A first for Norfolk - nearly!

On Monday 19th June I considered having a wander round Beetley Common, just 5 minutes away and good for insects last time I was there.  But there had been a Lesser Emperor at Selbrigg Pond for a few days and it was reported as still being there, and I've never seen a Lesser Emperor in the UK, so I thought I'd head there instead.  That proved to be a very unfortunate decision!  There were a few dragonflies on view including normal Emperors and Red-eyed Damselflies, but I couldn't find the Lesser Emperor.  A couple sitting by the pond said there had been people there watching it who left just before I arrived, and I someone who must have arrived just after I left tweeted that it was still there shortly afterwards, so it seems that I was very unlucky.  To make matters worse Kevin du Rose visited Beetley Common while I was at Selbrigg and found, guess what - a Lesser Emperor!

The lady sitting by the pond found this caterpillar which she wanted me to identify.  I'm rubbish at caterpillars and couldn't help, but having now looked it up I think it's an Oak Beauty.

Oak Beauty, Selbrigg Pond, 19th June

I made up for the disappointment with Lesser Emperor when it came to checking the moths I caught overnight.  Among them was a smart streaky grey gelechiid which looked interesting.  It looked like an Anarsia species, but not Anarsia spartiella, the one I've seen before - it was too streaky.  It looked more like Peach Twig Borer Anarsia lineatella, a species only recorded in Norfolk once before and usually found among imported peaches.  Well this wasn't among imported peaches and I wasn't convinced it was this species, but on first look I couldn't find any similar species - certainly not on the Norfolk Moths website anyway, nor the UK Moths website.  My next stop was Lepiforum where I discovered a species called Anarsia innoxiella, very similar to Peach Twig Borer.  Helpfully Lepiforum has an image detailing the differences between the two species and sure enough my moth was spot on for Anarsia innoxiella!  I then checked back on Norfolk Moths, UK Moths and some other British moth websites and couldn't find innoxiella mentioned anywhere... surely I hadn't found a first for Britain?  Next stop was Google and that led me to the Gelechiid Recording Scheme and there on its news page was the information that Anarsia innoxiella had been split from Peach Twig Borer only as recently as March 2017.  It stated that, "Initial examination of recently light-trapped British material, which were thought to be A. lineatella, suggest many could well be referable to the new species, Anarsia innoxiella."  Hmm, "could well be"?  Does that mean innoxiella hasn't actually been confirmed yet?  Are they waiting for a specimen?  Could mine be the first confirmed British record?  Well no, for elsewhere on the same website I found a page for the species which clarified that there have indeed been confirmed records and that "Early indications are that it is well established in south-east England but should be considered at best local in its distribution."  So certainly not new to the UK but maybe to Norfolk?  None on the Norfolk Moths website so it was looking hopeful that I might at least have found a first for Norfolk.  Well sadly it turns out that it wasn't even that - not quite - for Andy Wallis had trapped one just three nights earlier.  I'd been pipped to the post - and not for the first time (a very similar thing happened with my first Italian Tubic Metalampra italica).  Still, a very nice find, second for Norfolk, first for VC28 and of course a new moth for me.

Anarsia innoxiella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 19th June

Among the rest of the catch several species were new for the year including two I have rarely seen before (both on just single occasions here before) - Thistle Ermine Myelois circumvoluta and Haworth's Pug.

Thistle Ermine Myelois circumvoluta, North Elmham, 19th June

Others new for the year here were Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, Leopard Moth, Peach Blossom, July Highflyer and Poplar Grey.

Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, North Elmham, 19th June

Peach Blossom, North Elmham, 19th June

Poplar Grey, North Elmham, 19th June

Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana was my third record and first outside of January/February.

Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 19th June

Satyr Pug was also my third, and for the third time its identity wasn't realised until after it had died.  Here it is with the Haworth's Pug and a Grey Pug also caught that night - I suppose I shouldn't beat myself up too much for not realising I had all three species straight away...

Satyr Pug (female, gen det), North Elmham, 19th June

Haworth's Pug (female, gen det), North Elmham, 19th June

Grey Pug (female, gen det), North Elmham, 19th June

The other moths caught were Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella, 2 Woundwort Case-bearers Coleophora lineolea, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, 3 Burdock Nebs Metzneria lappella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 11 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 4 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, 2 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 13 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, 2 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, 3 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 10 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 5 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 8 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, 3 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Buff Arches, 2 Common Emeralds, Dwarf Cream Wave, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 4 Treble Brown Spots, 8 Riband Waves, Common Carpet, 6 Barred Straws, 4 Common Pugs, Grey Pug, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, Common Wave, Clouded Silver, Privet Hawk-moth, Buff-tip, 3 Rosy Footmen, 2 Common Footmen, 9 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Short-cloaked Moths, 2 Heart and Darts, Flame Shoulder, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Double Square-spot, Shears, Common Wainscot, Brown Rustic, Marbled Minor, 6 Middle-barred Minors, Treble Lines, 11 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, Spectacle, 3 Beautiful Hook-tips, 20 Straw Dots, 3 Snouts and 2 Fan-foots.

Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 19th June

Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, North Elmham, 19th June

Privet Hawk-moth, North Elmham, 19th June

Caddisflies were represented by 2 Ecnomus tenellus, Mystacides longicornis and Oecetis lacustris, and Mayflies by a Green Drake Ephemera danica.  There was another Fly Bug Reduvius personatus in the trap along with two other bugs that were new for the year here: Stenotus binotatus and the leafhopper Oncopsis subangulata.

Stenotus binotatus, North Elmham, 19th June

Oncopsis subangulata, North Elmham, 19th June

Thyme Plume

Edit: oops - now re-titled this post as the star of the show was clearly a Thyme Plume not a Thyme Pug!  Now that would be good!

26th July produced 384 moths of 119 species - reasonable if unremarkable but a night more of quality than quantity.  The highlight was a new species for me and one that has only been recorded in Norfolk five times in the last 20+ years: Thyme Plume Merrifieldia leucidactyla.  A really lovely-looking Plume, in my opinion, though not straightforward to identify as the even rarer Western Thyme Plume (tridactyla) looks very similar externally.

Thyme Plume Merrifieldia leucodactyla (female, gen det), North Elmham, 26th July

A Bog Dwarf Elachista utonella was a surprise addition to the garden list - a rare species of wet bogs and acid heaths.  Not sure where my nearest wet bog or acid heath is, but most Norfolk records are from the Broads or the acid heaths of west Norfolk, so one smack bang in the middle and over 20 km away from the nearest previous record was notable.

Bog Dwarf Elachista utonella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 26th July

Also new for the house were Large Grey Scoparia subfusca and Thistle Ermine Myelois circumvoluta.

Large Grey Scoparia subfusca, North Elmham, 26th July

Thistle Ermine Myelois circumvoluta, North Elmham, 26th July

Three other micros were new for the year: Ash-coloured Sober Acompsia cinerella, Chamomile Conch Cochylidia implicitana and Chalk Knot-horn Phycitodes maritima.

None of the macros recorded were new for the year, but one I narrowly missed recording might have been.  A large white moth was seen in flight in the first glimmers of dawn, landing briefly but almost entirely obscured in the hedge before flying on through the hedge and away.  Pretty sure, but not 100% sure, it was a Puss Moth.

It was a day of things escaping!  A Coleophora (probably lineolea) escaped without me determining it, a Cnephasia escaped - I'm putting that one down as stephensiana because it was so big, but I prefer to dissect them to confirm.  A Pug, probably Slender Pug, escaped before I could resolve it and a Dagger (large and pale so likely Grey) also made a dash for it.  Macros I did record were Leopard Moth, Pebble Hook-tip, 4 Chinese Characters, 2 Buff Arches, Common Emerald, Blood-vein, 14 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 12 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, Dark Umber, Green Pug, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Early Thorns, Purple Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, 2 Clouded Silvers, 2 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawkmoth, 3 Pebble Prominents, Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, 4 Yellow-tails, 6 Rosy Footmen, 17 Dingy Footmen, 11 Scarce Footmen, 2 Buff Footmen, 54 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines, 4 Ruby Tigers, Cinnabar, Heart and Dart, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 3 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 3 Double Square-spots, Nutmeg, Dot Moth, 3 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 2 Brown-line Bright-eyes, 2 Clays, 10 Smoky Wainscots, Coronet, Dun-bar, 5 Dark Arches, Light Arches, Rufous Minor, Cloaked Minor, 2 Common Rustics, Lesser Common Rustic, 2 Dusky Sallows, 31 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, Nut-tree Tussock, Spectacle and Snout.

Purple Thorn, North Elmham, 26th July

A good selection of other micros too: Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, 20 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, Hawthorn Ermel Paraswammerdamia nebulella, 8 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 3 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella, New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Dark Groundlings Bryotropha affinis, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta, 2 Bulrush Cosmets Limnaecia phragmitella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana, Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, 4 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 14 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 6 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, 4 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula nitidulata, Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata, 6 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 2 Dusky Pearls Udea prunalis, 12 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella and 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella.

Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta (male, gen det), North Elmham, 26th July

Other stuff in the trap included both 7-spot and Harlequin Ladybirds and this thing which I hoped would turn out to be a Bee I could key out with the new Bees book.  Sadly it appears to be a wasp, not a bee, and although it looks pretty distinctive there are in fact about a zillion different species of wasp that all look pretty much like it and I don't have any references that allow be to get close to resolving its ID.

unidentified wasp, North Elmham, 26th July