Six new moths for the year

Having seen a probable in flight a few days earlier it was good to confirm a day-flying Magpie Moth at Ryburgh on Thursday 3rd August.  There were 2 Banded Demoiselles and a Black-tailed Skimmer here, along with Green-veined White, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma.

Small Tortoiseshell and Comma, Ryburgh, 3rd August

That night produced 6 new moths for the garden year list: Daisy Bent-wing Bucculatrix nigricomella, Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, Least Yellow Underwing, Square-spotted Clay, White-point and Marbled Beauty.

Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, North Elmham, 3rd August

Square-spotted Clay, North Elmham, 3rd August

White-point, North Elmham, 3rd August

Marbled Beauty, North Elmham, 3rd August

The rest of the moths were 2 Carrion Moths Monopis weaverella, Sloe Midget Phyllonorycter spinicolella, 2 Red Birch Midgets Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, 2 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, 5 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, 3 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 17 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata, 7 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Pebble Hook-tip, Blood-vein, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, 2 Flame Carpets, 3 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, 2 Magpie Moths, 2 Brimstone Moths, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, Brown-tail, Yellow-tail, 2 Dingy Footmen, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 6 Flame Shoulders, 4 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 4 Common Rustics, 2 Lesser Common Rustics (and another Common Rustic agg.), Rustic and 11 Straw Dots.

Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, North Elmham, 3rd August

Lacewings consisted of just Chrysoperla carnea (2 confirmed males and 3 aggregate females).  Caddisflies included Cyrnus flavidus and Hydropsyche siltalai.

Cyrnus flavidus (male), North Elmham, 3rd August

Leafhoppers included Empoasca vitis and a Kybos sp.  The last time I recorded a Kybos leafhopper I speculated that it was likely betulicola but this time armed with a bit more information I was able to narrow it down to either virgator, strigilifer or calyculus (females of these three are not identifiable to species level).

Kybos virgator, strigilifer or calcyculus (female), North Elmham, 3rd August

Beetles included my second identified Harpalus rufipes and a Nut Weevil Curculio nucum.

Harpalus rufipes, North Elmham, 3rd August

Nut Weevil Curculio nucum, North Elmham, 3rd August

Stigmella incognitella

The night of Friday 7th July was one of the best this summer with getting on for 400 moths of 118 species.  The smallest of them was the best - my first Grey Apple Pigmy Stigmella incognitella.

Grey Apple Pigmy Stigmella incognitella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Pearl Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella was new for the garden - the first I've seen anywhere for a while.  It's hard to capture in photos but the white fascia and spots are highly shining making this a very attractive little moth.

Pearl Dwarf Elachista apicipunctata (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Then there was a long list of other moths that were new for the year here: Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella, Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella, Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana, Smoky-barred Marble Lobesia abscisana, Large Beech Piercer Cydia fagiglandana, Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis, Dark Umber, Cloaked Minor, Dusky Sallow and Blackneck.

Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Smoky Marble Lobesia abscisana, North Elmham, 7th July

Large Beech Piercer Cydia fagiglandana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Dark Umber, North Elmham, 7th July

Cloaked Minor, North Elmham, 7th July

Dusky Sallow, North Elmham, 7th July

It was good to get both Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella and Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella together - obviella I'd only seen for the first time in June whereas crocicapitella is supposed to be rarer.  I don't think the size difference between these species is usually so extreme but in this case the crocicapitella was literally twice the size of the obviella.  I couldn't persuade them to sit side by side for a photo so had to shoot them in their pots to show the size difference.

Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July

Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella (left) and Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella (right), North Elmham, 7th July

I had my largest count of any species of moth so far this year - 61 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteucha culmella.  Other micros consisted of Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, 7 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Little Ermels Swammerdamia pyrella, White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella, 3 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella, New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, 2 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 2 Gorse Crests Brachmia blandella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, 6 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 3 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, 5 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, 2 Holly Tortrixes Rhopobota naevana, Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, 4 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 3 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, 14 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 2 Ermine Knot-horns Phycitodes binaevella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, North Elmham, 7th July

The rest of the macros were 2 Drinkers, 3 Blood-veins, Small Blood-vein, Lesser Cream Wave, 7 Small Fan-footed Waves, 9 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Riband Waves, 3 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Carpet, 3 Yellow Shells, July Highflyer, Haworth's Pug, Lime-speck Pug, 6 V-Pugs, Green Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 4 Clouded Borders, 4 Brimstone Moths, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Swallow-tailed Moth, Willow Beauty, 3 Engraileds, Common White Wave, 2 Clouded Silvers, Pale Prominent, Buff-tip, 2 Yellow-tails, 6 Rosy Footmen, 22 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 27 Common Footmen, 2 Heart and Darts, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, 10 Double Square-spots, 2 Nutmegs, Bright-line Brown-eye, 4 Clays, 6 Smoky Wainscots, Tawny Marbled Minor, 2 Common Rustics, Mere Wainscot, 38 Uncertains, 3 Rustics, Mottled Rustic, Marbled White Spot, 6 Nut-tree Tussocks, Beautiful Hook-tip, Straw Dot, Snout and 5 Fan-foots.

Lacewings were represented by Micromus variegatus, a brown lacewing that was new for the year.  There was a new caddisfly for the year too: Agrypnia pagetana; also an Oxyethira flavicornis.

Micromus variegatus, North Elmham, 7th July

Agrypnia pagetana, North Elmham, 7th July

A Hair-trap Ground Beetle Loricera pilicornis was my first, or at least the first time I'd identified one.  A Nut Weevil Curculio nucum was new for the year - one I've seen here before but some accounts on the internet suggest it can be quite a difficult species to find.  Other beetles were Brown Chafer and Lagira hirta.

Hair-trap Ground Beetle Loricera pilicornis, North Elmham, 7th July

Nut Weevil Curculio nucum, North Elmham, 7th July