Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) (Part 11: Bells and Shoots III (Notocelia to Rhayacionia))

TORTRIX MOTHS (TORTRICIDAE) (continued)


Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella - 14 in the garden between 22nd May and 6th June 2019 and 12 between 8th May and 2nd June 2020, both a bit below average.  Elsewhere one at the meadows in 2019 and one at Frost's Common in 2020.

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatelle, North Elmham, 22nd May 2019

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatelle, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana - 7 in the garden between 24th June and 6th July 2019 and 6 between 13th June and 2nd July 2020, which are about average.  Elsewhere 2 at the meadows and singles at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street (on the later date of 3rd September 2020) and Weybourne.

Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, North Elmham Cathedtral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana - One trapped in the garden on 23rd July 2019 and 3 between 18th June and 30th July 2020.  I average 3 a year and 2019 was the first year I only caught one.  I used to get them at my previous house in Bawdeswell too but so far I've never found one anywhere else.

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, North Elmham, 18th June 2020

Common Rose Bell Notocelia rosaecolona - None.  I've not found this species anywhere yet but it's fairly widespread, if a little scarce, so wouldn't be very surprising round here.  Some WhatsApp discussion about this species' identification in 2020 made me realise I had misremembered or somehow got confused about one of the characters and it's therefore possible that I've overlooked one or two in the past.  There are one or two "trimaculana" that I've photographed which in hindsight I wish I'd retained to check, although I think they probably are just trimaculana.


Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana - Totals of 16 here between 24th May and 29th June 2019 and 13 between 19th May and 5th July 2020, my worst years for them (they average 26 a year).  Also recorded at the meadows and in Keswick.

Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

male Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

male Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 26th May 2020

Dark Pine Shoot Pseudococcyx posticana - None.  I've never seen this species but it seems to be quite widespread in Norfolk, if thin on the ground.


Pine Bud Moth Pseudococcyx turionella - None.  I've not found this species locally but there's no reason why it shouldn't occur round here.


Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi - One in the garden trap on 26th July 2020, the 4th year in 6 that I've seen it here.  None here in 2019 but one in next door's garden on 8th August.  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019 and one at Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020.  Stunning little moths.

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, North Elmham, 8th August 2019

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, Swanton Great Wood, 26th July 2020

Pine Shoot Rhyacionia buoliana - None.  I am yet to find this species anywhere but it's pretty widespread so probably occurs round here somewhere.


Orange-spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinicolana - One caught in the garden on 25th July 2019, my third record here (2 together in 2016, one in 2018).  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August.  None in 2020.

Orange-spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinicolana, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinivorana - One in the garden moth trap on 18th May 2020 was only my second here and first since 2015.  The only one I found in 2019 was at Carsaig on Mull on 11th June and it turned out to be a new moth for the island!  Apparently there was an old record for the vice county that didn't specify the location - odds are that was on Mull too but that can't be assumed.  Actually I was a bit disappointed because I had been hoping mine would turn out to be an Elgin Shoot Rhyacionia logaea, a species that I've never seen but does occur on Mull, but perhaps I should be satisfied enough that it was a useful 'first' record anyway.  Also one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

male Spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinivorana, Carsaig, 11th June 2019 - the first for Mull

Spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinivorana, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

Next page: more Tortricidae

Cacao and Corn Moths

After a good night's mothing at Holt Country Park I returned home to find a reasonable selection of moths in the garden trap.  There were no real stand-out highlights but new for the garden year list were Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, Double-striped Tabby Hypsopygia glaucinalis, Yellow Shell, 2 Scalloped Oaks, Pine Hawk-moth and Purple Clay.

Scalloped Oak, North Elmham, 1st July

Purple Clay, North Elmham, 1st July

This Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana was arguably better than any of those, judged by the number of county records, but it seems to be getting commoner with quite a few records in very recent years.  That's certainly my experience with my first ever last year and now three so far this year.  I need to improve my detection of them though as I passed off both of the last two (at least) as Acleris laterana/comariana agg. until I looked at their genitalia.  Some schalleriana can look quite distinctively broad-shouldered to my eyes (recalling sparsana to me) but this one didn't.  Nor were the dark triangles on the costa particularly extensive (they didn't reach the apex as they're supposed to on schalleriana for starters).  Apparently schalleriana has rougher scales along the leading edge of the forewing - I'm not sure about that - I think I could possibly make out this feature when I looked under the microscope but will need to look for this critically on future insects to test it.

Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 1st July

The other moths were 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Hawthorn Ermel Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, Buff Cosmet Mompha ochraceella, 3 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 2 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, 2 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 17 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 3 Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, 5 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, Ghost Moth, Drinker, Buff Arches, Large Emerald, Small Emerald, 2 Small Blood-veins, 7 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, 9 Single-dotted Waves, 4 Treble Brown Spots, 2 Riband Waves, Common Carpet, 4 Barred Straws, Green Pug, Double-striped Pug, 3 Clouded Borders, 3 Early Thorns, Swallow-tailed Moth, 3 Willow Beauties, 14 Clouded Silvers, 3 Elephant Hawk-moths, Buff-tip, 5 Rosy Footmen, 2 Dingy Footmen, 22 Common Footmen, Cinnabar, 4 Flames, 2 Flame Shoulders, 4 Double Square-spots, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 2 Clays, 7 Smoky Wainscots, Small Angle Shades, 2 Dark Arches, 37 Uncertains, Rustic, 3 Mottled Rustics, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, 2 Straw Dots, 6 Snouts, 6 Fan-foots and 2 Small Fan-foots.

Beetles were represented by Summer Chafer (new for the year) and Brown Chafer.

The following day I put the Yellow-legged Clearwing lure out again, hoping for another Orange-tailed that comes to the same lure rather than more Yellow-legged.  I didn't get either, but it did attract an entirely different moth - and a good one at that - a Gold-sheen Clothes Moth Nemapogon ruricolella.  If you read my account of the previous night's event at Holt you'll know we had one there too, only the night before.  Two in two nights at different locations is rather good given there had only been four records in Norfolk since 1874 - and the last of those in 2013 was me too, at my old house.

Gold-sheen Clothes Moth Nemapogon ruricolella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 2nd July

A very mediocre catch in the light trap that night produced just one addition to the garden year list, Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata.  Other moths caught were 3 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 2 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, 6 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, 4 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Small Blood-vein, 3 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, 15 Single-dotted Waves, 4 Riband Waves, 2 Barred Straws, Wormwood Pug, 3 Clouded Borders, Lilac Beauty, 2 Early Thorns, Scalloped Oak, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, Engrailed, Common White Wave, Elephant Hawk-moth, Pale Prominent, 2 Buff-tips, 2 Rosy Footmen, 4 Dingy Footmen, 26 Common Footmen, 8 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Flame, Double Square-spot, Bright-line Brown-eye, 2 Clays, 13 Smoky Wainscots, Dark Arches, 28 Uncertains, 4 Mottled Rustics and Burnished Brass.

The following afternoon and evening I discovered four moths which entered my study through the open window, two of them very interesting.  At least one of them arrived during the afternoon well before dark, my third Corn Moth Nemapogon granella and my second this year - these three being the only records in the county since 2013. Larvae of this species feed indoors on stored grain or other vegetable products and the first of mine was a mystery being found during a cold spell in February last year suggesting it might have hatched indoors.  But I didn't have any stored grain or anything where I could imagine it was likely to have emerged from so I speculated that I might have accidentally transported it home from a recent visit to a farm shop specialising in bird food.  With two subsequent records this year perhaps a more local origin is a better explanation.  There used to be a bakery next door to me - it closed down and was converted to houses several years ago (before I moved in) but I wonder if there may have been a population there that now still survives in the area outside (they can breed outside on fungus, apparently).  It will be interesting to see if records continue.

Corn Moth Nemapogon granella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 3rd July

The other three moths in the study were found after dark: Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella and another really good one: Cacao Moth Ephestia elutella.  The Cacao Moth was a lifer and like the Corn Moth is a species that feeds indoors on stored vegetable products, in this case mainly nuts and especially cocoa and tobacco, however it is sometimes recorded outside.  There are only six previous county records, so a very pleasing addition to the garden list.  Identification requires examination of the genitalia to be certain but I had a very strong suspicion that this one would prove to be elutella - compared to the much commoner Falso Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella it looked smaller, greyer and smoother - all quite subtle though and I certainly wouldn't have identified it confidently from these photos...

Cacao Moth Ephestia elutella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 3rd July

Moths I caught that night using the more traditional light trap included my first Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana of the year.

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, North Elmham, 3rd July

Others were Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 3 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 9 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, 5 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Small Emerald, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 10 Single-dotted Waves, Treble Brown Spot, 3 Riband Waves, 2 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Shaded Broad-bar, 2 Barred Straws, Currant Pug, 3 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, 6 Early Thorns, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, Common White Wave, 2 Clouded Silvers, Elephant Hawk-moth, Coxcomb Prominent, 2 Buff-tips, 2 Dingy Footmen, 20 Common Footmen, 7 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Short-cloaked Moth, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, Brown-line Bright Eye, 11 Smoky Wainscots, Dark Arches, 36 Uncertains, Rustic, 2 Mottled Rustics, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, Snout and Fan-foot.

I'm pretty sure I've seen these at home before but the beetle Lagria hirta was the first I've actually identified here.  There was also a Brown Chafer.

Lagria hirta, North Elmham, 3rd July

The only caddisfly was a Leptocerus tineiformis.

I recently acquired the new spiders book (Britain's Spiders by Bee, Oxford & Smith) and put it to the test for the first time on 4th July when I found this spider in my house.  Turns out it's one of two species that can't be identified on externally visible features but if I understand it correctly the fact that it was inside my house pretty much rules out one of them leaving Amaurobius similis as the ID without recourse to dissection (which I wouldn't want to do with a spider - I find them horrible enough to look at without a microscope and am certainly not ready to start handling them).

Amaurobius similis, North Elmham, 4th July

Bordered Pug and another Scarce Silver-lines

A drop in moth numbers on 20th July but still good - 428 moths of 114 species.  Bordered Pug and Double Lobed were new for the house and Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana and Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla new for the year here.

Bordered Pug, North Elmham, 20th July

Double Lobed, North Elmham, 20th July

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, North Elmham, 20th July

Other macros were 6 Chinese Characters, Large Emerald, 2 Common Emeralds, Small Blood-vein, Lesser Cream Wave, 11 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, 5 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Small Scallops, 15 Riband Waves, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, 3 Barred Straws, Small Rivulet, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, 5 Early Thorns, 3 Scalloped Oaks, Swallow-tailed Moth, 2 Peppered Moths, Willow Beauty, 4 Engraileds, Clouded Silver, 2 Poplar Hawkmoths, Elephant Hawkmoth, 2 Buff-tips, 5 Yellow-tails, 2 Round-winged Muslins, 25 Rosy Footmen, 22 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 43 Common Footmen, 3 Buff Ermines, 2 Ruby Tigers, Flame, 2 Double Square-spots, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Antler Moth, Brown-line Bright-eye, 5 Clays, 8 Smoky Wainscots, 3 Dun-bars, 3 Dark Arches, Common Rustic, Lesser Common Rustic (and an unidentified Common Rustic agg.), 35 Uncertains, Rustic, Mottled Rustic, Scarce Silver-lines, Nut-tree Tussock, 2 Spectacles, Beautiful Hook-tip, 2 Straw Dots, 2 Snouts and 22 Fan-foots.

Scarce Silver-lines, North Elmham, 20th July

The remaining micros were 2 Bird’s-nest Moths Tinea trinotella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 4 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Hawthorn Ermels Paraswammerdamia nebulella, 10 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, 4 Woundwort Case-bearers Coleophora lineolea, 2 Speckled Case-bearers Coleophora sternipennella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, 3 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, 2 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, 3 Gorse Crests Brachmia blandella, 2 Orange Crests Helcystogramma rufescens, 2 Bulrush Cosmets Limnaecia phragmitella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 3 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, 7 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, 3 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella, 3 Holly Tortrixes Rhopobota naevana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 9 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 3 Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 2 Yellow Satin Veneers Crambus perlella, 2 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 4 Chequered Grass-veneers Catoptria falsella, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, 6 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, 4 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula nitidulata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 2 Chequered Straws Evergestis pallidata, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 6 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, 13 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Hawthorn Ermel Paraswammerdamia nebulella, North Elmham, 20th July

Mayflies included Green Drake Ephemera danica and Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita.

Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita, North Elmham, 20th July

A good crop of caddisflies included no less than 3 species that I'd not identified before: Orthotrichia costalis, Oxyethira flavicornis and Oecetis ochracea.  Well, the costalis got away before I could confirm it, but I had one the next day that I nailed.

Oecetis ochracea, North Elmham, 20th July

Oxyethira flavicornis, North Elmham, 20th July

Other caddisflies included Ecnomus tenellus, 7 Hydropsyche siltalai, Goera pilosa, 7 Athripsodes aterrimus, Leptocerus tineiformis and 4 Mystacides longicornis.