Spindle Knot-horn

I ran a light in the meadows for a while on the evening of 12th August and caught a few moths.  The most unexpected moth was Spindle Knot-horn Nephopterix angustella, only the second time I have seen this species.  I've not located any Spindle here so not sure where it came from.

Spindle Knot-horn Nephopterix angustella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Other highlights included 2 New Oak Slenders Caloptilia robustella, Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis, Wax Moth Galleria mellonella and Cream-bordered Green Pea.

New Oak Slender Caloptilia robustella (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorcyter corylifoliella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Wax Moth Galleria mellonella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Cream-bordered Green Pea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

The other moths were Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, 3 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, Ash-bud Moth Prays fraxinella, Wainscot Smudge Ypsolopha scabrella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, 3 Knapweed Conches Agapeta zoegana, Chamomile Conch Cochylidia implicitana, 3 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis corylana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Smoky-barred Marble Lobesia abscisana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 50 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 8 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 2 Oak Hook-tips, Blood-vein, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Common Carpets, Purple Bar, Lime-speck Pug, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Dusky Thorns, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, Poplar Hawk-moth, Swallow Prominent, Black Arches, Dingy Footman, 3 Turnip Moths, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Six-striped Rustics, 3 Common Wainscots, Copper Underwing, Straw Underwing, Dun-bar, 2 Cloaked Minors, Rosy Rustic, 2 Vine's Rustics, Silver Y and Straw Dot.

Rosy Rustic, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Straw Underwing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

This sub-imago Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum later moulted into its imago stage:

Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August - the same mayfly in both photos taken a day or two apart before and after its moult

Lacewings included Chrysopa commata, Chrysoperla carnea agg. and the waxfly Coniopteryx tineiformis.  A good selection of caddisflies were recorded including Hydroptila sparsa, Ithytrichia lamellaris, Hydropsyche pellucidula, Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus, Limnephilus rhombicus, 3 Molanna angustata, Athripsodes albifrons and Ceraclea albimacula.

Athripsodes albifrons, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Ceraclea albimacula, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Bugs included 2 Hawthorn Shieldbugs, Forest Bug, Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, Phytocoris varipes and the leafhopper Kybos strigilifer.

Kybos strigilifer (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Beetles included Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes, probably 30 Bradycellus verbascis (2 checked properly, others probably the same), 2 Aphodius rufipes, Lagria hirta and Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium.  Also a Hydrophiliid that has so far defied my best efforts to identify it.

Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Bradycellus verbasci, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Other insects inluded Oak Bush-cricket, the hoverfly Eupeodes latifasciatus and 2 German Wasps.  (Edit: I reported before that one of these had stung me.  I got mixed up - it was actually on 19th August I got stung, possibly by a Common Wasp not a German Wasp.  Not the first time something German has been blamed for something that was fairly and squarely the fault of common Brits).

Oak Bush-cricket, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Eupeodes latifasciatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Honeysuckle Moth and more

Tuesday 15th August was a quiet nigth with just the following trapped: Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 16 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Brimstone Moth, Pale Prominent, Dingy Footman, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, 2 Small Square-spots, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Common Wainscot, Flounced Rustic and Straw Dot; also the beetle Bradycellus verbasci. There was also Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella and Black Sexton Beetle in the house.

Next day was much better with 47 species of moth including no less than 5 new for the year: Honeysuckle Moth Ypsolopha dentella (not quite annual here), Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis (a migrant), Tawny Speckled Pug, Narrow-winged Pug (mainly a heathland species but I've had singles at home in each of the last 3 years) and Straw Underwing.

Honeysuckle Moth Ypsolopha dentella, North Elmham, 16th August

Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis, North Elmham, 16th August

Tawny Speckled Pug, North Elmham, 16th August

Narrow-winged Pug, North Elmham, 16th August

Straw Underwing, North Elmham, 16th August

Other moths that night were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, House Groundling Bryotropha domestica, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 3 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, Pale-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila selasella, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, 14 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 5 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Maiden's Blush, Single-dotted Wave, 2 Garden Carpets, Common Carpet, Green Carpet, Currant Pug, 9 Brimstone Moths, Early Thorn, 3 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, Light Emerald, Pale Prominent, Dingy Footman, 3 Flame Shoulders, 7 Large Yellow Underwings, 6 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Small Square-spots, 10 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Square-spotted Clays, 2 Common Wainscots, Flounced Rustic, 2 Burnished Brasses, 3 Straw Dots and 2 Snouts.

Two of the 4 species of caddisflies were new for the year: Crunoecia irrorata and Grammotaulius nigropunctatus; the others were Hydropsyche pellucidula and 2 Limnephilus lunatus.

Crunoecia irrorata (male), North Elmham, 16th August

Grammotaulius nigropunctatus (female), North Elmham, 16th August

A Chrysoperla lucasina was only my second example of this green lacewing; there was also a female Chrysoperla carnea agg.  There were 3 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum (mayflies), a Forest Bug, the leafhopper Empoasca vitis and a new beetle for the house: Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium.

Chrysoperla lucasina, North Elmham, 16th August

Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium, North Elmham, 16th August

Buff-tip new for the year, a new Caddis and a Lacehopper

Still on last Saturday, following previous posts covering Titchwell, Dersingham Bog and Babingley River and Roydon Common, there was a selection of moths in the home trap that night too.  Not as many as there should be in June though - 29 species really isn't a great total for this time of year.  New for the year were Lime-speck Pug, Pale Oak Beauty, Buff-tip and 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters.

Buff-tip, North Elmham, 4th June

The others were 19 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 3 Common Swifts, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, 2 Green Carpets, Foxglove Pug, 3 Common Pugs, Brimstone Moth, 2 Peppered Moths, Poplar Hawkmoth, Iron Prominent, 2 White Ermines, Buff Ermine, Flame, Small Square-spot, Bright-line Brown-eye, Rustic Shoulder-knot, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Marbled Minor, 12 Treble Lines and 2 Vine's Rustics.

Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th June

Caddisflies included my first identified Limnephilus vittatus and a Glyphotaelius pellucidus.

Limnephilus vittatus, North Elmham, 4th June

Sunday night was very similar - 29 species again.  Only 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Common Carpet and Turnip Moth were new for the year for the house.  One of the ambigualis was quite strongly marked and had a lot of brown infilling in the wing-markings - I'd have been tempted to put it down as a Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella had I not dissected it.

Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 5th June

Others were 2 Hawthorn Slenders Parornix anglicella, 30 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 Common Swifts, 2 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, Lime-speck Pug, 2 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, Scalloped Hazel, Pale Oak Beauty, 4 White Ermines, 3 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 2 Small Square-spots, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Shears, Bright-line Brown-eye, Lychnis, Rustic Shoulder-knot, Tawny Marbled Minor and 8 Treble Lines.

Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 5th June

Lime-speck Pug, North Elmham, 5th June

Pale Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 5th June

On Monday I spent my lunchbreak at Syderstone Common where I found another White-barred Gold Micropterix aruncella (following my first ever on Saturday), 5 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, 12 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana and Cinnabar.  Also this larval case which is apaprently not identifable between Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella and Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella.  Can't help noticing that all the images I can find of lutipennella look like this while all the flavipennella look darker, but they aren't supposed to be do-able without breeding them through and then dissecting the moth, so presumably the images I've seen don't represent the full range of variation.

White-barred Gold Micropterix aruncella, Syderstone Common, 6th June

Common/Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella/flavipennella, Syderstone Common, 6th June

I'm pretty sure this weevil is an Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium, although other Curculio species are very similar.  I think the shape of the antennal clubs and body pattern in combination clinch the ID, but I'm not clear if that's entirely reliable or not.

apparent Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium, Syderstone Common, 6th June

I was more interested to find this Lacehopper, my first Lacehopper, Tachycixius pilosus.

Tachycixius pilosus, Syderstone Common, 6th June