Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 11: Lacanobia Brocades to Hadena Coronets

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Light Brocade Lacanobia w-latinum - None.  I caught 10 here between 2015 and 2017 but that's 3 consecutive years now without catching any here.


Pale-shouldered Brocade Lacanobia thalassina - 2 worn individuals at Carsaig (Mull) on 11th and 13th June 2019 but none at home in either year.  As with the previous species that's now 3 consecutive blank years here, after 5 caught between 2015 and 2017.

Pale-shouldered Brocade, Carsaig (Mull), 11th June 2019

Pale-shouldered Brocade, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Dog's Tooth Lacanobia suasa - None.  I've never caught this species locally but there are a few records in mid Norfolk so I may get it round here sometime.


Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea - Totals of 21 in the garden between 16th May and 1st August 2019 and 16 between 3rd June and 23rd July 2020 - my worst years so far (average annual total over 6 years is 39).  Elsewhere one next door, 3 at the meadows, one at Bintree Wood, 4 at Hellesdon and one at Brancaster.

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 16th May 2019

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 4th June 2020

Dot Moth Melanchra persicariae - Just a single record each year in the garden, on 7th July 2019 and 26th June 2020.  I've never come so close to a nil return before - I only caught 3 in 2017 but in other years I've had between 14 and 28.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.

Dot Moth, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Broom Moth Ceramica pisi - 6 on Mull including 4 from 9th to 12th June 2019 at our accommodation at Carsaig and 2 at other sites on 13th June. That doubled the total number I've ever seen.  In Norfolk this species seems to be commonest in the Brecks and I've not recorded it locally - however there are quite a few records from the other moth-trapper in my road (none very recent) so I hope to get it here eventually.  None in 2020.

Broom Moth, Carsaig (Mull), 9th June 2019

Broom Moth, Carsaig (Mull), 11th June 2019

Shears Hada plebeja - 5 in the garden between 20th May and 7th June 2019 - my worst year here so far (but I was away for a week during their flight period) - and 9 between 20th May and 14th June 2020.  I average 11 a year here.  Elsewhere singles at Carsaig (Mull) on 10th and 11th June 2019.

Shears, North Elmham, 20th May 2019

Shears, Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Shears, Carsaig (Mull), 11th June 2019

Shears, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae - 4 caught here between 12th August and 3rd September 2019 but none here (or anywhere) in 2020.  4-6 a year here is normal though I had a blank year for them before, in 2017.  Elsewhere in 2019, 2 next door and one at Weybourne on 5th July.


Campion Sideridis rivularis - Singles trapped in the garden on 10th and 23rd August 2019 and 8th and 14th July 2020.  I didn't catch any here in 2014-2016 but have had 1-2 each year since.

Campion, North Elmham, 10th August 2019

Campion, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

Broad-barred White Hecatera bicolorata - One in the garden moth trap on 9th August 2020, the first I've seen since I caught one here in 2015.  They're quite lovely...

Broad-barred White, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

Small Ranunculus Hecatera dysodea - None.  I've never seen this species; it's a recent re-colonist in Norfolk but until the last year or two nearly all the records were from the Norwich area.  A few very recent records from other parts of Norfolk suggest that it might be spreading but so far there haven't been any round here.


Lychnis Hadena bicruris - An unexpected blank year here in 2019 followed by 6 between 21st May and 17th August 2020.  I had never had less than 4 in a year here before and I caught 27 here in 2015, so 2019's nil return came as a surprise.  However they were out locally - I caught one at the meadows and one next door.  Another at the meadows in 2020 and one at Carsaig (Mull) in June 2019.

Lychnis, Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Lychnis, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Lychnis, North Elmham, 11th July 2020

Varied Coronet Hadena compta - None.  After 2 here in 2015 I hoped the species would prove regular here, but I haven't seen one here (or anywhere) since.


Marbled Coronet Hadena confusa - One in the garden on 29th June 2019.  This was my second record here following one in 2016.  This species is generally very scarce in Norfolk away from the north coast.

Marbled Coronet, North Elmham, 29th June 2019

Tawny Shears Hadena perplexa - None.  I've only ever seen one of these and never any locally.  They're much less common round here than they are along the north coast but not so rare that I might not catch one here someday.


Next page: more Noctuidae

Derby Fen

I was supposed to be 'in charge' at the Norfolk Moth Survey event at Derby Fen as none of the usual suspects could make it that night (9th June).  I'd not been there before so Dave and I arrived early and had a wander round. We managed to find a good range of moths in the lower parts of the fen including my first ever confirmed Marsh Pug, a Hawthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix bechsteinella and a variety of the commoner Coleophora species.  We also found Little Grass-veneer Platytes cerussella to be abundant here, a species I’ve only previously seen in those sorts of numbers in the Brecks.

Marsh Pug, Derby Fen, 9th June

We were then joined by Tony and Garry and set up light traps. What may perhaps have been the best area to set them was too far to lug all the equipment, although Tony did manage to get his smaller trap down as far as a patch of Bog Myrtle. I was hoping we might find a Light Knot Grass there, but no such luck – but between us we did trap a nice variety of species including a few decent ones like Wood Carpet and Sloe Pug (both lifers for me).

Wood Carpet, Derby Fen, 9th June

Sloe Pug (male, gen det), Derby Fen, 9th June

We were surprised to find a Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii, but it seems like it was a good year for this species turning up inland.

Saltmasrh Plume Agdistis bennetii, Derby Fen, 9th June

Hawk-moths included Pine, Eyed, Poplar, Elephant and Small Elephant Hawk-moths and there were 3 Fox Moths. There were good numbers of July Belles and Sharp-angled Carpets along with 2 Shaded Pugs, 2 Four-dotted Footmen, a Broom Moth, 2 Bird’s Wings and a Dark Spectacle.

Fox Moth, Derby Fen, 9th June

Four-dotted Footman, Derby Fen, 9th June

Broom Moth, Derby Fen, 9th June

Bird's Wing, Derby Fen, 9th June

Other macro moth species we recorded were Ghost Moth, 4 Common Swifts, 2 Pebble Hook-tips, Treble Brown Spot, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, 2 Purple Bars, 3 Common Marbled Carpets, 5 Green Carpets, May Highflyer, Sandy Carpet, 's Pug, Wormwood Pug, 2 Common Pugs, 2 Grey Pugs, Small Yellow Wave, 2 Clouded Borders, Brown Silver-line, 5 Scorched Wings, 4 Brimstone Moths, 2 Peppered Moths, Willow Beauty, 3 Clouded Silvers, Light Emerald, Pebble Prominent, 2 Lesser Swallow Prominents, 2 Marbled Browns, 2 Pale Tussocks, 5 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, Heart and Club, 6 Heart and Darts, 4 Flame Shoulders, Ingrailed Clay, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 4 Shears, 2 Light Brocades, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Lychnis, Common Wainscot, 5 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, Grey or Dark Dagger, 6 Brown Rustics, Angle Shades, 3 Dark Arches, 2 Clouded-bordered Brindles, 2 Small Clouded Brindles, Large Nutmeg, 2 Rustic Shoulder-knots, 5 Marbled Minors, 2 Tawny Marbled Minors, 18 Middle-barred Minors, 6 Treble Lines, Mottled Rustic, Marbled White Spot, 4 Burnished Brasses, 2 Silver Ys, Dark Spectacle, Spectacle, Beautiful Hook-tip, 12 Straw Dots and Snout.

The rest of the micros were 3 Sorrel Bent-wings Opostega salaciella, Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, 3 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, 2 Black-headed Conches Cochylis atricapitana, 2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis cerasana, Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, 9 Light Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia incertana, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 3 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 15 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella,

Caddisflies included Hydropsyche pellucidula and Limnephilus sparsus and there was a Glow-worm.

After all that lot it was a surprisingly quiet night back at home - which made me wonder how good Derby Fen would have been on a better night.  Single-dotted Wave and Snout were the only new moths for the year at home, the rest being Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 2 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Pebble Hook-tip, Cream Wave, Treble Brown Spot, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Currant Pug, Pale Oak Beauty, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Buff-tip, Pale Tussock, 2 Orange Footmen, Common Footman, White Ermine, 4 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Flame Shoulder, 4 Ingrailed Clays, 3 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, Tawny Marbled Minor, Middle-barred Minor, 2 Mottled Rustics, 8 Straw Dots; also the caddisfly Limnephilus flavicornis.

Cinereous Neb Bryotropha terrella, North Elmham, 9th June

The following night was dire - just 19 species at what was coming up to the peak time of the year: Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Treble Brown Spot, Clouded Border, Buff-tip, 2 White Ermines, 6 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, Flame Shoulder, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Common Wainscots, 2 Brown Rustics, Middle-barred Minor, Mottled Rustic and Burnished Brass.

There was a better range of moths during the day at the Cathedral Meadows next day, with Sorrel Bent-wing Opostega salaciella, Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 2 Light Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia incertana, 12 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 11 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Yellow Shell, 4 Green Carpets and Straw Dot.

Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Common Marble Celypha lacunana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Bugs included 2 Leptopterna dolabrata and a female leafhopper would have been a new species for me if I'd managed to identify it to species-level - it was either Cicadula persimilis or Cicadula quadrinotata, but you need a male to get any further than that.

Leptopterna dolobrata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

 Cicadula persimilis/quadrinotata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

I netted a beetle seen flying over the railway and this proved to be Hydrobius fuscipes.  I think this is a very common species as I've found several since but this was the first one I'd identified.  There was also a 24-spot Ladybird and the hoverfly Eupeodes corollae.

Hydrobius fuscipes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Eupeodes corollae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

I think this spider is Tetragnatha extensa, another I'd not identified before.

Tetragnatha extensa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June