Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 8: Chestnuts and allies, Pale Pinion and Shoulder-knots

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis - Totals of 37 caught here between 20th September and 5th November 2019 and 24 between 18th September and 19th October 2020, my worst years yet (although the 2020 total was reduced by me being away for a few nights in early October).  Plotting my annual totals here gives me a smooth downward curve from the 84 here in 2014.  Elsewhere 79 over 7 nights in Cornwall in early October 2020 and 2 at the meadows on 8th November 2020.

Beaded Chestnut, North Elmham, 18th September 2020

Beaded Chestnuts, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th November 2020

Brown-spot Pinion Agrochola litura - Singles in the garden on 3 consecutive nights 2nd to 4th October 2019.  I caught 30 of these in 2014 but in the 5 years since then I've only caught 19 in total; 2020 was my first year without catching any at all.

Brown-spot Pinion, North Elmham, 2nd October 2019

Flounced Chestnut Agrochola helvola - None.  I first saw this species in 2017 and that remains the only one I've caught here.


Red-line Quaker Agrochola lota - Totals of 10 in the garden between 2nd October and 2nd November 2019 and 24 between 22nd September (my earliest ever) and 7th November 2020.  I've averaged about 11 a year here and 2020's total was my highest ever, and included my best count of 4 on 20th October.

Red-line Quaker, North Elmham, 2nd October 2019

Yellow-line Quaker Agrochola macilenta - Totals of 22 in the garden between 14th October and 27th November 2019, the last being my latest ever, and 17 between 17th October and 15th November 2020.  These totals were a fair bit below the average annual total of over 35.  Singles seen at the meadows on 5 dates from 4th October 2019.

Yellow-line Quaker, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Brick Agrochola circellaris - None here in 2019 but 5 between 2nd and 13th November 2020.  I've had poor years before (e.g. just one in 2016) but 2019 was my first complete blank.  I've caught up to 12 here in a year, averaging at 5.  Elsewhere 9 at the meadows on 4 dates (mostly on Ivy) including 5 on 4th October 2019. 

Bricks, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Brick, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th September 2020

Brick, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th October 2020

Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa - Totals of 360 caught in my garden between 10th September and 14th October 2019 and 348 between 8th September and 20th October 2020, both over my average annual tally of 282.  Elsewhere 316 in Cornwall in the first week of October (including 92 at our Tresidder cottage on 8th October).  Incredibly, I haven't managed to find this species at the meadows yet.

Lunar Underwing, Tresidder (Cornwall), 7th October 2020

Chestnut Conistra vaccinii - My best years for this species at home with 58 up to 27th March  2019 and then 17 from 1st October to the year end, 27 up to 10th April 2020 and then 66 from 29th September to the year end (including a record 8 on 16th October).  The totals of 75 and 93 compare with an average annual total of less than 60.  At the meadows recorded on 12 nights with a total of 24.  The record at home on 29th September 2020 and 4 at the meadows the same night were my earliest autumn records ever.  So far 2021 is shaping up to be another excellent year for this species.

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd March 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th March 2020

Chestnuts, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th September 2020 (the second being a confirmed male)

Dark Chestnut Conistra ligula - 5 caught in the garden in the first winter period of 2019, up to 23rd February, then 4 in the autumn between 21st October and 24th November followed by one on 13th February 2020.  5 between 2nd October (my earliest ever) and 21st December 2020.  I average just under 7 a year here.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 4th October 2019 and one in Cornwall in October 2020.  I find some Conistra quite difficult to be certain about and so dissect a few of the trickier individuals to confirm - the results suggest I'm being over-cautious as my suspected ID nearly always proves right, but I do occasionally get it wrong and sometimes think these are over-simplified, especially with worn examples.

Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 22nd February 2019

Dark Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

female Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 13th February 2020

female Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 2nd October 2020

male Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 16th October 2020

male Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 21st December 2020

Dotted Chestnut Conistra rubiginea - None at home in either year.  This species has very recently colonised Norfolk and is still spreading - I caught my first here in 2016 and a second in 2018.  Elsewhere one at Cranwich Heath on 14th March 2020.

Dotted Chestnut, Cranwich Heath, 14th March 2020

Tawny Pinion Lithophane semibrunnea - None.  This is a scarce species and I've never seen one, but it's pretty widespread so I remain optimistic that one will land in my trap sometime.


Pale Pinion Lithophane socia - Singles in my garden on 26th March 2019 (my earliest ever record) and 1st April 2020.  The 2019 individual had one wing very much shorter than the other.  This species isn't quite annual here though I average one a year.

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 26th March 2019

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 1st April 2020

Grey Shoulder-knot Lithophane ornitopus - singles caught in my garden on 17th October and 4th November 2019 and 18th October 2020.  1-2 a year is normal though numbers have varied from 0 to 4.

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 17th October 2019

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 4th November 2019

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 18th October 2020

Blair's Shoulder-knot Lithophane leautieri - One trapped in the garden on 28th October 2019.  This recent colonist seemed to be going from strength to strength at the time I moved here and I caught 22 in my first autumn (2014).  Since then it slumped - I caught 4 in each of the next 2 years, 3 in 2017 and none in 2018 or 2020.  A temporary dip, as in the usual peak-and-trough cycle of insect populations, or a long-term trend signalling the end of a temporary colonisation?  Time will tell, but I suspect the former.

Blair's Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 28th October 2019

Next page: more Noctuidae

Oak Beauty

Monday night produced only a selection of the species I'd trapped on Sunday night: 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Dotted Border, Chestnut and 2 ichneumons Ophion obscuratus.

Yesterday I thought the warm sunshine might bring out a few interesting inverts but despite my best efforts I saw very little.  I did manage my first butterfly of the year, at last, a Small Tortoiseshell, and my first Bumblebee of the year too, a White-tailed Bumblebee.

In the evening I joined Dave for a walk round Beetley Common hoping to attract moths to our headtorches.  I don't think anything was attracted to the light but the beam did illuminate a few moths including a probable Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana (slightly ambiguous genitalia so not 100% sure), Dotted Border, Satellite and 2 Chestnuts.  The latter were a little bit unclear although I favoured Chestnut over Dark Chestnut, so I brought them home to resolve for certain and both proved to be male Chestnuts.

Chestnuts (males, gen det), Beetley Common, 21st February

Back at home an Oak Beauty adorned the moth trap, my first this year.  Apart from that I only managed to trap a single Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana.

Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 21st February

First moths of 2017

I've had the moth trap on each night but have had no moths since 23rd December... until last night.  2017 finally swung into action with 7 moths of 4 species: Sallow Button Acleris hastiana, Winter Moth, 4 Mottled Umbers and Chestnut.

Mottled Umbers, North Elmham, 7th January

Sallow Button Acleris hastiana, North Elmham, 7th January

Winter Moth, North Elmham, 7th January

Chestnut, North Elmham, 7th January

I also finished submitting the last of my 2016 records this morning.  Last year I recorded 38,176 moths of which 21,589 were in my garden.  The total number of species in the garden was an impressive (at least I was impressed) 627 (comprising 316 macros and 311 micros) and bringing my garden moth list to 720 (starting in August 2014).  I wonder how many new species this year will bring...

First field trip and another new moth

On Wednesday night the conditions seemed as good for mothing as they have been for ages and better than they looked like they would be for another few days.  So Dave and I headed down to Creaking Gate Lake.  There were a few moths, enough to keep us entertained for a while, though things soon dried up and we packed up quite early.  The clear highlight was a whopping 9 Yellow Horned - a fantastic total for a species that I only saw for the second time earlier this week.  Indeed it was our highest count for any species!

Yellow Horned, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

The others were 4 March Tubics Diurnea fagella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, 4 Brindled Pugs, Early Thorn, 2 Oak Beauties, 2 Small Quakers, 8 Common Quakers, 2 Hebrew Characters, Satellite and 2 Chestnuts.

mating pair of March Tubics Diurnea fagella, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

Brindled Pug, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

Chestnut, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

Satellite, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

Other 'wildlife' included several millipedes which I later identified as White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger, the first time I've managed to put a name to a Millipede!

White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

Common Earwig, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

Common Toad, Creaking Gate Lake, 23rd March

When I got home I went upstairs and promptly found a Caloptilia on the landing.  It proved to be Pale Red Slender Caloptilia elongella, a new species for me and, amazingly, my 5th moth lifer at home this year.  I suppose with it being an alder-feeder and there being tonnes of alders at Creaking Gate Lake, there has to be a suspicion that I brought it home with me, but the circumstances of finding it - settled upstairs discovered as soon as I went upstairs for the first time after getting home - make it seem relatively unlilely.

Pale Red Slender Caloptilia elongella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd March

Apart from that mothing at home since my last post has been fairly mediocre at best, except for my second Tufted Button Acleris cristana, also on 23rd.

Tufted Button Acleris cristana, 23rd March

The rest were:

• Monday 21st: 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Small Quaker and Hebrew Character;
• Tuesday 22nd: 2 March Tubics Diurnea fagella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, Small Quaker, 6 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut; 
• Wednesday 23rd: 3 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, 2 Small Quakers, Hebrew Character, Early Grey and Chestnut; 
• Thursday 24th: just a single Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana at a window - absolutely nothing in the moth trap

March Tubic Diurnea fagella, North Elmham, 22nd March

2-spot Ladybird, North Elmham, 24th March