Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Erebids (Erebidae) part 1: Herald, Straw Dot, Snouts and Tussocks and allies

EREBIDS (EREBIDAE)


Herald Scoliopteryx libatrix - Singles in the garden on 23rd and 24th April and 2nd May 2019 and on 5th April 2020.  I've had between 1-4 every year I've trapped here.  I've not caught this species anywhere else since living here.

Herald, North Elmham, 23rd April 2019

Herald, North Elmham, 5th April 2020

Straw Dot Rivula sericealis - At least 106 caught in the garden between 30th May and 25th September 2019 but no counts on 9 dates so the true total may have been higher (but possibly not a lot as a lot of counts of one around this period).  Almost certainly my worst year here, 2020 being the next worst year with 166 between 26th May and 30th September.  Over the previous 4 years I averaged nearly 460 a year.  Elsewhere caught next door on 3 nights, 20 seen at the meadows on 13 dates and 3-4 at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street and Swanton Great Wood and singles at Hills and Holes and in Cornwall.

Straw Dot, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Snout Hypena proboscidalis - Totals of 105 caught in the garden between 23rd June and 20th October 2019 and 91 between 3rd June and 27th September 2020.  I catch more than double those totals in an average year - these were my worst totals so far.  Elsewhere a total of 29 over 17 dates at the meadows, 6 in Hellesdon, 9 in Cornwall and 1-2 at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street, Swanton Great Wood, Weybourne and Row Heath (West Runton).

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis - One in the garden moth trap on 18th May 2020.  I've had 2 here before, in 2015 and 2017 (and 4 at my old house in Bawdeswell between 2010 and 2014).

Buttoned Snout, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

White Satin Leucoma salicis - None at home in either year or in any year since 2016, though 2 here in each of 2015 and 2016 and one next door in 2017.  One at the meadows on 18th July 2020 was my only record in 2019-20, my second here.

White Satin, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Black Arches Lymantria monacha - 4 caught in the garden between 22nd and 27th July 2019 and 6 between 18th and 26th July 2020.  I've never gone lower than 4 and the previous 2 years' totals weren't much higher but before that 22 in 2016.  Elsewhere one next door, 2 at the meadows, 3 at Bintree Wood, 5 at Swanton Great Wood and 2 at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August.

Black Arches, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Black Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Black Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2019

Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar - I've never caught this species myself but I did get to see one that someone else caught in 2019.  I don't normally twitch moths that other people catch but I took a call from Chris Mills who said that a friend who was staying in his house (while he was overseas)and  had caught what appeared to be this species.  His friend wanted someone else to go along and see it in order to confirm the ID as as I was at Winterton I was happy to pop in on my way home and take a look.  After becoming extinct in the 19th century this species is re-establishing itself in a few areas in southern England.  This was the 5th Norfolk record since 2016 and there were another 5 records in 2020 so it seems like it may be in the process of colonising Norfolk.  In any case we can expect more in coming years...

Gypsy Moth, Themelthorpe, caught by Sean on 18th August 2019

Brown-tail Euproctis chrysorrhoea - 3 caught in the garden between 11th and 26th July 2019 and 9 between 13th and 29th July 2020.  3-4 a year here is normal but I'd never gone above 6 before.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019 and 30 at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020.

Brown-tail, Brancaster, 2nd July 2020

Yellow-tail Euproctis similis - At least 17 between 11th July and 3rd August 2019 and 40 between 18th June and 12th August 2020.  Although not counted on 3 nights in 2019, so the actual total may have been a little higher than 17, this was certainly my worst year for Yellow-tails here - I averaged 68 a year between 2015 and 2018.  Elsewhere a couple next door, 3 at the meadows (plus a caterpillar on 27th May 2020), one at Bintree Wood and 2 caterpillars at Titchwell on 1st June 2019.

Yellow-tail caterpillar, Titchwell, 1st June 2019

Yellow-tail caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda - Totals of 12 caught in the garden between 22nd April and 30th June 2019 and 7 between 9th and 22nd May 2020.  15 a year is average and these were my worst showings since moving here.  Elsewhere 4 at the meadows and 8 at Hills and Holes.

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 22nd April 2019

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 9th May 2020

Pale Tussock, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Vapourer Orgyia antiqua - Singles in the garden moth trap on 6th Augsut and 26th September 2020.  I'd only ever caught 2 here before (2015 and 2017) though I'd also found a caterpillar in 2014.  Elsewhere oone to light at the meadows on 30th July 2019 and then 3 seen in flight in daytime on 15th-17th October; another to light on 18th July 2020.  Also one day-flying at Cromer on 22nd October 2019. 

Vapourer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd July 2019

Vapourer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Vapourer, North Elmham, 26th September 2020

Next page: more Erebidae

Common by name, uncommon by nature (oehlmanniella)

This is the Garden Chafer I found in the garden on Friday 23rd May.

Garden Chafer, North Elmham, 23rd May

A few moths at Ryburgh included Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, 3 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, 2 Cocksfoot Moths Glyphipterix simpliciella and presumed Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet.  Beetles included Cantharis decipiens.

Back at home I found this small weevil in my study - it turned out to be Kalcapion pallipes.

Kalcapion pallipes, North Elmham, 23rd May

A Common Frog in the garden was my first here this year.  They sometimes sit round the moth trap, presumably in the hope of a tasty moth landing close by.  The highlight among the moths the frog didn't eat was a lifer, Common Bright Incurvaria oehlmanniella.  However it didn't increase my garden list as it took the place of a previous unidentified Incurvaria sp. which I had (in the light of this perhaps wrongly) presumed was likely to be Incurvaria masculella.  Despite oehlmanniella's common name, masculella is far commoner in my experience - just not in my garden.

Common Bright Incurvaria oehlmanniella, North Elmham, 23rd May

Several other moths were new for the year, namely Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, Spruce Carpet, Common Wave, Buff Ermine, Marbled Minor and Buttoned Snout. The last of those was my second here following one in 2015; more surprisingly Spruce Carpet was also my first here since 2015.

Buttoned Snout, North Elmham, 23rd May

Spruce Carpet, North Elmham, 23rd May

Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, North Elmham, 23rd May

False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd May

Common Wave, North Elmham, 23rd May

Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd May

Other moths were Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Chinese Character, Flame Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Garden Carpet, 3 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, 7 Common Pugs, 6 Brimstone Moths, 3 Waved Umbers, 2 White-pinion Spotteds, Light Emerald, Eyed Hawk-moth, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, Orange Footman, 8 White Ermines, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Shears, Brown Rustic and 4 Treble Lines.

Orange Footman, North Elmham, 23rd May

Shears, North Elmham, 23rd May

There was only one caddisfly in the trap but it was a new one for the house: Plectrocnemia conspersa.

Plectrocnemia conspersa (male), North Elmham, 23rd May

A Procloeon bifidum (type of Mayfly) was new for the year.

Procloeon bifidum, North Elmham, 23rd May

Buttoned Snout

A good selection of moths last Friday night including 40 species, my best this year I think.  For macro-lovers the Buttoned Snout would undoubtedly be the highlight, though for me it was a micro that came out trumps.  A grey tortrix which I first assumed was a Cnephasia sp. before noticing the solidly dark basal area.  It was in fact a Hedge Shade Isotrias rectifasciana, a new moth for me.

Buttoned Snout, North Elmham, 5th June

Hedge Shade Isotrias rectifasciana, North Elmham, 5th June

No Bordered Straws for me, or even Silver Ys, but migrants did appear in the shape of 3 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella.

Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, North Elmham, 5th June

Other species new for the year included Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Light Emerald, Marbled Minor, Middle-barred Minor and Straw Dot.

 Elder Pearl Anania coronata, North Elmham, 5th June

Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, North Elmham, 5th June

Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 5th June

Middle-barred Minor, North Elmham, 5th June

Light Emerald, North Elmham, 5th June

Straw Dot, North Elmham, 5th June

Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 5th June

Several other moths were interesting for various reasons.  Light Brocade is one I don't see very often and a bit of a looker.

 Light Brocade, North Elmham, 5th June

The others were White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulata, 3 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, 3 Common Swifts, Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 4 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, 2 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, 2 Common Pugs, 3 Brimstone Moths, 2 Buff-tips, 3 Pale Tussocks, Orange Footman, White Ermine, Buff Ermine, 2 Cinnabars, 3 Heart and Darts, 3 Small Square-spots, Light Brocade, Lychnis, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 11 Treble Lines, Nut-tree Tussock and Spectacle.  The count of 11 Treble Lines is my highest - it's a species that I only ever saw singly at Bawdeswell - in fact I didn't see 11 there in total in all the years I lived there.

This female Pale Tussock was good to see - most Pale Tussocks I see are males and compared to those this was very distinctive (and big).

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 5th June

A very strongly-marked Silver-ground Carpet:

Silver-ground Carpet, North Elmham, 5th June

Small Magpie Anania hortulata, North Elmham, 5th June