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

Phalonidia manniana, new for the garden, plus a new site for a Red Data Book species

This summer has been mad, and I'm afraid blog posts have fallen by the wayside.  At last I'm ready to pick up where I left off.  It will take me a while to catch up, but now making a start...

The highlight of Thursday night, 31st May, was a new moth for the garden, Water-mint Conch Phalonidia manniana.

Water-mint Conch Phalnidia manniana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 31st May

A few others were new for the year including the marvellous Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, May Highflyer (just in time?), 2 Vine's Rustics and Burnished Brass.

Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana, North Elmham, 31st May

Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, North Elmham, 31st May

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 31st May

Vine's Rustic, North Elmham, 31st May

Burnished Brass, North Elmham, 31st May

Other moths were 5 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, 3 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 4 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Pebble Hook-tip, 2 Blood-veins, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, 5 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, 4 Common Pugs, Scorched Carpet, Brimstone Moth, Pale Oak Beauty, 2 Pale Tussocks, Orange Footman, 4 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 6 Heart and Darts, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Bright-line Brown-eye, 4 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, 8 Treble Lines, Spectacle and Straw Dot.

There was also a Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum (mayfly), another Dasytes aeratus following my first ever the previous night and, new for the year, Cantharis decipiens.

Cantharis decipiens, North Elmham, 31st May

Next morning I went up to Brancaster mainly to look for birds, though of course I can't help looking at invertebrates at the same time.  Moths along Gypsy Lane included Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Silver-ground Carpet and 15 Silver Ys. There were lots of moths on the golf-course too but the most unexpected was a lovely Tawny Wave, a Red Data Book species that is mainly found in the Brecks.  There are very few records indeed from the north Norfolk coast, except for Scolt Head where Neil records them regularly.  Looks like this was a good year for them there.  Not sure if this one hopped across the chanel from Scolt or if they're breeding here too.

Tawny Wave, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

 Other moths here included 8 Plain Fanners Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, 26 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 3 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Shell, Green Carpet, 15 Cinnabars and 35 Silver Ys. Caterpillars included about 25 Brown-tails and a similar number of Garden Tigers.

Brown-tail caterpillar, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

Garden Tiger caterpillar, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

Among the butterflies Green Hairstreak was the highlight, along with Small Copper, c. 25 Common Blues, Painted Lady and about 25 Small Heaths.

Green Hairstreak, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

I noticed a couple of masses of small dark insects clinging to the trunk of an Elder tree by the huts.  Turns out they were Elder Aphids Aphis sambuci, the first time I've noticed any of these.

Elder Aphids Aphis sambuci, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

There's a really impressive display of Yellow Rattle here too.  This is a species I associate with damp meadows but apparently dry duneland habitat like this is good for it too.

Yellow Rattle, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

A decent evening at last

Warm, calm and cloudy - a perfect recipe for moths.  For the first time this year all three were in play on Friday night (well, not quite calm, but no more than a light breeze) and we were sure to enjoy the best night of the year so far.  Indeed it proved, though I think I've had better nights at this time of year in better years.

A little bit of dusking on the patch secured Skin Moth Monopis laevigella, Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella and Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus in the Beetley area. 

Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella, Rawhall Wood, 22nd May

Then I set up the light at Creaking Gate Lake where things got off to a slower start than I had anticipated.  Eventually it picked up and a reasonable selection was accrued.

The highlight was a new moth for me, Downland Marble Endothenia oblongana.There are very few inland records of this moth and it's not an easy ID to separate from the slightly more frequently-recorded Teasel Marble Endothenia gentianaeana.  Size was just about within range for a small gentianaeana and I thought at first I could detect the small pale mark beyond the post median fascia that is supposed to be shown by that species.  But it had little grey/violet irrotation in the base, no violet near the tip and the pattern of the apical region seemed better for oblongana - indeed one of the oblongana shown on Lepiforum looked  a very good match for my moth.  They're not the easiest to gen det either, but all internal features I could see seemed to support oblongana.

Downland Marble Endothenia oblongana, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Other highlights included Figure of Eighty, a species I've only seen occasonally, and my first Lime Hawkmoth of the year.

Figure of Eighty, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Lime Hawkmoth, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

The supporting cast were 3 Carrion Moths Monopis weaverella, 2 Ribwort Slenders Aspilapteryx tringipennella, 2 Dark-barred Tortrices Syndemis musculana, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Common Swift, Pebble Hook-tip, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, 3 + Green Carpets, May Highflyer, Brindled Pug, Treble-bar, Brimstone Moth, Scalloped Hazel, Common White Wave, Iron Prominent, 2 Pebble Prominents, Coxcomb Prominent, 3 Pale Tussocks, Orange Footman, 2 White Ermines, Cinnabar, Least Black Arches, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Hebrew Character, Angle Shades and Nut-tree Tussock.

Common Swift, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

May Highflyer, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Silver-ground Carpet, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Non-lepidopteran interest was kept up with a bug-lifer, Harpocera thoracica.

 Harpocera thoracica, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Among the beetles were a couple I can't identify and a couple I've tenatively identified - let me know if you can help.  Also Cream-spot Ladybird and, once again, 16 Cockchafers - seems to be a good year for them, unfortunately.

unidentified Beetle, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

unidentified Beetle, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

probable Athous haemorrhoidalis, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

apparent Cantharis nigricans, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Plenty of other insects there too, including the first Bramble Sawfly that I recall seeing.

Bramble Sawfly Arge cyanocrocea, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Birch Shieldbugs, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Chloeon diperum, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Downlooker Snipefly Rhagio scolopaceus, Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

Micropterna lateralis (I think), Creaking Gate Lake, 22nd May

I gave up shortly after midnight and returned home at which point it started drizzling.  The garden was heaving with moths.  I ended up with 68 moths of 41 species - including no less than 16 that were new for the year for the garden.  Those were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Water Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, May Highflyer, Sandy Carpet, White-pinion Spotted, 2 Orange Footmen, Shears and Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Shears, North Elmham, 22nd May

Grey Pine Carpet, North Elmham, 22nd May

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 22nd May

Orange Footman, North Elmham, 22nd May

Rustic Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 22nd May

White-pinion Spotted, North Elmham, 22nd May

Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, North Elmham, 22nd May

Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, North Elmham, 22nd May

Bird's-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, North Elmham, 22nd May

Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, North Elmham, 22nd May

Water Carpet, North Elmham, 22nd May

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 22nd May

Among the others another Fen Flat-body Depressaria ultimella was notable, as were Pale Pinion and Herald.

Fen Flat-body Depressaria ultimella, North Elmham, 22nd May

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 22nd May

Herald, North Elmham, 22nd May

5 Waved Umbers was my highest count ever of this species.

Waved Umbers, North Elmham, 22nd May

The others were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, 2 Chinese Characters, Blood-vein, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Green Carpet, 9 Common Pugs, Treble-bar, 7 Brimstone Moths, 2 Scalloped Hazels, Buff-tip, 2 Pale Tussocks, White Ermine, 2 Cinnabars, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Bright-line Brown-eye, Angle Shades and 3 Treble Lines.

Angle Shades, North Elmham, 22nd May

Cinnabar, North Elmham, 22nd May

Treble-bar, North Elmham, 22nd May

Other insects included a Birch Shieldbug here too:

Birch Shieldbug, North Elmham, 22nd May

This caddisfly is a new one for me, I think - though I'm not 100% sure if the ID is correct or if there are other similar species that should be considered.

probable Ecnomus tenellus, North Elmham, 22nd May