A good afternoon at the meadows

Had a wander round the Cathedral Meadows at North Elmham on the afternoon/evening of 3rd June and found a decent selection of wildlife.  Dragonflies included 2 Emperors and butterflies included a Common Blue; there were two displaying Green Drakes (Mayflies) Ephemera danica, the green lacewing Chrysopa perla, a Coniopterix Waxfly (a female so not identifable to species) and the Scorpion Fly Panorpa communis.

Common Blue Damselfly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Chrysopa perla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Plenty of moths, the highlights of which were 2 Pea Moths Cydia nigricana, Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana and Small Yellow Underwing in the lower meadows and White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi and Black-edged Marble Endothenia nigricostana along the disused railway.

Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Black-edged Marble Endothenia nigricostana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Other moths were Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, 2 Yellow-barred Long-horns Nemophora degeerella, Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Hedge Case-bearers Coleophora striatipennella, Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 2 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana, 11 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Silver-ground Carpet, Cinnabar, 4 Silver Ys and 4 Straw Dots.

Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Bugs included a Parent Bug and the mirid bug Psallus perrisi, and there was the barkfly Graphopsocus cruciatus.

Psallus perrisi (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Graphopsocus cruciatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

A good number of beetles included 4 Garden Chafers, Cantharis rufa, Cantharis livida, 2 24-spot Ladybirds, 3 Swollen-thighed Beetles, 3 Grammoptera ruficornis, Phyllobius pomaceus and  Phyllobius roboretanus.

Garden Chafer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Cantharis rufa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Swollen-thighed Beetle (female), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Grammoptera ruficornis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Phyllobius roboretanus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Hoverflies included Sphaerophoria taeniata (a new one for me), Eristalis horticola, Helophilus pendulus and Volucella bombylans.  Among the Hymenoptera were Small Black Ant Lasius niger, the sawfly Tenthredo arcuata, Tree Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee and Early Bumblebee.

Spaerophoria taeniata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Helophilus pendulus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Volucella bombylans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Tenthredo arcuata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Tree Bumblebee, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

Early Bumblebee, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June

I managed to identify two spiders - Common Cucumber Spider Araniella cucurbitina and Metellina mengei.

Cucumber Spiders Araniella sp. - the lower one seemed to check out as a female cucurbitina

Freyer's Pug and Small Angle Shades were the only new moths for the year at home that night.

Freyer's Pug, North Elmham, 3rd June

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 3rd June

Other moths were 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, 3 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 9 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Lesser Pearls Sitochroa verticalis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 3 Common Swifts, 3 Pebble Hook-tips, Blood-vein, Treble Brown Spot, Flame Carpet, 4 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Garden Carpets, 3 Green Carpets, May Highflyer, Currant Pug, 4 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, Pale Oak Beauty, Common Wave, 2 Light Emeralds, 2 Poplar Hawk-moths, Swallow Prominent, Marbled Brown, 9 White Ermines, Cinnabar, 7 Heart and Darts, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Bright-line Brown-eye, 6 Common Wainscots, 3 Brown Rustics, 4 Treble Lines, 5 Mottled Rustics, Silver Y and 8 Straw Dots.

There was also the Mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, the caddisflies Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus lunatus and a Water Boatman that was new for the house: Callicorixa praeusta.

Callicorixa praeusta, North Elmham, 3rd June

Common by name, uncommon by nature (oehlmanniella)

This is the Garden Chafer I found in the garden on Friday 23rd May.

Garden Chafer, North Elmham, 23rd May

A few moths at Ryburgh included Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, 3 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, 2 Cocksfoot Moths Glyphipterix simpliciella and presumed Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet.  Beetles included Cantharis decipiens.

Back at home I found this small weevil in my study - it turned out to be Kalcapion pallipes.

Kalcapion pallipes, North Elmham, 23rd May

A Common Frog in the garden was my first here this year.  They sometimes sit round the moth trap, presumably in the hope of a tasty moth landing close by.  The highlight among the moths the frog didn't eat was a lifer, Common Bright Incurvaria oehlmanniella.  However it didn't increase my garden list as it took the place of a previous unidentified Incurvaria sp. which I had (in the light of this perhaps wrongly) presumed was likely to be Incurvaria masculella.  Despite oehlmanniella's common name, masculella is far commoner in my experience - just not in my garden.

Common Bright Incurvaria oehlmanniella, North Elmham, 23rd May

Several other moths were new for the year, namely Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, Spruce Carpet, Common Wave, Buff Ermine, Marbled Minor and Buttoned Snout. The last of those was my second here following one in 2015; more surprisingly Spruce Carpet was also my first here since 2015.

Buttoned Snout, North Elmham, 23rd May

Spruce Carpet, North Elmham, 23rd May

Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, North Elmham, 23rd May

False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd May

Common Wave, North Elmham, 23rd May

Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd May

Other moths were Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Chinese Character, Flame Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Garden Carpet, 3 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, 7 Common Pugs, 6 Brimstone Moths, 3 Waved Umbers, 2 White-pinion Spotteds, Light Emerald, Eyed Hawk-moth, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, Orange Footman, 8 White Ermines, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Shears, Brown Rustic and 4 Treble Lines.

Orange Footman, North Elmham, 23rd May

Shears, North Elmham, 23rd May

There was only one caddisfly in the trap but it was a new one for the house: Plectrocnemia conspersa.

Plectrocnemia conspersa (male), North Elmham, 23rd May

A Procloeon bifidum (type of Mayfly) was new for the year.

Procloeon bifidum, North Elmham, 23rd May