Description


A diary of my mothing activity covering highlights and photos from my moth trapping activities. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I may mention other wildlife sightings here, especially insects, but for birds see my birding diary.
Showing posts with label Poplar Kitten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poplar Kitten. Show all posts

Saturday, 25 June 2016

Eucosma campoliliana

A rather attractive but unfamiliar moth appeared in my trap on the night of 12th June - my first Marbled Bell Eucosma campoliliana.


Marbled Bell Eucosma campoliliana, North Elmham, 12th June


Three macros that were new for the year here were all lookers too: Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Poplar Kitten and Beautiful Golden Y.  Not quite so pretty was the Cream Wave, new for the house.

Poplar Kitten, North Elmham, 12th June


Small Elephant Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 12th June


Beautiful Golden Y, North Elmham, 12th June


Cream Wave, North Elmham, 12th June


Numbers of Diamond-backs had dropped right off but there was another surge this night: I caught 124 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, comparable numbers to what I trapped around the peak around 31st May/1st June.

A good selection of other moths: Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Yellow-spot Tortrices Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 4 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, 5 Common Swifts, 3 Blood-veins, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Carpet, Purple Bar, 2 Green Carpets, Foxglove Pug, Common Pug, Clouded Border, Brown Silver-line, Common White Wave, 2 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, Common Footman, 5 White Ermines, Cinnabar, 2 Heart and Darts, Shears, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 3 Brown Rustics, 4 Middle-barred Minors, 14 Treble Lines, Mottled Rustic, 2 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle and 4 Straw Dots.

I'm finding Mayfly identification a bit of a struggle even armed with the guide - so many don't show all the features given while other probably better features (like wing venation) aren't clearly enough described in the key to be of any use (for example how much of the wing is the "tip" when counting cross-veins?).  The relative length of foot segments should help differentiate Procloeon from various Cloeon species but I find this hard to judge on some individuals.  I think that at least one of 2 Mayflies recorded this night was Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum but the other I had to leave unidentified.

Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum, North Elmham, 12th June


In contrast I find the guide to caddisflies excellent and very helpfully designed with features described and illustrated.  Some are still difficult though, and the genitalia don't always appear exactly as in the diagrams.  Nevertheless I am fairly happy with 2 new caddisflies identified from the trap: Rhyacophila dorsalis and Polycentropus flavomaculatus. There were also 3 Hydropsyche pellucidula, 4 Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis and 2 Limnephilus lunatus.

Polycentropus flavonmaculatus, North Elmham, 12th June


Rhyacophila dorsalis, North Elmham, 12th June

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Three-tick night

Actually it was more than 3 ticks in the night because it was the same night we went to East Wretham Heath, but the moth trap at home also produced the goods including 3 moths I'd never seen before: Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana and Double-striped Knot-horn Cryptoblabes bistriga.


Double-striped Knot-horn Cryptoblabes bistriga, North Elmham, 20th June


Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, North Elmham, 20th June


Woodland Marble Orthotaenia undulana, North Elmham, 20th June


The following were also new for the year for the garden: Apple Fruit Moth Argyresthia conjugella, 3 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrices Pandemis cerasana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stagnata, Riband Wave, Sharp-angled Carpet and my second ever Poplar Kitten.

Apple Fruit Moth Argyresthia conjugella, North Elmham, 20th June


Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, North Elmham, 20th June


Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, North Elmham, 20th June


Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stangnata, North Elmham, 20th June


Riband Wave, North Elmham, 20th June


Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham, 20th June


Poplar Kitten, North Elmham, 20th June


The rest were Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Treble Brown Spot, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, Broken-barred Carpet, 5 Common Pugs, 2 Scorched Wings, Brimstone Moth, 5 Clouded Silvers, 2 Light Emeralds, Elephant Hawkmoth, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, 5 Heart and Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, Bright-line Brown-eye, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 7 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, Dark Arches, 4 Marbled Minors, 4 Tawny Marbled Minors, 7 Middle-barred Minors, 5 Treble Lines, Burnished Brass, Spectacle, 4 Straw Dots and Fan-foot. 

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 20th June


Tawny Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 20th June


Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 20th June