On the night of Saturday 22nd July there weren't so many moths but there was another
Garden Tiger, a real surprise despite having one a few days earlier.
Garden Tiger, North Elmham, 22nd July
The other moths caught that night were Willow Bent-wing
Phyllocnistis saligna, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines
Yponomeuta evonymella, Wainscot Smudge
Ypsolopha scabrella, Common Flat-body
Agonopterix heracliana, Cinereous Groundling
Bryotropha terrella, Dingy Dowd
Blastobasis adustella, Common Cosmet
Mompha epilobiella, Common Cloaked Shoot
Gypsonoma dealbana, Marbled Piercer
Cydia splendana, 2 Garden Grass-veneers
Chrysoteuchia culmella, 3 Grass-veneers
Crambus pascuella,
50 Pearl Veneers
Agriphila straminella, 7 Common Grass-veneers
Agriphila tristella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers
Catoptria pinella, 2 Garden Pebbles
Evergestis forficalis, Small Magpie
Anania hortulata, 2 Mother of Pearls
Pleuroptya ruralis,
Chinese Character,
2 Blood-veins, Small Blood-vein, Dwarf Cream Wave, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 7 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet,
Shaded Broad-bar, Double-striped Pug, 2 Clouded Borders,
Peppered Moth,
2 Pale Prominents, 3 Yellow-tails,
Round-winged Muslin, Rosy Footman, 3 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 19 Common Footmen, Buff Ermine,
2 Ruby Tigers, Flame Shoulder, Common Rustic, Uncertain, 5 Nut-tree Tussocks and Straw Dot.
A
Dichochrysa flavifrons was the only Lacewing and
Limnephilus lunatus the only caddisfly.
We had another go trapping next door with their grandsons and caught some nice moths to show them there including this
Oak Eggar and a lovely
White Satin, both species I haven't caught at home this year.
Oak Eggar, North Elmham, 22nd July
Other moths I made a note of (by no means a complete list) were Ribwort Slender
Aspilapteryx tringipennella (I was surprised how entertained the children were by such a small micro moth - I think it was the size contrast between this and the Oak Eggar that captivated them), Garden Rose Tortrix
Acleris variegana,
60 Pearl Veneers
Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers
Agriphila tristella, Little Grey
Eudonia lacustrata, Small Magpie
Anania hortulata, 3 Mother of Pearls
Pleuroptya ruralis,
Buff Arches, Blood-vein, Small Blood-vein, 2 Single-dotted Waves,
July Highflyer, 2 Yellow-tails, Dingy Footman,
Scarce Footman, 3 Common Footmen,
Ruby Tiger, Heart and Dart, Uncertain, 5 Rustics, 3 Nut-tree Tussocks and 2 Straw Dots. The Nut-tree Tussocks are always a favourite with the children, sitting on their fingers so obligingly.
During the afternoon (Sunday 23rd) Dave and I headed out to the patch at Bittering. There were a few moths on the wing there including
6 Colt’s-foot Bells
Epiblema sticticana, 4 Pearl Veneers
Agriphila straminella,
Blood-vein,
Lesser Cream Wave,
3 Shaded Broad-bars,
Lime-speck Pug,
Silver Y and 2 Straw Dots.
Colt's-foot Bell Epiblema sticticana (male, gen det), Bittering, 23rd July
Plenty of butterflies there too including
Brown Argus,
2 Common Blues, 20 Meadow Browns, 2 Gatekeepers,
2 Essex Skippers and Small Skipper. The dragonflies produced more interest. Joe Harkness had discovered some Red-veined Darters here a while back and we hoped they might still be present. They were, albeit looking much tattier than they had been when Joe (and later Dave) first saw them. Hard to say how many, partly because they were quite mobile and partly because some weren't seen well enough to rule out Ruddy Darter, but I'm reasonably confident there were at least
5 Red-veined Darters.
Red-veined Darters, Bittering, 23rd July
Other dragonflies included 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 30+ Common Blue Damselflies,
2 Small Red-eyed Damselflies,
3 Emperors, 6+ Black-tailed Skimmers and Common Darter.
Small Red-eyed Damselflies, Bittering, 23rd July
Emperor, Bittering, 23rd July
We found several distinctive-looking leafhoppers in one place, a new species for me I was sure. I retained one in case I wouldn't be able to ID it from photos (not least because it was hard to get any photos in the field). They turned out to be
Cicadella viridis, apparently a common species.
Cicadella viridis, Bittering, 23rd July
We also found a bush-cricket (I think there were several but I'm not sure if my memory of that is correct) which I suspected would be one of the Coneheads (should have really figured out which one, given its long wings). It was indeed a
Long-winged Conehead. Among my photos is one that appears to have short wings, so perhaps a
Short-winged Conehead too, but with just one poor photo I am not certain (say if you think I should be!).
Long-winged Conehead(s?), Bittering, 23rd July
possible Short-winged Conehead, Bittering, 23rd July
That night there were no new moths for the year at home. Another
Campion, hot on the heels of my first here, was the star moth. The rest were 2 Bird-cherry Ermines
Yponomeuta evonymella, Hedge Case-bearer
Coleophora striatipennella, Speckled Case-bearer
Coleophora sternipennella, Brown House Moth
Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Cinereous Groundling
Bryotropha terrella, 2 Orange Crests
Helcystogramma rufescens, Four-spotted Obscure
Oegoconia quadripuncta, Dingy Dowd
Blastobasis adustella, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
Pandemis heparana, Light Brown Apple Moth
Epiphyas postvittana, Red-barred Tortrix
Ditula angustiorana, 6 Marbled Piercers
Cydia splendana, 4 Garden Grass-veneers
Chrysoteuchia culmella, 48 Pearl Veneers
Agriphila straminella, 6 Common Grass-veneers
Agriphila tristella, 3 Pearl Grass-veneers
Catoptria pinella, Common Grey
Scoparia ambigualis, Chequered Straw
Evergestis pallidata, 2 Mother of Pearls
Pleuroptya ruralis, Ash-bark Knot-horn
Euzophera pinguis, Brown Plume
Stenoptilia pterodactyla, Common Plume
Emmelina monodactyla,
Large Emerald,
2 Least Carpets, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 5 Single-dotted Waves, 6 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Common Carpets,
Small Rivulet, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 4 Early Thorns,
Pebble Prominent,
Swallow Prominent,
Buff-tip, Rosy Footman, 6 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 10 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines,
2 Ruby Tigers,
Nutmeg,
Dun-bar, 2 Dark Arches, 2 Common Rustics (and another Common Rustic agg.), Rustic, Nut-tree Tussock, Straw Dot and Snout.
Other insects included Pond Olive
Cloeon dipterum (mayfly), 2
Hydropsyche siltalai (caddisflies),
Nicrophorus investigator and 2
Aphodius rufipes (beetles).
Nicrophorus investigator, North Elmham, 23rd July
For reasons that are now utterly unclear I put this leafhopper down as the brown form of
Iassus lanio. Clearly it isn't that (I can't understand why I thought it was) but I no longer have the specimen and can't yet identify it from my photos.
unidentified leafhopper, North Elmham, 23rd July
Next door's grandchildren were due to head home today so this was the last time we set the trap in their garden and went through it with them. The older boy had remembered the Buff-tip I showed them last year and recognised the one I brought round from my trap today. I'd also brought them round the Garden Tiger I caught here the day before to show them but I needn't have done as now they got their own - and not just one but
2 Garden Tigers. Four Garden Tigers over a few days either in my garden or next-door's is amazing these days - must be a good year for them. Backing that up I've heard of 2-3 other people seeing them in places they don't usually get them.
I'm really kicking myself over what I identified as a
Dusky Thorn. It struck me as early so I should have looked at it more closely, but it was only after seeing my next Dusky Thorn, several weeks later, that it really struck home how early it was. Not impossibly early, but I'm really wishing I'd checked it for August Thorn a bit more carefully - some August Thorns have a dusky rear border to the wings and I'm now not 100% sure I didn't overlook one here - it would have been a lifer for me if it was.
They also got
2 Maple Pugs, a species I've not yet recorded at home this year, and
White-spotted Pug which I don't see many of.
Maple Pugs (females, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd July
Other moths included (again not complete counts) Bird-cherry Ermine
Yponomeuta evonymella, Wainscot Smudge
Ypsolopha scabrella, Little Dwarf
Elachista canapennella, Long-horned Flat-body
Carcina quercana, Orange Crest
Helcystogramma rufescens, Four-spotted Obscure
Oegoconia quadripuncta, Burdock Conch
Aethes rubigana, Black-headed Conch
Cochylis atricapitana, Cereal Tortrix
Cnephasia pumicana, other
Cnephasia sp., Pine Marble
Piniphila bifasciana, Pearl Veneer
Agriphila straminella, Common Grass-veneer
Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer
Catoptria pinella, Rosy Tabby
Endotricha flammealis, Small Fan-footed Wave, Single-dotted Wave, Riband Wave,
Lime-speck Pug,
Canary-shouldered Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Willow Beauty,
Brown-tail, Yellow-tail, Rosy Footman, Dingy Footman, Scarce Footman, Common Footman, Buff Ermine,
Ruby Tiger, Heart and Dart, 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 2 Flame Shoulders,
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing,
Least Yellow Underwing, Nutmeg,
Small Angle Shades, Dun-bar, Dark Arches,
Cloaked Minor, Common Rustic agg., Uncertain, Rustic and Straw Dot. Plenty of variety to entertain the children before they head off for another year!
Least Yellow Underwing, North Elmham, 23rd July
