Description


A diary of my mothing activity covering highlights and photos from my moth trapping activities. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I may mention other wildlife sightings here, especially insects, but for birds see my birding diary.
Showing posts with label Festoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Festoon. Show all posts

Wednesday, 10 August 2016

Hills and Holes (Hockham)

Saturday 9th July was the Norfolk Moth Survey event at Hills and Holes near Hockham.  A superb site that I've never been to before - in fact it was completely off my radar and I never even knew it existed.  Dave and I set our lights in one area and it was so good that we never left it to go and see what the others had in their traps.  We totalled 114 species including multiple individuals of 2 species I'd never seen before: 3 Bugloss Case-bearers Coleophora pennella and 5 White-strap Sobers Syncopacma larseniella.


White-strap Sobers Syncopacma larseniella, Hills and Holes, 9th July



Bugloss Case-bearers Coleophora pennella (male above & female below, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July


My first ever NMS event at Weston Park in 2011 produced a white Coleophora which I put down as kuhlweiniella based on the fact that a diffierent individual that I didn't see was collected and confirmed as that species.  In hindsight that was flawed logic - no reason at all to assume they were both the same species and the one I saw wasn't checked.  So although it was already on my list, the gen detted White Oak Case-bearer Coleophora kuehnella from Hills and Holes probably should have been my third lifer of the night. Grotty worn specimen though!

White Oak Case-bearer Coleophora kuehnella (male, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July


Other good micros included 3 Dotted Ermels Ethmia dodecea, White-shouldered Sober Sophronia semicostella and Ash-coloured Sober Acompsia cinerella.

White-shouldered Sober Sophronia semicostella, Hills and Holes, 9th July


The rest of the micros were 3 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, 5 Grey Rush Case-bearers Coleophora glaucicolella, Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, Meadow Neb Metzneria metzneriella, 3 Water-mint Conches Phalonidia manniana, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, 3 Orange Pine Tortrixes Lozotaeniodes formosana, 2 Red-barred Tortrixes Ditula angustiorana, 3 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, 2 Yellow Oak Buttons Aleimma loeflingiana, 2 Green Oak Tortrixes Tortrix viridana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Pine Marbles Piniphila bifasciana, White-backed Marble Hedya salicella, Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, 7 Orange-spotted Shoots Rhyacionia pinicolana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 80 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, 2 Twin-barred Knot-horns Homoeosoma sinuella, 5 Brown Plumes Stenoptilia pterodactyla and White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla.

Orange Pine Tortrix Lozotaeniodes formosana, Hills and Holes, 9th July


White-backed Marble Hedya salicella, Hills and Holes, 9th July



Orange-spotted Shoots Rhyacionia pinicolana, Hills and Holes, 9th July

Water-mint Conch Phalonidia manniana (female, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July


The best macro was one of the last moths found, a fantastic Festoon.  I've only seen a couple before and both of those were seen in pots having been found by other people on events like this, so my first opportunity to get a reasonable photo.

Festoon, Hills and Holes, 9th July


One Cream Wave sp. looked for all the world like a Cream Wave, including its size, wing shape and wing markings, but it would be a very late date for that.  I gen detted it and it proved to be one of 8 Lesser Cream Waves, but it did make me wonder whether these two species can be wholly reliably identified without dissection, especially if they are not at the extremes of size.

Other macros were 2 Ghost Moths, Buff Arches, Figure of Eighty, Small Fan-footed Wave, Dwarf Cream Wave, Large Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Shaded Broad-bars, Common Carpet, Barred Straw, Blue-bordered Carpet, Brown Scallop, Toadflax Pug, Green Pug, Clouded Magpie, 3 Brown Silver-lines, Brimstone Moth, Swallow-tailed Moth, 2 Peppered Moths, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, 2 Engraileds, 3 Clouded Silvers, Barred Red, 2 Pine Hawkmoths, Elephant Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, 2 Buff-tips, Yellow-tail, White Satin, Rosy Footman, Red-necked Footman, Four-dotted Footman, 2 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, Buff Footman, Short-cloaked Moth, Heart and Club, Flame, Flame Shoulder, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, Dot Moth, Brown-line Bright-eye, Clay, 2 Smoky Wainscots, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 2 Poplar Greys, Sycamore, Miller, Grey Dagger, 3 Coronets, Small Angle Shades, 2 Dark Arches, Light Arches, Clouded Brindle, Slender Brindle, Ear Moth, 3 Marbled White Spots, Green Silver-lines, Burnished Brass, Silver Y, Beautiful Golden Y, Spectacle, 2 Blacknecks, Beautiful Hook-tip, Straw Dot, Snout and Small Fan-foot.

Blackneck, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Brown Scallop, Hills and Holes, 9th July



Coronets, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Miller, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Red-necked Footman, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Ear Moth (male, gen det), Hills and Holes, 9th July


Pine Hawkmoth, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Clouded Brindle, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Toadflax Pug, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Best of the other things were a pair of Scarce Emerald Damselflies that spent the evening on my sheet.  It's 17 years since I last saw these!


Scarce Emerald Damselflies, Hills and Holes, 9th July


Also the green lacewing Chrysopa perla and 2 Honey Bees.  I didn't pay too much attention to the caddisflies as I haven't got time to sort them all out in the peak moth season (not this year anyway), but I did retain one - and it turned out to be a new one for me, Ceraclea fulva.






Monday, 29 June 2015

East Wretham Heath

I was absolutely knackered last weekend but I just couldn't resist a Norfolk Moth Survey event in the Brecks at East Wretham Heath.  Head thumping, I turned up along with Dave and joined a good crowd of other hopefuls.  First bit of dusking while we waited to go in produced a few nice moths including Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea and Powdered Grass-veneer Thisanotia chrysonuchella.

Powdered Grass-veneer Thisanotia chrysonuchella, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


I netted a pale Bryotropha sp., a terrella-type but in view of its paleness I wondered if it might be one of the other similar species like desertella (for some reason I mistakenly had it in my head that desertella was a Breckland species).  I also retained a darker example, as much as anything in order to be able to confirm the presence of terrella as well.  On returning home I quickly established that terrella can often be that pale and that desertella is in fact mainly a coastal species in Norfolk and decidedly rare inland, so it was no surprise that the first one turned out to be Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella.  What was then very much a surprise was that the darker one turned out to be Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella!  You can see in the photos below how the desertella is distinctly narrower than the terrella.  I didn't notice it in the field but at home it was also obviously smaller.

Desert Groundling Bryotropha desertella (male, gen det), East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Cinerous Groundling Bryotropha terrella (female, gen det), East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Several Gold Swifts were displaying beside where I set up my light:

Gold Swift, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


A wander round other people's traps provided a few good moths such as Ghost Moth, Fox Moth, the first of 7 Small Elephant Hawkmoths, Clouded Buff and my first ever Mint Bent-wing Pseudopostega crepusculella.

Ghost Moth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Fox Moth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Small Elephant Hawkmoth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Back at my sheet I was extremely pleased to find a Rosy Marbled, a Breckland special that I'd not seen before, and also the first of 2 Red-necked Footmen.


Rosy Marbled, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Red-necked Footman, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


By now my headache was killing me and the extreme tiredness was too much.  So rather than continuing to do the rounds with the others I headed back to my car and slept.  An hour or two later I awoke, just in time to meet Richard and Dave who'd brought a couple of moths back from other traps that they thought I might like to see.  Indeed I did, especially this absolutely superb Cream-spot Tiger, a new UK moth for me and especially pleasing after missing one at last year's Breckland NMS event.



Cream-spot Tiger, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


They also brought me Festoon, a species I'd only seen once before, and Purple Clay.

Festoon, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Purple Clay, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


I missed a lot through being asleep most of the night and not very 'with-it' when I wasn't snoozing, but still saw plenty to keep me thoroughly entertained.  The other stuff I noted down were Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 8 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrices Pandemis cerasana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 4 Flax Tortrices Cnephasia asseclana (gen det), 10 Green Oak Tortrices Tortrix viridana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrices Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Red Roller Ancylis mitterbacheriana, 3 Spotted Shoot Moths Rhyacionia pinivorana, Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, 15 Little Grass-veneers Platytes cerussella, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, 8 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella, 2 Brown China-marks Elophila nymphaeata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulata, Twin-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella, Riband Wave, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Yellow Shell, 2 Green Carpets, Sharp-angled Carpet, 2 Grey Pugs, 30 Brown Silver-lines, 2 Brimstone Moths, Pale Oak Beauty, 2 Bordered Whites, 3 Lime Hawkmoths, Eyed Hawkmoth, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Marbled Browns, Buff-tip, Lobster Moth, Pale Tussock, Orange Footman, Buff Ermine, 2 Cinnabars, Least Black Arches, Heart and Dart, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Brown Rustic, Marbled Minor (gen det), Middle-barred Minor, Treble Lines, 2 Marbled White Spots and 8 Straw Dots. 

Lime Hawkmoth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Bordered White, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Peppered Moth, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Pale Oak Beauty, East Wretham Heath, 20th June




Spotted Shoot Moths Rhyacionia pinivorana, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, East Wretham Heath, 20th June


Acorn Weevil (I think), East Wretham Heath, 20th June