A new bee on a rare flower

After a few quieter nights things picked up a bit on Saturday 8th June with 8 moths new for the year here: Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Small Fan-footed Wave, Barred Straw, Grey Pug, Common Footman and Pale-shouldered Brocade.

Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th June

Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, North Elmham, 8th June

Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, North Elmham, 8th June

Barred Straw, North Elmham, 8th June

Grey Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th June

Common Footman, North Elmham, 8th June

Pale-shouldered Brocade, North Elmham, 8th June

Other moths in the trap were Yellow-triangle Slender Caloptilia alchimiella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, 2 London Dowds Blastobasis lacticolella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 6 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, 2 Common Swifts, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, 3 Common Pugs, Brimstone Moth, 5 Willow Beauties, 2 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, Flame, 8 Ingrailed Clays, Bright-line Brown-eye, 6 Brown Rustics, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Marbled Minor, 2 Middle-barred Minors, Marbled White Spot, 16 Straw Dots, 4 Snouts and Small Fan-foot.

Also new for the year here was the brown lacewing Hemerobius humulinus.

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 8th June

I initially thought a reddish orange bug was going to be Phylus palliceps, a species I've trapped here before, but the black head makes it Phylus melanocephalus - a completely new species for me.

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham, 8th June

Also in the trap were the caddisfly Hydropsyche siltalai and the soldier beetle Cantharis rufa.

Cantharis rufa, North Elmham, 8th June

Next day I popped in to the patch where Norfolk's only Crested Cow-wheat was flowering.  I think this bee feeding on it was my first Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis but I'm not 100% sure I can rule out Gypsy Cuckoo Bee Bombus bohemicus (which would also be new for me).  Please let me know if you confirm either way.

Crested Cow-wheat, Rawhall Wood, 9th June

probable Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis on (and off) Crested Cow-wheat, Rawhall Wood, 9th June

Also 4 Swollen-thighed Beetles here along with Speckled Wood and Azure Damselfly.

Moths at Ryburgh included White-barred Gold Micropterix aruncella, 4 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Yellow Shell and Sharp-angled Carpet.

White-barred Gold Micropterix aruncella, Ryburgh, 9th June

Butterflies included Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Large Skipper while dragonflies were represented by Banded Demoiselle, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly.

New caddis and new leafhopper

It's that time of year when I start getting really behind with a desk full of pots containing moths that need dissecting or other things that require close examination.  I'll do my best to keep up - or rather catch up - but no promises.

Last Monday (6th June) saw 25 species of moth at home including 7 new for the year (none of which were very unexpected): 5 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Light Emerald, Turnip Moth and Tawny Marbled Minor.

Light Emerald, North Elmham, 6th June

Small Magpie , North Elmham, 6th June

Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 6th June

Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, North Elmham, 6th June

Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 6th June

The others were 18 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Common Swift, Blood-vein, Garden Carpet, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, 2 Green Carpets, 4 Common Pugs, White Ermine, 2 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Small Square-spot, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Shears, Brown Rustic and 10 Treble Lines.

Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, North Elmham, 6th June

The following night was better with 36 species including another surge of Diamond-backs.  Another 7 were new for the year: Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Small Rivulet, Grey Pug, Shoulder-striped Wainscot and Mottled Rustic.

Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, North Elmham, 7th June

Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, North Elmham, 7th June

Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, North Elmham, 7th June

Shoulder-striped Wainscot, North Elmham, 7th June

Grey Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th June

The rest were 93 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 3 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Common Swift, Silver-ground Carpet, 3 Green Carpets, Sandy Carpet, 8 Common Pugs, Yellow-barred Brindle, Pale Tussock, Orange Footman, 4 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 5 Cinnabars, Heart and Dart, 2 Flame Shoulders, 4 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Shears, Marbled Minor, 2 Middle-barred Minors, 17 Treble Lines and Spectacle.

Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, North Elmham, 7th June

Among the caddisflies Glyphotaelius pellucidus is now familiar, 2 Limnephilus lunatus were new for the year but one of the few caddisflies distinctive enough for me to have identified before getting the key this year, and 3 Mystacides longicornis, a species I think I recognise as having seen before but which I had not identified previously.

Limnephilus lunatus, North Elmham, 7th June

Mystacides longicornis, North Elmham, 7th June

Another pan-lifer came in the form of the leafhopper Oncopsis subangulata.

Oncopsis subangulata, North Elmham, 7th June

Three-tick night

Actually it was more than 3 ticks in the night because it was the same night we went to East Wretham Heath, but the moth trap at home also produced the goods including 3 moths I'd never seen before: Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana and Double-striped Knot-horn Cryptoblabes bistriga.

Double-striped Knot-horn Cryptoblabes bistriga, North Elmham, 20th June

Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, North Elmham, 20th June

Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana, North Elmham, 20th June

The following were also new for the year for the garden: Apple Fruit Moth Argyresthia conjugella, 3 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrices Pandemis cerasana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stagnata, Riband Wave, Sharp-angled Carpet and my second ever Poplar Kitten.

Apple Fruit Moth Argyresthia conjugella, North Elmham, 20th June

Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, North Elmham, 20th June

Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, North Elmham, 20th June

Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stangnata, North Elmham, 20th June

Riband Wave, North Elmham, 20th June

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham, 20th June

Poplar Kitten, North Elmham, 20th June

The rest were Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Treble Brown Spot, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, Broken-barred Carpet, 5 Common Pugs, 2 Scorched Wings, Brimstone Moth, 5 Clouded Silvers, 2 Light Emeralds, Elephant Hawkmoth, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, 5 Heart and Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, Bright-line Brown-eye, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 7 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, Dark Arches, 4 Marbled Minors, 4 Tawny Marbled Minors, 7 Middle-barred Minors, 5 Treble Lines, Burnished Brass, Spectacle, 4 Straw Dots and Fan-foot. 

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 20th June

Tawny Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 20th June

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 20th June