A distinctive new beetle, Anthocomus fasciatus

The night of Wednesday 9th May wasn't anywhere near as good as the previous night but there were a few nice things.  New moths for the year included Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, 2 Currant Pugs and Pale Prominent.

Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, North Elmham, 9th May

Currant Pug, North Elmham, 9th May

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 9th May

Other moths were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Chinese Character, 2 Common Pugs, Brindled Pug, Double-striped Pug, Purple Thorn, Waved Umber, Lesser Swallow Prominent, 3 Chocolate-tips, 3 Muslin Moths, Cinnabar, Clouded Drab, 2 Hebrew Characters and 2 Nut-tree Tussocks.

A few other nice bits and pieces in the trap including the caddisfly Rhyacophila dorsalis (not so common here - only 3 last year), Black Sexton Beetle, a very striking red-and-black Anthocomus fasciatus (a completely new species of beetle for me), the bug Harpocera thoracica (new for the year), the hoverfly Melanostoma scalare and the ant Lasius niger.

Rhyacophila dorsalis, North Elmham, 9th May

Anthocomus fasciatus, North Elmham, 9th May

Harpocera thoracica, North Elmham, 9th May

Next day I dropped something off at the allotments and found this Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet.

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (male, gen det), North Elmham allotments, 10th May

Not many moths in the trap that night: just Coxcomb Prominent, 3 Muslin Moths, Hebrew Character and Nut-tree Tussock.

Next day a Holly Blue was in the garden, and that night a Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus on the ground by the moth trap.

Another Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet that night was new for the garden year list, as was a lovely Maiden's Blush.  Other moths were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, 2 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella, 3 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 3 Common Pugs, Brindled Pug, Brimstone Moth, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, Muslin Moth, Cinnabar, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts and 2 Hebrew Characters.

Maiden's Blush, North Elmham, 11th May

There were 3 species of caddisfly: Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus auricula and, new for the year, Micropterna lateralis. Other than that just Black Sexton Beetle and the hoverfly Platycheirus albimanus.

Micropterna lateralis (male), North Elmham, 11th May

A slow week but still several new for the year

Best moth on Tuesday night was a Broken-barred Carpet, my first this year.  Also new for the year at home was a Shears.

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 24th May

Shears, North Elmham, 24th May

Other moths were Red Twin-spot Carpet, Mottled Pug, Brimstone Moth, Iron Prominent, Pale Prominent, White Ermine, 2 Muslin Moths, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame Shoulder, Bright-line Brown-eye and Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May

Rustic Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 24th May

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 24th May

The only caddisflies were a Glyphotaelius pellucidus and 2 Limnephilus auricula.

There weren't many moths on Wednesday night but they included 3 more new for the year: Light Brocade, Grey Dagger and Clouded-bordered Brindle.

Light Brocade, North Elmham, 25th May

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

Clouded-bordered Brindle, North Elmham, 25th May

Also Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Pug, Waved Umber, Poplar Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, 3 Muslin Moths, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 5 Treble Lines and 2 Spectacles. A Garden Snail was my first at home (but I've only started identifying snails this year).

Thursday night was poor - just Common Pug, Waved Umber, 4 Muslin Moths, White Ermine, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Treble Lines and Angle Shades.  Oh, and a Cockchafer and a Common Wasp.

A lunch break on Friday at Thornham only got me one moth (a Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella) but also a Green Hairstreak butterfly, the first time I've seen one at Thornham.

Green Hairstreak, Thornham, 27th May

A number of other moth-ers reported another poor night on Friday but although I didn't get a huge number of moths, it wasn't all that bad for me.  Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminitella was new for the house while Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis and Small Angle Shades were all new for the year.

Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acumintella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th May

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 27th May

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, North Elmham, 27th May

Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, North Elmham, 27th May

By the way, is this plant from Thornham earlier in the week a garden variety of Columbine, or am I missing something in my field guide?

Columbine variety?, Thornham, 23rd May

Red-barred Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet

Identification of Red and Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets is complicated by the fact that some Red Twin-spot Carpets have dark bars while some Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets have red bars.  Previously cited characters like the little indent into the bar are now considered unreliable and Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet is said to be verging on rare and needing gen detting for confirmation.  Well I get loads here - nearly as many as Red - and I have been confirming them. They've been quite straightforward really - if they've had blackish bars (and typically been a bit on the small side) they've proved to be Dark-barred and if they have red bars (and typically larger) they've turned out to be Red regardless of indents.  One very worn example of a confirmed Dark-barred had seemed bigger and looked like it had probably been a bit reddish when fresh, but by and large they've turned out pretty much as expected.

Red-barred Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets are said to be rare among Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets.  So when I found 3 Carpets in Wednesday's catch and 2 hard black bars and one red I thought I'd got both species.  But turns out they were 3 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, all males.

dark-barred and red-barred Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets (males, gen det), North Elmham, 18th May

Another Small Phoenix was nice, quite a different-looking beast from the last one.

Small Phoenix, North Elmham, 18th May

New for the year were Currant Pug, Poplar Hawkmoth, Pale Prominent and Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Currant Pug, North Elmham, 18th May

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 18th May

Poplar Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 18th May

Rustic Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 18th May

The rest of the moths were Common Pug, Brindled Pug, Scalloped Hazel, Coxcomb Prominent, Chocolate-tip, Cinnabar, Clouded Drab and 3 Hebrew Characters.

One caddisfly proved to be a new species for me, Hydropsyche pellucidula.  Others included  Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 4 Limnephilus auriculas and Limnephilus sparsus.

Hydropsyche pellucidula, North Elmham, 18th May

Dark Sword-grass

On Friday night Dave and I set up at Beetley Common, a site close to home that we thought had good potential.  We had a reasonable variety of moths coming to light but I found the best moth as I walked back to the car to get something.  A large moth flew across the path in front of me and duly arrived in my net where I recognised it as a Dark Sword-grass.  I don't see this migrant species very often and it was Dave's first ever.  Not the prettiest moth perhaps but distinctive and interesting for being my first migrant moth of the year.

 Dark Sword-grass, Beetley Common, 15th May

By far the most numerous insect (with the possible exception of tiny flies that we didn't identify) was Cockchafer.  These were becoming quite a nuisance so we potted them up to keep them at bay until we left - around 30 in total.

The other moths were 2 Common Oak Purples Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella, Birch Ermel Swammerdamia caesiella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, Scalloped Hook-tip, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Green Carpets, 4 Brindled Pugs, Brown Silver-line, 3 Brimstone Moths, 2 Waved Umbers, 2 White-pinion Spotteds, Pale Prominent, 2 Pale Tussocks, 3 Orange Footmen, 3 Least Black Arches, Bright-line Brown-eye, Hebrew Character, Treble Lines and 2 Nut-tree Tussocks.

Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella, Beetley Common, 15th May

Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, Beetley Common, 15th May

Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, Beetley Common, 15th May

Orange Footman, Beetley Common, 15th May

Green Carpet, Beetley Common, 15th May

White-pinion Spotted, Beetley Common, 15th May

Birch Ermel Swammerdamia caesiella, Beetley Common, 15th May

 
Not 100% sure about the identity of this bug, but I think it may be Thamnotettix dilutior.

possible Thamnotettix dilutior, Beetley Common, 15th May

 
This is one Mayfly - genus Caenis but apparently you need to dissect them to get a species ID.

Caenis sp., Beetley Common, 15th May

 
Earlier in the evening I'd popped to the patch where at Hell Pit I found a Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella on the car and netted a Chinese Character.

Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella (male, gen det), Hell Pit, Bittering, 15th May

 
At home Green Carpet, 2 Scalloped Hazels, Buff-tip, Treble Lines and Pale Mottled Willow were all new for the year, at least for the house.

Pale Mottled Willow, Norh Elmham, 15th May

Treble Lines, Norh Elmham, 15th May

 
Others were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Poplar Hawkmoths, Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, Least Black Arches, Flame Shoulder, Lychnis, 2 Hebrew Characters and Spectacle.

Pale Prominent, Norh Elmham, 15th May

Poplar Hawkmoth, Norh Elmham, 15th May

 
Anyone out there any good on caddisflies?  This one was huge but I can't find the species.

unidentified Caddisfly, Norh Elmham, 15th May