Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Prominents (Notodontidae) - part 2: Prominents and Buff- and Chocolate-tips

PROMINENTS, KITTENS and allies (NOTODONTIDAE)


Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius - One caught in the garden on 1st May 2019 and then 3 singles between 21st July and 26th August.  In 2020 singles on 30th April, 18th May and 12th August.  3-5 here in a year is typical but there were 19 in 2016 and none in 2017.  One at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 was my earliest ever and first April record.  Elsewhere singles at Weybourne, Swanton Great Wood and Row Heath (West Runton) in 2019 and 2 at Hills and Holes in 2020.

Iron Prominent, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 1st May 2019

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 30th April 2020

Pebble Prominent Notodonta ziczac - 5 trapped in the garden between 21st June and 2nd August 2019 and then singles on 22nd May, 22nd July and 6th August 2020.  These low totals were better than 2018 (2) but well short of my yearly average of over 10.  Elsewhere one next door on 27th August 2019, one at the meadows on 22nd April 2019 and one at Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020.

Pebble Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Great Prominent Peridea anceps - One in the garden moth trap on 24th May 2020.  I've caught this species at home 3 times before (2015, 2016 and 2018).  Elsewhere one caught at Benhall (Suffolk) on 10th May 2019 and one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

Great Prominent, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Great Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May 2020

Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula - Totals of 5 in the garden between 26th April and 29th August 2019 and 9 between 11th April (my earliest ever) and 16th May 2020.  These were my worst totals in 6 years - I've averaged 16-17 a year.  Elsewhere 3 next door, 6 at the meadows on 6 dates, one at Bintree Wood, 2 at Swanton Great Wood, one at Sculthorpe Moor, one at Hills and Holes and one at Benhall (Suffolk).

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 26th April 2019

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 11th April 2020

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020

Lesser Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula - Totals of 16 trapped here between 25th April and 23rd  August 2019 and 20 between 15th April and 23rd August 2020 - 20 a year is about average.  Elsewhere singles next door on 3 nights, 2 at Weybourne, 1 at Row Heath (West Runton) (my latest ever, on 31st August), one at Benhall (Suffolk) and one on Mull, all in 2019.

Lesser Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 25th April 2019

Lesser Swallow Prominent (left) and Swallow Prominent (right), Benhall (Suffolk), 10th May 2019

Lesser Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 15th April 2020

Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina - Totals of 9 in the garden between 4th July and 21st August 2019 and 8 between 8th May and 30th July 2020 - my worst years so far (average 20 a year).  Elsewhere my earliest ever at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 and one at the meadows each year.

Pale Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Pale Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Coxcomb Prominent Ptilodon capucina - Totals of 22 here between 20th May and 24th August 2019 and 18 between 31st May and 14th August 2020.  These were my worst showings but in 6 years but I've never had more than 28.  Elsewhere one next door, one at Hills and Holes and one on Mull.

Coxcomb Prominent, North Elmham, 20th May 2019

Coxcomb Prominent, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Maple Prominent Ptilodon cucullina - None.  I caught 3 here (and one next-door) in 2016 but haven't had them here in any other year.  Interestingly 2016 doesn't seem to have been an especially good year elsewhere in Norfolk.


Buff-tip Phalera bucephala - Totals of 18 trapped in the garden between 26th May and 3rd August 2019 and 41 between 24th April (my earliest ever) and 22nd July 2020.  2020 was my second best year in 6, though well short of the impressive 85 caught in 2015.  Elsewhere singles at the meadows, Bintree Wood and Weybourne and 5 at Carsaig (Mull).

Buff-tip, North Elmham, 1st July 2019

Buff-tip, North Elmham, 17th May 2020

Buff-tip, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Chocolate-tip Clostera curtula - One in the garden trap on 1st May 2019 and 5 between 26th April and 23rd May 2020.  I only had one in 2017 too but in other years I've caught between 8 and 12.

Chocolate-tip, North Elmham, 1st May 2019

Chocolate-tip, North Elmham, 26th April 2020

Next page: Erebidae

Ginger Button

A drop in numbers on 25th July though 447 moths of 113 species wasn't exactly terrible.  The highlight was a Ginger Button Acleris aspersana.  Not hugely rare, but the first time I've identified one.

Ginger Button Acleris aspersana (male), North Elmham, 25th July

Only two others were new for the year: a House Groundling Bryotropha domestica and the wonderful Oak Eggar.

Oak Eggar, North Elmham, 25th July

Good counts of common macros included 62 Common Footmen and the year's peak count of 44 Uncertains.  Other macros were 4 Buff Arches, 2 Common Emeralds, Blood-vein, Least Carpet, 15 Small Fan-footed Waves, Small Dusty Wave, 7 Single-dotted Waves, 13 Riband Waves, 3 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, 3 Common Carpets, Yellow Shell, Barred Yellow, July Highflyer, 6 Small Rivulets, Green Pug, 2 Small Yellow Waves, 2 Clouded Borders, Early Thorn, Purple Thorn, Peppered Moth, 5 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, 4 Clouded Silvers, Elephant Hawkmoth, 2 Iron Prominents, Coxcomb Prominent, Chocolate-tip, 3 Yellow-tails, Black Arches, Round-winged Muslin, 20 Rosy Footmen, 20 Dingy Footmen, 13 Scarce Footmen, 3 Buff Footmen, 5 Buff Ermines, 3 Ruby Tigers, Cinnabar, Heart and Dart, 4 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 7 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Lychnis, 4 Clays, 11 Smoky Wainscots, 3 Grey Daggers, Coronet, Straw Underwing, 2 Dun-bars, 5 Dark Arches, Rufous Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor, 2 Cloaked Minors, 2 Common Rustics, Lesser Common Rustic, Rustic, Nut-tree Tussock, Burnished Brass, 3 Spectacles, Beautiful Hook-tip, Snout and 3 Fan-foots.

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, North Elmham, 25th July

Least Carpet, North Elmham, 25th July

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 25th July

The first 64 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana that I recorded at home this year were all males.  The first female was on 24th July and two on 25th were also female.  It doesn't seem to be uncommon among lepidoptera for males to emerge before females but with some species their appearance seems to be so discreet that one wonders how they ever manage to breed.

Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, North Elmham, 25th July

The other micros were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, 12 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 8 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, 2 Tipped Oak Case-bearers Coleophora flavipennella, Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella, 2 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, 3 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Dotted Grey Groundling Athrips mouffetella, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 3 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 3 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, 3 Dover Shades Cnephasia genitalana, White-triangle Button Acleris holmiana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, 5 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 11 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, 6 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula nitidulata, 12 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis and Bee Moth Aphomia sociella.

Not much noted apart from moths, mainly because I ignored the caddisflies and mayflies for now.  Both Common Toad and Common Frog were knocking around as I went through the trap though.