Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 3: Carpets II (Epirrhoe to Hydriomena)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)


Small Argent & Sable Epirrhoe tristata - On Mull, one west of Carsaig on 10th June 2019 and 2 along the road to Glengorm on 12th June.  This was the first time I've seen this non-Norfolk species in the UK.

Small Argent & Sable, west of Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Small Argent & Sable, Glengorm Road (Mull), 12th June 2019

Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata - At least 40 caught in the garden between 25th May and 12th September 2019.  Not counted on 6 nights but with 1s and 2s around this time I doubt if the true figure was much higher than 40-50, so probably below average (about 60).  In 2020 67 between 21st May and 24th August, my second best total here in 6 years.  Elsewhere recorded next door, at the meadows (27 across 15 dates), and at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street, Hills and Holes and Weybourne.

Common Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd May 2019

Wood Carpet Epirrhoe rivata - One caught at home on 7th July 2019.  Until 2018 I was pretty skeptical about Wood Carpet records having noted a number of big pale-banded moths that I had taken to be extreme Common Carpets.  However in 2018 we found such a strong candidate for Wood Carpet at Derby Fen that I was forced to start taking them more seriously.  That individual was identified as Wood Carpet by a combination of features:

1. It was very big – forewing length of about 15.5 mm so outside the given range for Common Carpet and towards the upper end of the range even for Wood Carpet;
2. The white outer band on the forewing was broad, very white and with only very faint trace of a grey line dividing it through the centre (3-4 slightly more prominent grey dots near the leading edge but still faint);
3. The white outer band on the hindwing was similarly broad and white and lacked any grey dividing line;
4. Also the rear border of the white outer band on the forewing was very smooth (I’ve never seen this cited as a feature but it seems to be pretty consistent in most convincing photos of Wood Carpet online – Common Carpet nearly always having a more scalloped rear border to the white outer band on the forewing, at least when fresh).

That individual was a male, but although there are no known differences in male genitalia between the two species the consensus of opinion among all consulted was that this was indeed a Wood Carpet.  Two days later I caught another good candidate at home.  This was a female and although it is not clear that genitalia differences in females are consistent, there is a substantial difference between online images of female Wood Carpet genitalia and all the images I can find of female Common Carpet - and mine resembled the Wood Carpet's genitalia.  I caught one more apparent male at home a little while later and while not all of these 3 showed every character of Wood Carpet in perfection, I'm pretty much satisfied that that's what they all were.  If I'm right then I'm pretty sure that I've overlooked these in the past - the big pale-banded "Common" Carpets probably were Wood Carpets after all.  However, all this assumes that there are actually two clearly distinct different species, and I gather that isn't universally accepted.  Anyway, 2019's was another male, slightly worn and thus not as perfect as the Derby Fen individual but seems to me that it probably sits within the bounds of whatever Wood Carpets actually are.  None in 2020.

apparent Wood Carpet, North Elmham, 7th July 2019

Galium Carpet Epirrhoe rivata - None.  I'm yet to catch this species but there are a scattering of records in mid Norfolk so maybe I'll catch one some time.


Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata - Only one trapped in the garden in 2019, on 23rd June.  I had been averaging over 5 a year and caught 3 in my previous worst year (2018).  2020 was better with 6 between 22nd June and 19th August.  Elsewhere 5 caught at the meadows, 5 at Bintree Wood and one at Hills and Holes.

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Sharp-angled Carpet, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham, 22nd June 2020

Shoulder Stripe Earophila badiata - Totals of 5 trapped in the garden between 21st March and 24th April 2019 and 6 between 19th March and 11th April 2020.  5 is my worst annual total here - I've averaged 9 a year.  Elsewhere just 2 at the meadows on 20th March 2019.

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th March 2019

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham, 24th April 2019

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham, 9th April 2020

Streamer Anticlea derivata - Just 3 caught in the garden between 24th April and 19th May 2019 and 16 between 8th April and 9th May 2020.  These were my worst and second-best showings - apart from 23 in 2016 I've caugt 4-5 in the other years.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 22nd April 2019.

Streamer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Streamer, North Elmham, 24th April 2019

Beautiful Carpet Mesoleuca albicillata - None.  I have only ever caught one of these, at my last place in Bawdeswell in 2010.  It was quite early in my mothing career and I don't think I realised quite how good it was at the time.  I look forward to the next one, hopefully here in North Elmham.


Dark Spinach Pelurga comitata - Singles caught in my garden on 8th August 2019 and 29th July 2020, then one at the meadows on 7th August 2020.  I'd only ever seen 3 before, all here (one in 2016 and 2 in 2018).

Dark Spinach, North Elmham, 8th August 2019

Dark Spinach, North Elmham, 29th July 2020

Dark Spinach, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020

Mallow Larentia clavaria - Totals of 6 trapped in my garden between 23rd September and 10th October 2019 and 11 between 21st September and 19th October 2020.  These were below par and 2019 was my lowest total so far.

Mallow, North Elmham, 21st September 2020

July Highflyer Hydriomena furcata - 5 caught in my garden between 6th July and 7th August 2019 was below average but 2 in 2020 (29th June and 11th July) was my worst year here so far.  I average 7 a year here but often catch a lot more at other sites - only 3 elsewhere in 2019/20 though, with singles at the meadows, Bintree Wood and Weybourne.

July Highflyer, North Elmham, 5th August 2019

July Highflyer, North Elmham, 29th June 2020

May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata - One here on 25th May 2019 and 3 between 17th and 21st May 2020.  This species isn't quite annual here though I usually catch 2-3.  Also one at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 and 2 at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 17th May 2020

Next page: more Geometridae

Best moth got away

Probably the best moth on the night of 3rd July got away, though I'm still hoping to recover it.  It was an Acleris sp. of the comariana/laterana type.  Every such Acleris I've ever checked has been laterana - I'm yet to see a confirmed (or even suspected) comariana.  But this was early (my earliest laterana so far is late July) and comariana starts flying early.  There had to be a good chance this was my first Stawberry Tortrix Acleris comariana.  I took one photo, went to take a better one and it scuttled.  It didn't exaclty fly, just fluttered along the desktop to a pile of papers.  I lifted the edge of the papers expecting to see it, but nothing.  I went through the pile piece by piece checking each one until I got to the bottom, and the moth still hadn't appeared!  I suspect it was on its last legs and may still be in my study somewhere.  Maybe when I have a good spring clean I'll find it...  That might be a while!

Acleris laterana agg., North Elmham, 3rd July - in view of the date perhaps most likely Strawberry Tortrix Acleris comariana, but got away before it could be confirmed

A few other moths were new for the year: 2 Speckled Case-bearers Coleophora sternipennella, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, Barred Yellow, July Highflyer and Swallow-tailed Moth.

Barred Yellow, North Elmham, 3rd July

Swallow-tailed Moth, North Elmham, 3rd July

July Highflyer, North Elmham, 3rd July

Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, North Elmham, 3rd July

Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, North Elmham, 3rd July

Speckled Case-bearer Colephora sternipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 3rd July

Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, North Elmham, 3rd July

Other micros were Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis cerasana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, 5 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 3 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 10 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 8 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 4 False Cacao Moths Ephestia unicolorella and Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella.

Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, North Elmham, 3rd July

False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, North Elmham, 3rd July

The other macros were Buff Arches, Small Fan-footed Wave, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 5 Riband Waves, Garden Carpet, Common Carpet, Barred Straw, Green Carpet, Clouded Border, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, 2 Mottled Beauties, Clouded Silver, Light Emerald, Elephant Hawkmoth, 2 Common Footmen, 10 Buff Ermines, 7 Cinnabars, Heart and Dart, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 2 Double Square-spots, 3 Smoky Wainscots, Common Wainscot, 2 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, 3 Dark Arches, Dusky Brocade, 2 Marbled Minors, 2 Tawny Marbled Minors, 2 Middle-barred Minors, 4 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, 2 Burnished Brasses, 2 Spectacles, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, 3 Straw Dots, 5 Snouts and Fan-foot.

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 3rd July

Caddisflies included my first confirmed Agrypnia varia, probably Hydropsyche siltalai and 3 Mystacides longicornis.  On the beetle front Summer Chafer was my first this year.

Agrypnia varia, North Elmham, 3rd July

Summer Chafer, North Elmham, 3rd July