopefully I'll get one here sometime.

Grey Birch, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019

Grey Birch, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Common Heath Ematurga atomaria - None.  I've not seen this species any closer than Buxton Heath and there aren't many local records.  Not sure how often this predominantly day-flying species turns up in traps so the odds of getting one here might be quite low.


Bordered White Bupalus piniaria - One caught in the garden on 24th June 2019, my 4th record here and first since 2016.  I also caught one at the meadows the previous night and one on Mull on 13th June 2019.  None at home in 2020 but one at Bintree Wood on 13th June.

Bordered White, Ceann Chnocain (Mull), 13th June 2019

Bordered White, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

Common White Wave Cabera pusarai - My worst years for these at home with 17 between 14th June and 22nd July 2019 and 17 between 27th May and 7th July 2020.  My average annual total is 27.  Elsewhere 2 at the meadows, 4 at Bintree Wood and one on Mull.

Common White Wave, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Common White Wave, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th June 2020

Common Wave Cabera exanthemata -Totals here of 17 between 17th June and 25th August 2019 and 13 between 14th June and 22nd August 2020 (average here is 16 a year).  Elsewhere 2 at the meadows and one in Hellesdon.

Common Wave, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Common Wave, North Elmham, 14th June 2020

White-pinion Spotted Lomographa bimaculata - 3 caught in the garden between 25th May and 7th June 2019 and then singles on 21st and 28th May 2020.  There were 7 in 2017 but 1-2 a year is more typical.  Elsewhere one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

White-pinion Spotted, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

White-pinion Spotted, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata - At least 37 here between 3rd June and 4th August 2019, with 3 nights not counted (but with singles either side the full total probably won't have been much higher).  I'd averaged 68 a year over the previous 4 years so this was a poor year but 19 between 17th June and 29th July 2020 made for my worst year here so far.  Elsewhere 8 at the meadows and 1-2 at Bintree Wood, Hills and Holes, Weybourne and on Mull.

Clouded Silver, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Clouded Silver, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Early Moth Theria primaria - Totals of 23 in the garden between 6th January and 1st March 2019 and 13 between 3rd January (my earliest ever) and 15th February 2020.  15-16 is average.  I've only ever caught this species in my garden, either here or previously at Bawdeswell despite searching for it at the meadows where there is plenty of both of its foodplants.

Early Moth, North Elmham, 3rd January 2020

Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria - Totals of 14 between 27th May and 24th June 2019 and 46 between 13th August and 27th September then 20 between 20th May and 5th June 2020 and 77 between 15th August and 22nd September.  60 in all makes it my worst year so far, only one behind 2018 but well short of the average of 88.  Elsewhere 4 at the meadows, 9 at Whitwell Street, 2 at Swanton Great Wood and 2 at Row Heath (West Runton).

Light Emerald, North Elmham, 27th May 2019

Light Emerald, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

Barred Red Hylaea fasciaria - None.  I've not had this species at home yet, but it has been recorded in my road before and I've had it not all that far away at Bintree Wood.


Yellow Belle Aspitates ochrearia - None.  I've not had this species at home yet, but I've seen it at Bittering and there have been a few records even closer at Worthing.  Most of my records have been day-flyers but I have had it come to light before.


Next page: more Geometridae

Roydon Common

Dave and I rolled up to Roydon Common at 6 pm on Saturday, two and a half hours early for the organised Norfolk Moth Survey event.  We hoped to find some day-flying moths before putting the lights on, and I'm glad we made the effort.  We parked at the west end and walked through the woodland to the south-west corner, kicking up Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella on every footstep.  It's impossible to say how many we saw - I put down 2000 but wouldn't be surprised if it was more like 20,000.

What was more surprising was the difficulty we found in finding anything else, although in the end we came up with some good stuff.  Fairly quickly we found a couple of Common Marbles Celypha lacunana and a more impressive 8 Brassy Tortrixes Eulia ministrana (doubling the total number I had ever seen before).  We found a Plain Fanner Glyphipterix fuscoviridella and a couple of Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, and Common Groundhopper, a Kidney-spot Ladybird and the red-and-black bug Cercopis vulnerata, but in the first hour or so that was about the lot.

Brassy Tortrix Eulia ministrana, Roydon Common, 4th June

Common Groundhopper, Roydon Common, 4th June

Hoof Fungus, Roydon Common, 4th June

When we reached some small clearings in the woodland things stepped up a gear. They were so thick with Diamond-back Moths it was hard to pick out anything else and the most productive technique turned out to be just to swing the net a few times and then sift through the Diamond-backs in the net for anything else.  Not that we recorded a vast array of species deploying this technique, but we did start to see a bit more quality.  Best was my first ever White-headed Dwarf Elachista albifrontella.

White-headed Dwarf Elachista albifrontella, Roydon Common, 4th June

Also here were White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella, my second ever Speckled Fanner Glyphipterix thrasonella (like my first, belonging to the plain form), Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana and 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana.

Speckled Fanner Glyphipterix thrasonella, Roydon Common, 4th June

We continued along the track running west along the southern edge of the common adding Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella (our third Glyphipterix species of the evening) and Red Roller Ancylis mitterbacheriana.  With the north wind cutting across the heathland we were more exposed here and saw a reduction in Diamond-back numbers, though they were still very easy to find.

A couple more White Oak Midgets Phyllonorycter harrisella were found in the row of small Oaks along this track, and it was at this point we bumbed into Paul Cobb who had also arrived early, but mainly to look for Lacewings.  We were just leaving him to head back to the car park when he knocked a small moth out of the oaks and called us back. "This is one for you" he said, finding it to be a moth and not a Lacewing, so we headed back and had a look.  It was another white Phyllonorycter, but this one had orangey transverse fascias in the basal half.  I was immediately reminded of Scarce Oak Midget Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella, and taken back to the extraordinary events of 2014 when I discovered several of this species in north Norfolk.  Back then I wrote: "This species was not recorded in the UK between 1949 and 1982 when a population was discovered in south Norfolk. Subsequently it was recorded in south Norfolk only up until 1996 and has been looked for since but not found. There have been 3 Suffolk records, the last in 2002. There have never been any records in north Norfolk. So it seems I've uncovered a hitherto unknown population of a Red Data Book moth that has been looked for but not found for over a decade even in the places where it was once known to occur."  I went on to find lots more at several sites, and others were soon finding them too that year.  But 2014 was an extraordinary year for many Phyllonorycter species and the population explosion clearly allowed this very scarce species to be detected in places where it had presumably been hanging on undetected in small numbers all along.  Last year was back to normal and there were no more records in Norfolk (I don't know about elsewhere but haven't heard of any).  So had we got another, at another new location for the species?  Or is there another similar-looking oak-feeding species?  I couldn't remember for sure so took it home with me to confirm.  It was on its last legs and by the time it got home it had expired, but it was indeed another Scarce Oak Midget Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella.  Nice one!

daed Scarce Oak Midget Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella, Roydon Common, 4th June

We returned to the car park and moved round to the meeting place before deciding where to place our traps.  Some traps were set south of the western car park while others went on near the bog myrtle on the southern side in the hope of finding Light Knot Grass.  But it was pretty exposed there and I thought we ought to set some up in the more sheltered woodland on the east side, even though this is technically not part of the NWT reserve.  Dave, Richard and I set up in a clearing here, joined by Peter and Paul, and some of the others joined us for a while.  I'm glad we opted for this as we caught far more moths than the other sites I think, and no-one found the target Light Knot Grass.

The highlight for us was a White Colon, a species none of us were expecting and which Dave had arranged to search for in NW Norfolk later this week.  Apparently the group at the west end caught one too.

White Colon, Roydon Common, 4th June

Other decent macros included 2 Small Seraphims, Peacock Moth, Bordered White, 2 Lime Hawkmoths, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, 3 Lobster Moths, 2 Great Prominents and Dog's Tooth.

Peacock Moth (male, gen det), Roydon Common, 4th June

Dog's Tooth, Roydon Common, 4th June

Bordered White, Roydon Common, 4th June

Small Seraphim, Roydon Common, 4th June

Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Roydon Common, 4th June

Lime Hawkmoths, Roydon Common, 4th June

Lobster Moth, Roydon Common, 4th June

The remaining macros included 2 Common Swifts, Pebble Hook-tip, Common Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, 4 Green Carpets, 2 Mottled Pugs, Common Pug, Grey Pug, 2 Clouded Borders, Tawny-barred Angle, Pale Oak Beauty, White-pinion Spotted, Iron Prominent, 2 Lesser Swallow Prominents, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Marbled Browns, 3 Pale Tussocks, 8 Orange Footmen, Least Black Arches, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, Small Square-spot, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Rustic Shoulder-knots, Brown Rustic, Angle Shades, Middle-barred Minor, Treble Lines and Straw Dot.

Grey Pug (female, gen det), Roydon Common, 4th June

There weren't nearly as many Diamond-back Moths coming to light as we'd seen in the clearing earlier, but other micros included Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella and 20 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis.

Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, Roydon Common, 4th June

Additionally this very dark Cnephasia had us stumped.  I recognised the Cnephasia pattern but have never seen such a dark individual before (I think it looks paler in the photo than it did in life).  It turned out to be Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana.

Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana (male, gen det), Roydon Common, 4th June

Among the caddisflies was my first Plectrocnemia conspersa.  No photos of that alive but here are a couple of other caddisflies recorded: Grammotaulius nigropunctatus and Limnephilus sparsus.

Grammotaulius nigropunctatus (male), Roydon Common, 4th June

Limnephilus sparsus (female), Roydon Common, 4th June

Other inverts included 2 Common Striped Woodlice Philoscia muscorum and the mirid bug Stenodema laevigata.

Common Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum, Roydon Common, 4th June

Stenodema laevigata, Roydon Common, 4th June

Another Luquetia lobella

Still catching up...

While I was at Brancaster on the night of 27th June my trap at home was pulling in the goods too.  It wasn't the warmest of nights and correspondingly not the best night, but still a few to note.  Probably the rarest was another Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, hot on the heels of my first the previous night (pretty sure it wasn't the same individual, as I hadn't released that one until after I'd turned the trap off).

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, North Elmham, 27th June

Another 'second' was Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella.  New for the year were Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Barred Straw and Bordered White.

Bordered White, North Elmham, 27th June

Barred Straw, North Elmham, 27th June

Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, North Elmham, 27th June

Hawthorn Cosmet Blastadacna hellerella, North Elmham, 27th June

Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, North Elmham, 27th June

Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th June

The others were Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, Cypress Tip Moth Argyresthia cupressella, 4 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrices Archips podana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stagnata, 6 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Figure of Eighty, Dwarf Cream Wave, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Sandy Carpet, 3 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, Willow Beauty, Common White Wave, Clouded Silver, Light Emerald, Elephant Hawkmoth, 3 Buff-tips, Orange Footman, 4 Common Footmen, White Ermine, 16 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, 5 Heart and Clubs, 8 Heart and Darts, 2 Flames, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, 4 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, 5 Brown Rustics, 2 Marbled Minors (gen det), 2 Middle-barred Minors, 3 Treble Lines, 10 Uncertains, 2 Mottled Rustics, 2 Burnished Brass, Spectacle, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips and 5 Straw Dots.

Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th June

Heart and Club, North Elmham, 27th June

Next day was better in number of species, though perhaps not in quality. Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, Common Emerald, Rustic and 4 Marbled White Spots were new for the year.

Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, North Elmham, 28th June

Marbled White Spot, North Elmham, 28th June

Common Emerald, North Elmham, 28th June

Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, North Elmham, 28th June

Other moths recorded that night were Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, 2 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrices Archips podana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrices Lozotaenia forsterana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana, 3 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 5 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, 6 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stagnata, Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Dwarf Cream Wave, Small Dusty Wave, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Treble Brown Spots, 4 Riband Waves, Silver-ground Carpet, Garden Carpet, Yellow Shell, Sandy Carpet, Common Pug, Green Pug, Brimstone Moth, 6 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Common White Wave, Clouded Silver, Marbled Brown, 2 Buff-tips, Pale Tussock, 9 Common Footmen, 15 Buff Ermines, 2 Heart and Clubs, 7 Heart and Darts, 4 Flames, Flame Shoulder, Small Square-spot, 2 Double Square-spots, Lychnis, Common Wainscot, 3 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, 5 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, 4 Dark Arches, 4 Middle-barred Minors, 7 Uncertains, 2 Mottled Rustics, Burnished Brass, 2 Spectacles, 4 Straw Dots, 4 Snouts and 4 Small Fan-foots.

Woodland Marble Orthtaenia undulana, North Elmham, 28th June

Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, North Elmham, 28th June

Non-lepidopteran interest was maintained with this Common Green Caspid:

Common Green Caspid Lygocorus pabulinus, North Elmham, 28th June

The species count was a bit lower again next day but still four new for the year including one of my favourites, Barred Yellow.  The other three were Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Brown-line Bright-eye and Smoky Wainscot.

Barred Yellow, North Elmham, 29th June

Brown-line Bright-eye, North Elmham, 29th June

Smoky Wainscot, North Elmham, 29th June

Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, North Elmham, 29th June

Also recorded were Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella (gen det), Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 5 Large Ivy Tortrices Lozotaenia forsterana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrices Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, 5 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 6 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 4 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Dwarf Cream Wave, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Treble Brown Spot, 3 Riband Waves, Common Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Common Pug, 2 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, 2 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Pale Oak Beauty, Clouded Silver, Light Emerald, 4 Buff-tips, Four-dotted Footman, 2 Common Footmen, 17 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, 4 Heart and Clubs, 4 Heart and Darts, Flame, Flame Shoulder, 4 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, 2 Common Wainscots, 4 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, 10 Brown Rustics, 3 Middle-barred Minors, 2 Treble Lines, 8 Uncertains, 2 Mottled Rustics, 6 Burnished Brass, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, 6 Straw Dots, Fan-foot and Small Fan-foot. 

Four-dotted Footman, North Elmham, 29th June

Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, North Elmham, 29th June