Holkham moth night

A couple of unsuccessful attempts to see Great Knot at Titchwell produced 3 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella (17th) and a Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana (18th).

At home 17th wasn't a great night with just 40 species, none of which were new for the year: 5 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Common Swift, Treble Brown Spot, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Small Rivulet, Foxglove Pug, Scorched Wing, Brimstone Moth, Willow Beauty, Light Emerald, Pale Tussock, Orange Footman, Common Footman, 5 White Ermines, 7 Buff Ermines, 5 Heart and Darts, Large Yellow Underwing, Ingrailed Clay, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lychnis, Common Wainscot, Brown Rustic, 7 Marbled Minors, 2 Middle-barred Minors, 8 Treble Lines, Mottled Rustic, 3 Burnished Brasses, Beautiful Golden Y, 3 Straw Dots and 2 Snouts.

A new caddisfly, Athripsodes aterrimus, saved the night.  Other caddis included Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis, Limnephilus lunatus and 2 Limnephilus marmoratus.

Athripsodes aterrimus, North Elmham, 17th June

On Saturday 18th I headed up to Holkham for the Norfolk Moth Survey event.  The forecast hadn't been great but it turned out to be cloudier than we'd expected, the wind had dropped right down and at first it didn't feel as cold as we'd feared.  But things seemed a bit slow anyway, despite several highlights.

I didn't get there early enough to do any dusking beforehand but those that did found and retained some New Holm-Oak Pigmies Ectoedemia heringella, the first time I've seen this species.

Surprisingly we saw more micro moths than macro, though slightly less variety according to my personal totals (which are always incomplete for events like this).  Apart from Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, the most numerous micro was Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, for which I estimated a dozen, followed by Beautiful Groundling Caryocolum marmorea (maybe half a dozen or more?).

Beautiful Groundlings Caryocolum marmorea, Holkham, 18th June

Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, Holkham, 18th June

Someone found a Small Saltern Conch Gynnidomorpha vectisana, a new moth for me.  I only saw it in a pot so my photos aren't worth sharing.  Another moth passed round in a pot was claimed as a Strophedra.  I didn't get a good enough look to challenge that but subsequently it turns out that it's probably Pine-cone Piercer Cydia conicolana.  I've not heard that it's been gen detted yet but assuming the ID proves correct then that's another lifer for me.  We also caught a Momphid which I wasn't able to identify on the night.  It was very worn and frankly looked nothing like the Little Cosmet Mompha raschkiella that it proved to be on dissection.  Surprisingly, as this is a much commoner and more widespread species, this was also a new moth for me.

Little Cosmet Mompha raschkiella (male, gen det), Holkham, 18th June

The other micros were 4 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Painted Neb Eulamprotes wilkella, Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Hedge Shade Isotrias rectifasciana, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea and Ochreous Pearl Anania crocealis.

Ochreous Pearl Anania crocealis, Holkham, 18th June

Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella (female, gen det), Holkham, 18th June

Painted Neb Eulamprotes wilkella, Holkham, 18th June

Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, Holkham, 18th June

Among the macros the highlight for me was 2 Pine Carpets - a species I've only seen once before.

Pine Carpet, Holkham, 18th June

Nothing else remarkable among the macros - the others I recorded were Common Swift, Cream Wave, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, 3 Green Carpets, Common Pug, 2 Clouded Borders, 2 Scorched Carpets, Brimstone Moth, Peppered Moth, Privet Hawkmoth, Buff Ermine, 12 Cinnabars, Archer's Dart, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Brown Rustic, Treble Lines, Spectacle and 2 Straw Dots.

Privet Hawkmoth, Holkham, 18th June

Scorched Carpet, Holkham, 18th June

I think this beetle is the Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum.  Assuming my ID is correct then that's a new one for me.  Another new beetle that should be correct as Andy M gave me the ID was the Click Beetle Prosternon tessellatum.

Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum (I think), Holkham, 18th June

Prosternon tessellatum, Holkham, 18th June

The Caddisflies didn't turn up anything that I don't get at home: Phryganea grandis, 4 Limnephilus auricula and 4 Limnephilus marmoratus.

Back at home the moth trap wasn't exactly overloaded with goodies.  I didn't get any False Cacao Moths Ephestia unicolorella last year so this one was new for the house.

False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella (male, gen det), Holkham, 18th June

Riband Wave and Common Wave were new for the year here and the other moths recorded at home were 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Common Swift, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Common Pug, Clouded Border, 2 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, Elephant Hawkmoth, Common Footman, 2 White Ermines, 5 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 2 Heart and Darts, Ingrailed Clay, Brown Rustic, 4 Treble Lines, 2 Mottled Rustics, 2 Burnished Brasses and Straw Dot.  Limnephilus lunatus was the only caddisfly recorded.

North Denes

Last Saturday saw a Norfolk Moth Survey event at the North Denes, Great Yarmouth.  With it being such a good year for migrants and reasonable condtions forecast this was an opportunity not to miss.  As it turned out, it wasn't so good for migrants as we'd hoped for.  Maybe we packed up too early (a bit before midnight), but the number of migrant species recorded were lower than hoped: Silver Y, Dark Sword-grass, Small Mottled Willow and, a first for me, Scarce Bordered Straw.  Stuck in one of Jim's famously semi-opaque pots photographing the latter was a challenge... Someone get him some new pots!

Scarce Bordered Straw, Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

Another victim of Jim's pots was this Coast Dart, another lifer for me.

Coast Dart, Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

A couple of micro species were good.  Agate Knot-horn Nyctegretis lineana is a proposed Red Data Book species, in Norfolk known only from the south-east of the county.

Agate Knot-horn Nyctegretis lineana, Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

The other interesting micro was Sea-holly Flat-body Agonopterix cnicella.  We found quite a few of these - I reckon there must have been at least 10 - which is remarkable for such a scarce species, especially as they're supposed to fly in June-July!  Most were quite worn so it's not entirely clear whether these represent a second generation or are set to over-winter as some other Agonopterix species do.

Sea-holly Flat-bodies Agonopterix cnicella (males, gen det), Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

Looking through a hand-lens in the field we could see the diffuse dark area adjacent to the white spots but it wasn't until I looked through the microscope that I detected another external feature that appears to be distinctive.  All four individuals that I retained showed a few rusty-red scales adjacent to the white ones, and also in a diagonal line extending back from the base of the wing.  Never seen that on heracliana so maybe a useful ID pointer?  Not sure if it's consistent though - I can't detect it in some of the photos online.

Sea-holly Flat-body Agonopterix cnicella (close-up of discal region of top individual above), Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

Other notable micros were Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella and 8 White-streak Grass-veneers Agriphila latistria.

Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

 Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella (female, gen det), Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

The best of the other macros were 2 Yellow Belles and 3 Archer's Darts.  The other moths I saw were 4 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Common Carpet, 8 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, 2 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Small Square-spot, 4 Square-spot Rustics, Straw Underwing, 2 Cloaked Minors and Snout.

Straw Underwing, Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana (male), Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

A couple of bug lifers for me too: Chorosoma schillingi and Lucerne Bug Adelphocoris lineolatus.

Lucerne Bug Adelphocoris lineolatus, Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

Chorosoma schillingi, Great Yarmouth North Denes, 12th September

Dune Chafer, dune moths and dune toad

I headed up to Burnham Overy on 1st August, mainly for birding but, with it being towards the end of the day I notched up a few moths too.  As good as any of the moths was this fine beetle, a Dune Chafer, munching a Rosebay Willowherb leaf:

Among the moths was a Saltmarsh Bell Eucosma tripoliana and a Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella.

Saltmarsh Bell Eucosma tripoliana, Burnham Overy, 1st August

Some Bryotropha provided interesting: one was just Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella but two (one from each end of the dunes) proved to be Dull Red Groundlings Bryotropha senectella.  I was more surprised by another which to me looked like a fairly pale terrella, but well within range for that species.  On dissection it proved to be a Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella.

Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella (female, gen det), Burnham Overy, 1st August

 Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella (male, gen det), Burnham Overy, 1st August

There were loads of Bud Moths Spilonota ocellana (I counted 12 but I'm sure they were just the tip of the iceburg) around the Sea Buckthorn.  They were all relatively dark - most of the ocellana I see seem to be yet if you look at photos online the paler form seems to be the more usual variant.

Bud Moths Spilonota ocellana, Burnham Overy, 1st August

No surprise to see Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella after finding the Spindle trees stripped by the larvae earlier in the year.

Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella, Burnham Overy, 1st August

Other moths seen were Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, 2 Yellow-spot Tortrices Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 4 Barred Grass-veneers Agriphila inquinatella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Dwarf Cream Wave, Shaded Broad-bar and 2 Yellow Shells. Also 20 Cinnabar moth caterpillars.

Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, Burnham Overy, 1st August

Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Burnham Overy, 1st August

Dusk at Buirnham Overy at this time of year guarantees a chorus of Natterjack toads but it's not so often that I see them.  This one was seen as it was almost dark crossing the path on the north side of the dunes.

Natterjack Toad, Burnham Overy, 1st August

At home that night it was fairly unremarkable.  Two new moths for the year were the terribly named Golden Lance-wing Epermenia chaerophyllella and Straw Underwing.

Golden Lance-wing Epermenia chaerophyllella, North Elmham, 1st August

Straw Underwing, North Elmham, 1st August

Red and Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets are supposed to be quite tough to identify with certainty, with some Red having dark bars and some Dark-barred being quite reddish.  Some features once thought to be diagnostic have been shown not to be (like the notch in the bar) and the scarcer Dark-barred is sometimes said to need gen detting to confirm.  It's also supposed to be quite scarce now and it's often suspected that records relate to misidentified dark-barred Red Twin-spot Carpets.  Well I've found quite a few dark-barred carpets that I've dissected and they've all proved to be Dark-barred, while the few red-barred ones I've dissected have been Red.  I also find Dark-barred to be consistently small-looking, though matched by a minority of presumed Red.  Well this large red-barred individual wouldn't have even come inside for closer inspection had it not kept its wings firmly closed while I was emptying the trap.  When it did eventually open up it just looked like a straightforward Red, albeit quite a worn one so the red wasn't as clear as it might have been when fresh.  Maybe the red colour was a bit darker than normal so with it being on its last legs I decided to dissect it anyway.  To my  surprise this one was not a Red Twin-spot Carpet after all - it was a female Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet!  All the others I've dissected have been males so maybe females are either more variable or larger/redder?

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (female, gen det), North Elmham, 1st August

Other moths were Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 2 Gorse Crests Brachmia blandella, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 32 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Small Emerald, 4 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Poplar Hawkmoth, 3 Yellow-tails, 4 Dingy Footmen, 7 Common Footmen, Buff Ermine, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 Double Square-spots, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, 2 Dark Arches, Common Rustic, 4 Uncertains, Rustic, Mottled Rustic, Nut-tree Tussock and Snout.

Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, North Elmham, 1st August

East Wretham Heath

I was absolutely knackered last weekend but I just couldn't resist a Norfolk Moth Survey event in the Brecks at East Wretham Heath.  Head thumping, I turned up along with Dave and joined a good crowd of other hopefuls.  First bit of dusking while we waited to go in produced a few nice moths including Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea and Powdered Grass-veneer Thisanotia chrysonuchella.

Powdered Grass-veneer Thisanotia chrysonuchella, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

I netted a pale Bryotropha sp., a terrella-type but in view of its paleness I wondered if it might be one of the other similar species like desertella (for some reason I mistakenly had it in my head that desertella was a Breckland species).  I also retained a darker example, as much as anything in order to be able to confirm the presence of terrella as well.  On returning home I quickly established that terrella can often be that pale and that desertella is in fact mainly a coastal species in Norfolk and decidedly rare inland, so it was no surprise that the first one turned out to be Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella.  What was then very much a surprise was that the darker one turned out to be Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella!  You can see in the photos below how the desertella is distinctly narrower than the terrella.  I didn't notice it in the field but at home it was also obviously smaller.

Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella (male, gen det), East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Cinerous Groundling Bryotropha terrella (female, gen det), East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Several Gold Swifts were displaying beside where I set up my light:

Gold Swift, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

A wander round other people's traps provided a few good moths such as Ghost Moth, Fox Moth, the first of 7 Small Elephant Hawkmoths, Clouded Buff and my first ever Mint Bent-wing Pseudopostega crepusculella.

Ghost Moth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Fox Moth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Small Elephant Hawkmoth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Back at my sheet I was extremely pleased to find a Rosy Marbled, a Breckland special that I'd not seen before, and also the first of 2 Red-necked Footmen.

Rosy Marbled, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Red-necked Footman, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

By now my headache was killing me and the extreme tiredness was too much.  So rather than continuing to do the rounds with the others I headed back to my car and slept.  An hour or two later I awoke, just in time to meet Richard and Dave who'd brought a couple of moths back from other traps that they thought I might like to see.  Indeed I did, especially this absolutely superb Cream-spot Tiger, a new UK moth for me and especially pleasing after missing one at last year's Breckland NMS event.

Cream-spot Tiger, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

They also brought me Festoon, a species I'd only seen once before, and Purple Clay.

Festoon, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Purple Clay, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

I missed a lot through being asleep most of the night and not very 'with-it' when I wasn't snoozing, but still saw plenty to keep me thoroughly entertained.  The other stuff I noted down were Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 8 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrices Pandemis cerasana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 4 Flax Tortrices Cnephasia asseclana (gen det), 10 Green Oak Tortrices Tortrix viridana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrices Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Red Roller Ancylis mitterbacheriana, 3 Spotted Shoot Moths Rhyacionia pinivorana, Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, 15 Little Grass-veneers Platytes cerussella, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, 8 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella, 2 Brown China-marks Elophila nymphaeata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulata, Twin-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella, Riband Wave, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Yellow Shell, 2 Green Carpets, Sharp-angled Carpet, 2 Grey Pugs, 30 Brown Silver-lines, 2 Brimstone Moths, Pale Oak Beauty, 2 Bordered Whites, 3 Lime Hawkmoths, Eyed Hawkmoth, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Marbled Browns, Buff-tip, Lobster Moth, Pale Tussock, Orange Footman, Buff Ermine, 2 Cinnabars, Least Black Arches, Heart and Dart, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Brown Rustic, Marbled Minor (gen det), Middle-barred Minor, Treble Lines, 2 Marbled White Spots and 8 Straw Dots. 

Lime Hawkmoth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Bordered White, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Peppered Moth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Pale Oak Beauty, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Spotted Shoot Moths Rhyacionia pinivorana, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, East Wretham Heath, 20th June

Acorn Weevil (I think), East Wretham Heath, 20th June