Mayfly magic - out with the old skin and in with the new

On Saturday afternoon I joined Dave and Matthew Casey on one of Matthew's patches that was a site for Large Red-belted Clearwings.  It's a bit early but Dave has a pheremone lure and we thought it worth a shot.  We didn't succeed with the Clearwings but saw a nice variety of inverts, and it was good to meet Matthew again - and also really nice to meet James Lowen for the first time, who lives nearby and turned up later with his daughter.

Dave and Matthew had already found a Marsh Pug and some Little Long-horns Cauchas fibulella before I arrived, and other Long-horns included a couple of Meadow Long-horns Cauchas rufimitrella.

Little Long-horn Cauchas fibulella, New Costessey, 28th May

Other moths included Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Thistle Bell Epiblema scutulana, Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, Red Twin-spot Carpet and Common Carpet.  Butterflies included Holly Blue and Speckled Wood, and Damseflies included Azure and Blue-tailed.

Azure Damselfly, New Costessey, 28th May

There were lots of Mayflies along the stream.  They looked distinctive but to be sure of getting an ID I took one home in a pot to examine with the key to hand.  It proved to be a Green Drake Ephemera danica but the more interesting thing was that it shed its skin while in my pot.  I'd already photographed it when I looked back at the pot and at first thought there was a second, dead, Mayfly in the pot.  How could that be, I pondered, before realising that it was in fact an empty skin.  The new iteration of Mayfly didn't look vastly different from the first, but the body was brighter and paler, the wings seemed paler and more strongly marked and the tail was longer.  I don't know much about Mayflies yet, but learned something new here.  Firstly I hadn't realised that the change from sub-imago to imago (adult) involved shedding its skin and secondly, when I read up on that the text seemed to imply that the sub-imago just rests before moulting into an imago, yet mine was definitely captured in flight.

Green Drake Ephemera danica, New Costessey, 28th May - the sub-imago, its shed skin and the resulting imago

This Alder Fly turned out to be Sialis lutaria.  There are 3 species of Alder Fly in the UK and you have to examine their genitalia to sort them out.  They don't need a full dissection but I must admit I found it a bit tricky matching my specimen to the diagrams in the key.  Got there in the end though, I think.

Alder Fly Sialis lutaria (male, gen det), New Costessey, 28th May

Other inverts of note were Dock Bug, Red-headed Cardinal (beetle) and Green Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus. Snails included a Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus and Dave pointed out what turned out to be my first identified Amber Snail Succinea putris.

Dock Bug, New Costessey, 28th May

 Green Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus, New Costessey, 28th May

Amber Snail Succinea putris, New Costessey, 28th May

Breckland specials

Saturday afternoon before last Dave and I headed off to Narborough, primarily to see one day-flying moth that is usually only recorded at this one site in Norfolk.  We succeeded, seeing 2 Lace Borders.

Lace Borders, Narborough, 6th June

A Common Purple & Gold Pyrausta purpuralis was a UK first for me.  Despite its common name it is far less common (at least in gardens) than Small Purple & Gold Pyrausta aurata.  Sadly it got away before I could get a decent look or photos - the one shot I came away with being only just sufficient to confirm the ID.  Other moths here were Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus and 3 Silver Ys.

Next stop was Cranwich Heath, a new site for me though I have done Cranwich Camp just across the road a couple of times.  A few moths were disturbed from the Broom by the gate most of which escaped during bungled attempts at getting them in a net, but the one that mattered wasn't so lucky - a dark tortrix which proved to be Black Piercer Pammene germmana.  Amazingly there is only one previous record of this species on the Norfolk Moths database, a single in 1992.  That said, old references show the species as occurring in both of Norfolk's vice-counties so presumably recent recorders just haven't been looking hard enough!

Black Piercer Pammene germmana, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

As we started to wander through the grassland we quickly started to notch up some interesting moths.  One of the best was the Breckland special, Tawny Wave, a new species for both of us.

Tawny Wave, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Other macros included Latticed Heath and the first of at least 6 Yellow Shells.  Common Blue and 2 Small Heaths were among the butterflies and micro moths included at least 1 (probably 2) migrant Rush Veneers Nomophila noctuella.

Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Another Breckland special was abundant here - we counted at least 30 Little Grass-veneers Platytes cerussella.  Among them were 2 Plain Fanners Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, 2 Gorse Case-bearers Coleophora albicosta, 2 Hedge Case-bearers Coleophora striatipennella and the first of 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana.

Plain Fanner Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella (female, gen det), Cranwich Heath, 6th June

As we got nearer a patch of gorse, 3 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana appeared.  Heading over to the other side we started to see Plume Moths.  Some got away but the ones we nailed were 2 Breckland Plumes Oxyptilus distans and a Citron Plume Euleioptilus carphodactyla.

Breckland Plume Oxyptilus distans, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Citron Plume Euleioptilus carphodactyla, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Some nice wildflowers here too, including this one which I think is Viper's Bugloss.

Viper's Bugloss, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Over in the longer grass the grass-moths changed - Platytes became scarcer and Hook-streaked Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus dominated with at least 60 counted.  The edges of the woodland produced some excellent dusking with moths everywhere.  Best of the bunch was a spectacular moth, a new moth for us, and in some ways more exciting than the Pammene germmana and Tawny Wave.  It was a Small Barred Long-horn Adela croesella - simply stunning!

Small Barred Long-horn Adela croesella, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Another Long-horn was also a lifer, although perhaps not quite so spectacular: Little Long-horn Cauchas fibulella.

Little Long-horn Cauchas fibulella, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Other moths recorded at this point included a wealth of goodies such as Hawthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix bechsteinella, Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, Pine Bell Epinotia rubiginosana, Lead-coloured Drill Dichrorampha plumbana and Shaded Pug. 

Hawthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix bechsteiniella (male, gen det), Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Pine Bell Epinotia rubiginosana, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Lead-coloured Drill Dichrorampha plumbana (male, gen det), Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Shaded Pug, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Perhaps less exciting but still nice to see were Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 2 Light Grey Tortrices Cnephasia incertana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis and Red Twin-spot Carpet.

Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella (female, gen det), Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

No idea what species they are but noticed these two very striking Snails.

unidentified Snails, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

Dave spotted this beauty on the ground: a Small Elephant Hawkmoth.

Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Cranwich Heath, 6th June

As darkness gathered at least 15 Green Carpets were recorded along with Oak-tree Pug and Foxglove Pug.

At home the clear skies kept numbers down, though 2 Common Wainscots and Shoulder-striped Wainscot were both new for the year.  The latter is likely to prove the better moth locally - I only ever saw one at Bawdeswell.

Shoulder-striped Wasincot, North Elmham, 6th June

Common Wasincots, North Elmham, 6th June

Also White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulata, Blood-vein, Silver-ground Carpet, Green Carpet, Peppered Moth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Buff-tip, 3 White Ermines, Buff Ermine, 2 Heart and Darts, Flame Shoulder, 2 Shears and 10 Treble Lines.

Peppered Moth, North Elmham, 6th June