Purple Hairstreaks

One of the highlights of a productive visit to the Cathedral Meadows on 2nd July was finding at least 30 Purple Hairstreak butterflies.  Judging from various reports on social media it seemed to be a good year for them so I'd been keeping an eye out for them.  After a couple of failed efforts I finally found them where I most expected them, in the oaks running along the  bottom of the meadows alongside the disused railway.  They were keeping high up so my photographic efforts leave something to be desired...

Purple Hairstreaks, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd July

Other butterflies included over 100 Ringlets and my first Gatekeeper of the year.  The former seem to be having a good year, although I don't have any previous years' data from this site to compare with, but I ended up seeing very few Gatekeepers indeed this year.

Moths included White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella, 6 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana, 15 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 2 Yellow Oak Buttons Aleimma loeflingiana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 5 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, 5 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Straw Grass-veneer Agriphila straminella, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Blood-veins, Small Fan-footed Wave and thousands of mines of Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella.

Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd July

Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd July - dark and pale forms

One of at least 3 waxflies was retained for checking and proved to be Conwentzia psociformis,a species I'd only identified once before.

Conwentzia psociformis (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd July

I only checked 3 of them but if all the soldier beetles were the same species there were at least 40 Rhagonycha fulva.  Other insects included 2 Emperor dragonflies, 8 Meadow Grasshoppers, the mirid bug Stenotus binotatus, a Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius and an Ichneumon wasp that I tried and failed to identify, but a member of the genus Tryphon apparently.

Rhagonycha fulva, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd July

Stenotus binotatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd July

Tryphon sp., North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd July

That night new for the year (for the garden) were Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Drinker, July Highflyer and Buff Footman, but better than any of them was another Wood Carpet.

Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, North Elmham, 2nd July

Drinker, North Elmham, 2nd July

Buff Footman, North Elmham, 2nd July

Other moths were Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 5 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Many-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 9 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, 3 Buff Arches, 3 Small Emeralds, 4 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 8 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Riband Waves, 7 Barred Straws, 2 Sandy Carpets, Grey Pug, V-Pug, 2 Green Pugs, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Early Thorns, 2 Willow Beauties, 3 Mottled Beauties, 2 Engraileds, Privet Hawk-moth, Elephant Hawk-moth, Buff-tip, 3 Rosy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 39 Common Footmen, 12 Buff Ermines, 2 Heart and Clubs, 2 Heart and Darts, Large Yellow Underwing, Double Square-spot, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 5 Smoky Wainscots, 2 Common Wainscots, 2 Brown Rustics, Dark Arches, Rufous Minor, Common Rustic (and 1 agg.), 13 Uncertains, Rustic, 5 Mottled Rustics, 3 Beautiful Hook-tips, Straw Dot and Snout.

There was also a Common Earwing and Caddisflies included Medium Sedge Goera pilosa (new for the year) and Limnephilus lunatus.

Next day Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana and Mere Wainscot were new for the year.

Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 3rd July

Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, North Elmham, 3rd July

Mere Wainscot, North Elmham, 3rd July

Other moths (there were only 33 species, a low number in July) were 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 3 Small Fan-footed Waves, Dwarf Cream Wave, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 5 Riband Waves, 3 Barred Straws, Sandy Carpet, Clouded Border, Swallow-tailed Moth, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, Engrailed, Coxcomb Prominent, 24 Common Footmen, 18 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 3 Heart and Darts, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Smoky Wainscot, Common Rustic, 14 Uncertains, 3 Mottled Rustics, Burnished Brass and Snout.

Scallop Shell and my 44th Coleophora

I see a lot of exciting moths but every now and then I come across something that really heart-stoppingly fantastic, and on the night of Sunday 23rd June I had such a moth.  It's long been high on my wishlist and it's a remarkable-looking moth, if not a hugely rare one.  So when I was nearly finishing emptying the moth trap and turned over the last eggbox to see one sitting there, I had one of those moments - my heart leapt!  Technically I'd seen one before, but on that occasion I just saw a moth fly past which someone else managed to get a better look at to identify it - on my views it could have been anything.  That experience had made me want to see one properly even more - and now I had one, in my own garden.  It was a Scallop Shell.  What a moth!

Scallop Shell, North Elmham, 23rd June

I'd seen 43 species of Case-bearer Coleophora in Norfolk including 36 in my garden, but I had never seen the one that is supposed to be the commonest, Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella.  On the night of 22nd June I found a candidate for this species - its external appearance was a good match - would I at last fill this glaring gap?  Well no, for on dissection it turned out to be the other species that is very similar, only much rarer, Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella - my 44th Coleophora, but I am still missing the really common one!  This appears to be just the 10th record in Norfolk.

Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

Two more moths were new for the house: Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella and the rather scarce Brown Oak Tortrix Archips crataegana (my first for five years).

Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, North Elmham, 23rd June

Brown Oak Tortrix Archips crataegana, North Elmham, 23rd June

Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Scarce Footman, 3 Buff Footmen and Mere Wainscot were all new for the year here.

Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, North Elmham, 23rd June

Scarce Footman, North Elmham, 23rd June

Buff Footman, North Elmham, 23rd June

Mere Wainscot, North Elmham, 23rd June

Other moths were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, 3 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, 2 Black-brindled Bells Epinotia signatana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 16 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 12 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 7 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 10 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Drinker, 2 Buff Arches, Large Emerald, 2 Common Emeralds, Small Emerald, 5 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 9 Single-dotted Waves, 6 Treble Brown Spots, 24 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Common Carpets, 7 Barred Straws, Lime-speck Pug, Common Pug, Green Pug, 2 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, Early Thorn, 3 Swallow-tailed Moths, Peppered Moth, 4 Willow Beauties, 5 Mottled Beauties, Pale Oak Beauty, Engrailed, 4 Common White Waves, 8 Clouded Silvers, Poplar Hawk-moth, 4 Elephant Hawk-moths, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Rosy Footmen, 3 Dingy Footmen, 4 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines, 2 Short-cloaked Moths, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, 5 Flames, Ingrailed Clay, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, Small Angle Shades, 6 Dark Arches, 15 Uncertains, 3 Mottled Rustics, Marbled White Spot, 4 Beautiful Hook-tips, 2 Straw Dots, 6 Snouts, 2 Fan-foots and 2 Small Fan-foots.

Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

Heart and Club, North Elmham, 23rd June

The soldier beetle Rhagonycha fulva was the first I've identified at home.

Rhagonycha fulva, North Elmham, 23rd June

Other insects included the brown lacewing Hemerobius humulinus, the caddisfly Hydropsyche pellucidula and three bugs: Phylus coryli which I first identified only a few nights earlier, Stenotus binotatus and Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius which was new for the year.

Phylus coryli, North Elmham, 23rd June