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

A bumper crop of new moths for the year

I found this Corn Moth Nemapogon granella in the house on Friday 25th May, the third consecutive year I've recorded this generally scarce species, all inside the house.

Corn Moth Nemapogon granella, North Elmham, 25th May

While I was out trapping at the Meadows I had the trap running in the garden, where during the course of the night I trapped exactly the same number of moth species as I'd caught at the Meadows, 61.  These included a notable total of 16 new for the year: Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella, 3 Bird’s-nest Moths Tinea trinotella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Garden Mompha Mompha subbistrigella, Hedge Tortrix Isotrias rectifasciana, 3 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Grey Pug, Brown Silver-line, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella, North Elmham, 25th May

Bird's-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, North Elmham, 25th May

Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 25th May

Garden Mompha Mompha subbistrigella, North Elmham, 25th May

Hedge Tortrix Isotrias rectifasciana, North Elmham, 25th May

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, North Elmham, 25th May

Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 25th May

Common Marbled Carpet, North Elmham, 25th May

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 25th May

Foxglove Pug, North Elmham, 25th May

Grey Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 25th May

The other moths trapped were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, 2 White-shouldered House Moths Endrosis sarcitrella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 3 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, 2 Common Swifts, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Green Carpets, Small Rivulet, Mottled Pug, 8 Common Pugs, Brimstone Moth, Common White Wave, Poplar Hawk-moth, Pale Tussock, 3 White Ermines, Cinnabar, Small Square-spot, Common Wainscot and 5 Treble Lines.

Two caddisfly species were new for the year too: Ithytrichia lamellaris and Hydropsyche pellucidula.  The only other caddis was Limnephilus sparsus.

Ithytrichia lamellaris (female), North Elmham, 25th May

Hydropsyche pellucidula (female), North Elmham, 25th May

A Common Wasp was the only other by-catch I identified.

Coleophora City

The most numerous moth in the trap on Sunday 28th May was Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella - there were 20 of them.  Lurking among them was another Coleophora, slightly different in appearance.  This one proved to be Wood-rush Case-bearer Coleophora otidipennella, a new one for the house, and indeed for the 10k square.  There are fewer than 20 records in Norfolk and apart from one at Holme all come from either the Brecks or the Broads, so good to get one well outside its recorded range.

Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 28th May

Wood-rush Case-bearer Coleophora otidipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 28th May

The following moths were new for the year here: Skin Moth Monopis laevigella, Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, Small Seraphim, Ingrailed Clay and Setaceous Hebrew Character.

Skin Moth Monopis laevigella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 28th May

Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, North Elmham, 28th May

Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, North Elmham, 28th May

Small Seraphim, North Elmham, 28th May

Ingrailed Clay, North Elmham, 28th May

Other moths were Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 2 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 False Cacao Moths Ephestia unicolorella, Chalk Knot-horn Phycitodes maritima, 5 Common Swifts, Blood-vein, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 6 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, 7 Green Carpets, 2 Small Rivulets, 3 Mottled Pugs, 3 Common Pugs, Brown Silver-line, 3 Scorched Wings, Pale Oak Beauty, 5 Light Emeralds, Pale Tussock, Orange Footman, White Ermine, 2 Buff Ermines, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Small Square-spot, Nutmeg, Shears, Bright-line Brown-eye, 2 Brown Rustics, 11 Treble Lines, 2 Straw Dots and Small Fan-foot.

dark form of Common Marble Celypha lacunana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 28th May

Shears - also darker than normal (male, gen det), North Elmham, 28th May

Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 28th May

There was a variety of by-catch too including the Mayflies Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum and Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum, the caddisflies Cyrnus flavidus, Hydropsyche siltalai, Hydropsyche pellucidula (new for the year), Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus lunatus (new for the year).   Two beetles too - a Harlequin Ladybird and the soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans, the latter my first positively identified here.

sub-imago Pale Evening Dun Proloeon bifidum, North Elmham, 28th May

Cantharis nigricans, North Elmham, 28th May