Bedstraw bonanza

Dave and I headed up to the dunes in the afternoon of 29th May.  We saw a variety of moths in the west of the dunes including Plain Fanner Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, 2 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 10 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Silver-ground Carpet, Yellow Shell, Purple Bar, Yellow Belle, 3 Cinnabars, Straw Dot and Snout. Also the green Lacewing Chrysopa commata and both Bee Orchid and Pyramidal Orchids starting to flower.

Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana (male, gen det), Burnham Overy, 29th May

In the east dunes we found Sandy Long-horn Nematopogon schwarziellus, 2 Plain Fanners Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, Beautiful Groundling Caryocolum marmorea, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 3 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Common Carpet, 2 Purple Bars, 3 Green Carpets and 2 Cinnabars.

Sandy Long-horn Nematopogon schwarziellus, Burnham Overy, 29th May

In Holkham Pines we found London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Green Carpets, Scorched Carpet, 3 Brown Silver-lines and Straw Dot.

I'm not allowed to say where we went to look for Bedstraw Hawk-moths, but after finding a Hummingbird Hawk-moth feeding on honeysuckle we decided this would be a good spot to look for other hawkmoths.  Indeed it proved as before long we found ourselves watching the target Bedstraw Hawk-moth - and then a second and then a third!  The area was also visited by a Small Elephant Hawk-moth briefly.  Fabulous!  Later on 3 White Ermines rounded off the evening's mothing.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 29th May

Bedstraw Hawk-moths, 29th May

Moth of the night at home was Treble-spot Tubic Telechrysis tripuncta, my first here and one that's only been recorded in the county about 20 times.

Treble-spot Tubic Telechrysis tripuncta, North Elmham, 29th May

Other additions to the garden year list were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Treble Brown Spot, Green Pug, 2 Willow Beauties, Elephant Hawk-moth, Lychnis, Small Angle Shades and Marbled White Spot.

Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, North Elmham, 29th May

Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, North Elmham, 29th May

Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteucha culmella, North Elmham, 29th May

Treble Brown Spot, North Elmham, 29th May

Green Pug, North Elmham, 29th May

Willow Beauty, North Elmham, 29th May

Elephant Hawk-moth, North Elmham, 29th May

Lychnis, North Elmham, 29th May

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 29th May

Marbled White Spot, North Elmham, 29th May

A total of 36 Treble Lines was more than double my previous highest count.  Other moths trapped were Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, 2 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, 2 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 4 Common Swifts, Maiden's Blush, Blood-vein, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Spruce Carpet, 3 Green Carpets, May Highflyer, Sandy Carpet, 3 Mottled Pugs, Currant Pug, 8 Common Pugs, Oak-tree Pug, 3 Scorched Wings, Brimstone Moth, Scalloped Hazel, Peppered Moth, Common White Wave, 5 Light Emeralds, 2 Pale Tussocks, 3 Orange Footmen, 3 White Ermines, Heart and Dart, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Small Square-spot, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Shears, Common Wainscot, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 3 Brown Rustics, Marbled Minor, 2 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle and 9 Straw Dots.  Caddisflies were Hydropsyche pellucidula, Glyphotaelius pellucidus and 2 Limnephilus auricula.

Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, North Elmham, 29th May

Spruce Carpet, North Elmham, 29th May

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 29th May

Rough-winged Conch (Phtheochroa rugosana)

In my lunch break on Monday 13th June I popped in to Whin Hill quarry, a small abandoned quarry that is often good for insects.  I have visited this site maybe 3-4 times a year over the last decade and never had the impression that anyone else goes in there before.  This time I found evidence of recent use - discarded food & drink wrappers lying around and vast numbers of spent gun cartridges.

I didn't have long this time but 3 moths recorded: Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Olive Pearl Udea olivalis and Cinnabar.  Also something I'd never seen before: the larva of a Bloody-nosed Beetle.

Bloody-nosed Beetle larva, Whin Hill, 13th June

For the second night running my moth trap delivered a striking tortrix moth that I'd never seen before.  This time it was the long-awaited Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana.  Quite a commonly recorded species so surprising that it has taken me this long to see, but fittingly splendid for a milestone moth - my 1000th species in the UK.

Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana, North Elmham, 13th June

New for the year here were Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Small Dusty Wave and Sharp-angled Carpet.

Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, North Elmham, 13th June

Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, North Elmham, 13th June

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham, 13th June

Other moths recorded were 11 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 2 Common Swifts, Figure of Eighty, 3 Treble Brown Spots, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Mottled Pug, Common Pug, 5 Scorched Wings, Scalloped Hazel, Willow Beauty, Pale Oak Beauty, Clouded Silver, 2 Light Emeralds, Elephant Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, Buff-tip, 2 Pale Tussocks, Common Footman, 3 White Ermines, Buff Ermine, Least Black Arches, Heart and Dart, 2 Flames, Flame Shoulder, Ingrailed Clay, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Shears, Bright-line Brown-eye, 2 Brown Rustics, 17 Treble Lines, 2 Spectacles and 3 Straw Dots.

Figure of Eighty, North Elmham, 13th June

Elephant Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 13th June

Mayflies continued to give me headaches.  This one shows several features of Lake Olive Cloeon simile but some features don't tie up with that ID so I'm really not sure.

possible Lake Olive Cloeon simile, North Elmham, 13th June

Caddisflies included Ecnomus tenellus, Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus vittatus.

Ecnomus tenellus (female), North Elmham, 13th June

The following night was poor by comparison.  What was very probably the same Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana turned up in the trap but asides from that there were just 39 moths of 21 species: Cypress Tip Moth Argyresthia cupressella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Common Swifts, Common Marbled Carpet, Sharp-angled Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Clouded Border, Peppered Moth, Orange Footman, 3 White Ermines, 4 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Shears, Lychnis, Common Wainscot, 10 Treble Lines, Mottled Rustic, Spectacle and Straw Dot.

Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana, North Elmham, 14th June

Broad-bordered White, Green Silver-lines and a Ghost

Of the 51 species recorded on Thursday 18th only 3 were new for the year, and two of them overdue: Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis and Dark Arches.  The third was more impressive, a species I only saw for the first time this time last year: Broad-bordered White.

Broad-bordered White, North Elmham, 18th June

Not quite as scarce but looking good in the adjacent eggbox compartment to the Broad-bordered White was this Varied Coronet.

Varied Coronet, North Elmham, 18th June

Continuing the trend white-and-black to black-and-white moths, here's a Marbled Minor.  Dissection confirmed both this species and Tawny Marbled Minor present.

Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th June

Tawny Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th June

Always good to get 4 species of Hawkmoth: Privet Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Eyed Hawkmoth and Elephant Hawkmoth.

Elephant Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 18th June

Eyed Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 18th June

The others were Cypress Tip Moth Argyresthia cupressella, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 6 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Blood-vein, 2 Treble Brown Spots, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Common Pug, Treble-bar, Brimstone Moth, Common White Wave, 2 Light Emeralds, Pale Tussock, Scarce Footman, 5 Common Footmen, 3 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 10 Heart and Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, 4 Ingrailed Clays, 3 Small Square-spots, Shears, Lychnis, Common Wainscot, 2 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 4 Brown Rustics, Middle-barred Minor, 5 Treble Lines, Uncertain, Vine's Rustic, Mottled Rustic, 2 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle and 3 Snouts.

Treble-bar, North Elmham, 18th June

Orange Ladybird, North Elmham, 18th June

Friday also saw 51 species, including new for the year Ghost Moth, Heart and Club, Small Angle Shades and perhaps my favourite moth of all, Green Silver-lines.

Ghost Moth, North Elmham, 19th June

Green Silver-lines, North Elmham, 19th June

Heart and Club, North Elmham, 19th June

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 19th June

The others were Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella (gen det), White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrices Hedya pruniana, 5 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella, 7 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Common Swift, Treble Brown Spot, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, 3 Common Marbled Carpets, 2 Common Pugs, 2 Clouded Borders, 2 Scorched Wings, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, 2 Mottled Beauties, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Orange Footman, 4 Common Footmen, 4 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 7 Heart and Darts, 4 Flame Shoulders, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Small Square-spots, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Nutmeg, Bright-line Brown-eye, Common Wainscot, 2 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 4 Brown Rustics, Dusky Brocade, Marbled Minor (gen det), Tawny Marbled Minor (gen det), 3 Middle-barred Minors, 10 Treble Lines, 3 Uncertains, 2 Spectacles, 4 Straw Dots and Snout. 

Dusky Brocade, North Elmham, 19th June

Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 19th June