Cornwall part 1 - mothing at Tresidder

The usual cottage we stay in at Porthgwarra wasn't available for our holiday in Cormwall at the beginning of October, and nor were any of the alternatives that we fancied along this bit of coast.  So we opted for somewhere different, a cottage a bit further inland but in the same area.  Situated in the hamlet of Tresidder at the top of the Penberth valley and looking out across the valley I hoped the moth traps might pull in a few interesting migrant moths.  But of course you need to weather to be right for migrants, and it wasn't ideal.

It was a good six nights though - a decent selection of interesting moths that I don't see at home, whether they were migrants or not.  We stayed six nights, 1st to 6th October, and I ran a Robinson trap every night plus an old Skinner trap whenever there was no real threat of rain (it has no protective cover), which was most nights.

Now, at home I trap every night, release the moths at first light and it seems that hardly any get retrapped the following night.  Here it seemed to be different, and although I let them go at first light some of the moths were hanging around and getting re-caught on subsequent nights.  So the total summed counts for the week below include moths counted on consecutive nights and are higher than the true number of individuals trapped.

Anyway, here are some of the highlights, roughly in order of interest (to me):

• Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis - 1 on 3rd, a migrant and a new moth for me (I don't count one that Dave N brought round to show me once).  Presumably a pregnant female as I found some eggs where it had been sitting, and I'm pretty sure they weren't there before.

Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis, Tresidder, 4th October

• Clancy's Rustic - 1 on 3rd, clearly a migrant (and a pretty tatty worn specimen).  I saw one in a pot on Scillies once but this was the first time I've ever caught one myself.  It turned out to be a good year for this species with Norfolk getting its first ever record later in the month - in fact its first 4 records!

Clancy's Rustic, Tresidder, 3rd October

• Four-spotted Footman - one on 4th.  A migrant, a stunner, and only the second I've ever seen.

Four-spotted Footman, Tresidder, 3rd October

• Vestal -  1 on 3rd and 2 on 5th, presumably all migrants.  I've seen these in Cornwall before, and once at home, but such amazing moths they will always be high up on any list of highlights.

Vestal, Tresidder, 3rd October

Vestals, Tresidder, 5th October

• White-speck - different singles on 3rd, 4th and 5th.  Also migrants I presume and a species I'd only seen twice before.

White-speck, Tresidder, 3rd October

White-speck, Tresidder, 4th October

• Delicate - recorded every night with a total of 106 and a maximum of 33 on 5th.  Although a migrant species I think these must now be breeding locally.  The numbers would have been exceptional if they'd all been migrants, especially during a period when there wasn't an especially strong immigration evidenced by other species.  Anyway, I'd only seen one before so it was great to see so many every night.

Delicates, Tresidder, 1st October

• L-album Wainscot - recorded every night with a total of 19 and a maximum of 6 on 2nd.  Although a migrant species I think these are now breeding locally too.  I'd only ever seen two before.

L-album Wainscots, Tresidder, 1st October

• Scarce Bordered Straw - 1 on 4th.  A migrant species I've only seen on 3 occasions before.

Scarce Bordered Straw, Tresidder, 4th October

• Brindled Ochre - singles on 2nd and 6th.  I've done better for these on past trips when I've stayed at Porthgwarra, but they're always great to see and I've never seen one anywhere else.

Brinlded Ochre, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Flounced Chestnut -  1 on 3rd - only the second I've ever seen though I don't know if they're any commoner down here than they are at home?

Flounced Chestnut, Tresidder, 3rd October

• Feathered Ranunculus - recorded every night with a total of 24 and a maximum of 10 on 6th.  Although this species does occur in Norfolk, mainly along the north coast and in the Norwich area, it's so far eluded me here.  I've seen quite a few in Cornwall on previous trips though, but it's a fabulous moth so always a highlight.

Feathered Ranunculus, Tresidder, 1st October

• Large Ranunculus - 1 on 6th, the only new moth of the trip on the final night - a nice moth and only my fourth although some people in Norfolk get them regularly.

Large Ranunculus (with a Feathered Ranunculus in forst image), Tresidder, 6th October

• Autumnal Rustic - 1 on 2nd then 9 on 5th and 3 on 6th.  Another species that does occur in Norfolk but much less commonly than in the south west.  I'm yet to see one in Norfolk but have seen quite a few in Cornwall before.

Autumnal Rustic, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana - 1 on 4th.  Although I've seen a few of these at home (all but one in 2016) I don't think it's a particularly common species and not one I was expecting to see here.  It was a very worn individual though.

• Little Slender Calybites phasianipennella - 1 on 2nd.  A species I don't see very often - only 5 before.

Little Slender Calybites phasianipennella, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Angle Shades - recorded every night except the first with a total of 42 and a maximum of 15 on 4th.  Although a common resident breeder in the UK this species is also a migrant and with these peaking at the same time as other migrants I suspect a lot of these were migrants.  Although common at home I usually only get the occasional single at home so these numbers are good for me.

Angle Shades, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis - recorded every night with a total of 66 and a maximum of 29 on 4th.  A common migrant species that sometimes reaches home, but it also breeds locally in SW Cornwall and I'm not sure how many of these were migrants vs. locals.

• Dark Spectacle - singles on 2nd and 3rd.

Dark Spectacle, Tresidder, 2nd October

• Pinion-streaked Snout - recorded every night except the last with a total of 28 and a maximum of 14.  A species I encounter fairly often at home, but never in anything like such numbers.

Other migrants were Diamond-back Plutella xylostella (with singles on 1st and 6th), Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella (1 on 6th), Dark Sword-grass (1 on 6th) and Silver Y (3 on each of the first two nights).  I guess the Turnip Moths (6 over 3 nights) may have been migrants too.

Dark Sword-grass, Tresidder, 6th October

The other micro moths recorded were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana (1 on 6th), Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella (1 on 2nd), London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella (1 on 6th), Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana (1 on 4th), Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana (1 on 4th), Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana (9 over 4 nights, max 3), Ashy Button Acleris sparsana (singles on 3rd and 5th), Rhomboid Tortrix Acleris rhombana (singles on 3rd and 5th), Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida ({1 on 6th), Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea (79 over 5 nights, max 73), Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis (singles on 2nd and 3rd) and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla (1 on 2nd, 2 on 4th).

The other macros were Blood-vein (singles 2nd & 3rd), Small Fan-footed Wave (1 on 3rd), Brimstone Moth (17 over 4 nights, max 7), Garden Carpet (1 on 3rd), Common Marbled Carpet (53 over 6 nights, max 13), Grey Pine Carpet (singles on 4th and 5th), Green Carpet (1 on 4th), Double-striped Pug (10 over 5 nights), Willow Beauty (1 on 3rd), Light Emerald (1 on 4th), Yellow-tail (1 on 3rd), Large Yellow Underwing (259 over 6 nights, max 90), Lesser Yellow Underwing (10 over 5 nights, max 5), Setaceous Hebrew Character (258 over 6 nights, max 81), Square-spot Rustic (267 over 6 nights, max 92), Nutmeg (1 on 3rd), Smoky Wainscot (singles on 3 consecutive nights), Common Wainscot (14 over 5 nights, max 5), Black Rustic (65 over 6 nights, max 22), Green-brindled Crescent (5 over 4 nights), Chestnut (2 on 5th), Beaded Chestnut (203 over 6 nights, max 54), Lunar Underwing (360 over 6 nights, max 136), Pink-barred Sallow (2on 4th and 1 on 5th), Lesser Common Rustic (2 singles plus a Common Rustic agg.), Copper Underwing (2 on 3rd), Rosy Rustic (23 over 6 nights, max 6), Burnished Brass (6 over 3 nights), Spectacle (1 on 2nd), Straw Dot (singles on 3 consecutive nights) and Snout (29 over 5 nights, max 14.

Common Marbled Carpet, Tresidder, 1st October

Grey Pine Carpet, Tresidder, 4th October

Double-striped Pug, Tresidder, 4th October

Willow Beauty, Tresidder, 3rd October

Nutmeg, Tresidder, 3rd October

There was also this Knot Grass caterpillar crawling up the wall of the cottage on 2nd.

Knot Grass caterpillar, Tresidder, 2nd October

As you would expect, there was a variety of other insects in the moth traps too, and I'll write about these in a separate post...

Flounced Chestnut

A good night on 19th October with 51 moths of 22 species.  I didn't immediately recognise the best one but when Dave suggested the ID it was obvious (well, fairly).  Indeed I'd been keeping an eye out for one as I'd never seen one before but they're usually a bit more strongly marked and I'd not appreciated how plain they could be.  It was a Flounced Chestnut, a very welcome macro lifer for so late in the season.  They're a little on the scarce side so it's not entirely surprising that I'd not seen one before but there are a few records in Norfolk every year.

Flounced Chestnut, North Elmham, 19th October

The other moths were Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 6 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Ashy Buttons Acleris sparsana, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Pale November Moth, Feathered Thorn, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Large Yellow Underwing, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 7 Black Rustics, 4 Green-brindled Crescents, Merveille du Jour, Brick, Red-line Quaker, 10 Yellow-line Quakers, 2 Beaded Chestnuts, Angle Shades, Large Wainscot, Burnished Brass and 2 Straw Dots.

Other insects included 5 Chrysoperla carnea (green lacewing), Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis, 15 Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus, Halesus radiatus (caddisflies), Pinalitus cervinus (bug) and a leafhopper that was probably Empoasca decipiens (would be new for the house but I wasn't entirely convinced by the externals and couldn't make the genitalia quite fit either, though I couldn't find anything else that fitted better).

I think this ugly little beast in my study the next day was Amaurobius similis.  I still dislike spiders but I'll try to identify them so long as I don't have to touch them or get too close.  Maybe one day I'll grow to like them, but for now, ugh.

Amaurobius similis, North Elmham, 20th October

Slightly fewer moths that night: 2 Garden Midgets Phyllonorycter messaniella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Ashy Button Acleris sparsana, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Double-striped Tabby Hypsopygia glaucinalis, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, 2 November Moths, Pale November Moth, 2 Feathered Thorns, 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 2 Black Rustics, 3 Green-brindled Crescents, 2 Merveille du Jours, 2 Bricks, 5 Yellow-line Quakers, Beaded Chestnut, Straw Dot and Snout.

Ashy Button Acleris sparsana, North Elmham, 20th October

The only lacewings and caddisflies were Chrysoperla carnea, Limnephilus affinis and 7 Limnephilus lunatus but hot on the heals of my first identified ones a few days earlier there were 5 Fagocyba cruenta (yellow leafhoppers).

There was a big drop in moth numbers the following night: Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, November Moth, Pale November Moth, Black Rustic, Yellow-line Quaker and Beaded Chestnut.  But it was worth putting the trap on for the leafhoppers - two more yellow leafhoppers, one another Fagocyba cruenta but the other a new one for me, Alnetoidea alneti.  The joy of being fairly new to identifyting a group like this is that you can still pick up new species from among the common ones - and this one is supposed to be "extremely common".

Alnetoidea aneti, North Elmham, 21st October

Fagocyba cruenta, North Elmham, 21st October

A Froghopper hopped away before I could ID it and the only other insects I noted were caddisflies: 3 Limnephilus lunatus and Halesus radiatus.

Things quietened down the following night with just Pale November Moth, Feathered Thorn, Green-brindled Crescent, Merveille du Jour, 5 Yellow-line Quakers and 2 Beaded Chestnuts making up the moths and Chrysoperla carnea agg., Limnephilus flavicornis and Limnephilus lunatus the lacewings and caddisflies.

If 22nd was quiet 23rd made up for it.  The highlights among 58 moths of 28 species were my first Sprawler of the year and my first Mottled Umber of the autumn but a much bigger surprise was an Orange Pine Tortrix Lozotaeniodes formosana.  Not because it's rare (though it is unusual here - I've only seen one here before, this July) or because it's stunning (though it certainly is) but because of the late date.  They normally finish flying in August and I think this might be the latest ever in Norfolk.

Orange Pine Tortrix Lozotaeniodes formosana, North Elmham, 23rd October

Blair's Shoulder-knot (left) and Sprawler (right), North Elmham, 23rd October

Mottled Umber, North Elmham, 23rd October

Other moths were 2 Garden Midgets Phyllonorycter messaniella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 4 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Ashy Button Acleris sparsana, Red-green Carpet, 2 Pine Carpets, 9 November Moths, Feathered Thorn, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, White-point, 2 Common Wainscots, 2 Black Rustics, Blair's Shoulder-knot, 2 Green-brindled Crescents, Merveille du Jour, Satellite, Red-line Quaker, 2 Yellow-line Quakers, 5 Beaded Chestnuts, Rosy Rustic, 2 Large Wainscots, 2 Burnished Brasses, 3 Straw Dots and Snout.

November Moth (male), North Elmham, 23rd October - not every pale November Moth is a Pale November Moth...

It wasn't just moths in the trap - there were lots of leafhoppers.  Having had several in recent days I imagined all the bright yellow leafhoppers would be Fagocyba cruenta so didn't retain them all for checking.  Of those I did keep 2 were indeed cruenta but one turned out to be Edwardsiana flavescens, a new one for here.  Other leafhoppers included Alebra albostriella, 5 Empoasca vitis and probably 2 Kybos betulicola (the male confirmed, the female either this or smaragdula).

Edwardsiana flavescens, North Elmham, 23rd October

Alebra albostriella, North Elmham, 23rd October

There were also 2 mirid bugs (Birch Catkin Bug Kleidocerys resedae and Pinalitus cervinus), 2 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus, the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea and the caddisflies Limnephilus affinis, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis and 9 Limnephilus lunatus.

Someone once pointed out a spider to me which they identified as Nuctenea umbratica on the basis of two white marks on the underside of its abdomen.  This spider in my shed had similar markings, but whether that's diagnostic or not I'm not sure.  I didn't get a good look at the top side of it.

Spider (possibly Nuctenea umbratica?), North Elmham, 24th October