Magpie Moth Abraxas grossulariata - 4 singles in the garden between 3rd and 9th August 2019. This was my poorest year since moving here - I'd averaged about 15 a year between 2015 and 2018. But if 4 was bad then it was crash and burn in 2020 with none at all.
Magpie Moth, North Elmham, 5th August 2019
Clouded Magpie Abraxas sylvata - None. I've had 3 here previously (2016 and 2018).
Clouded Border Lomaspilis marginata - 62 in the garden trap between 19th May and 19th August 2019 and 48 between 21st May and 12th August 2020. I average over 70 a year and these were my worst years here so far. Elsewhere 16 at the meadows, one at Bintree Wood, 8 in Hellesdon, one at Hills and Holes, 4 at Weybourne and 6 at various sites on Mull.
Clouded Border, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019
Clouded Border, North Elmham, 1st June 2020
Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata - 6 at home between 7th June and 4th September 2019 (the last being my latest ever) and 9 between 8th May and 9th August 2020. Numbers here have varied from zero to 13 a year but average just over 6. Elsewhere one next door, one at the meadows and one at Sculthorpe Moor (the latter on the earlier date of 26th April 2019).
Scorched Carpet, North Elmham, 7th June 2019
Scorched Carpet, North Elmham, 8th May 2020
Peacock Moth Macaria notata - None in 2019 but the first for my garden appeared in my trap on 23rd May 2020. Prior to 2020 there were very few records of this species in mid Norfolk but there were several from a range of locations in 2020.
female Peacock Moth, North Elmham, 23rd May 2020 - the exquisite piece of engineering in the bottom photo is the signa in the corpus bursa (I don't think this spiky scleretised plate is helpful for the ID but it's so fantastic I thought it was worth sharing!)
Sharp-angled Peacock Macaria alternata - None. I've never seen this species locally and there are only a handful of records in mid Norfolk. Enough though, perhaps, to think it might turn up here one day.
Tawny-barred Angle Macaria liturata - Singles caught in the garden on 1st June 2019 and 26th June and 20th August 2020. I had 2 here in June 2018 but they were my first garden records since one on the very first night I trapped here after moving in in August 2014. Elsewhere 3 at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019 and 2 at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.
Tawny-barred Angle, North Elmham, 26th June 2020
Latticed Heath Chiasmia clathrata - I believe 2019 was a good year for this species (either migrants or locally-bred moths, or both, I'm not sure) but none made it to my garden trap, however 2020 was another good year and I caught 3 here between 14th July and 8th September. Blank years aren't unusual here - I've only caught them before in 2015 (once) and in 2018 (4 times), both good years across the county, although not as good as 2019). Elsewhere singles at the meadows in both 2019 and 2020 and at Hills and Holes and Whitwell Street in 2020.
Latticed Heath, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019
Latticed Heath, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020
Latticed Heath, North Elmham, 8th September 2020
Brown Silver-line Petrophora chlorosata - Singles in the garden moth trap on 24th and 30th June 2019 and 7th and 26th June 2020. Four a year is more typical here. Elsewhere 22 at Bintree Wood, 6 at Hills and Holes, 2 in Keswick and 3 on Mull.
Brown Silver-line, North Elmham, 7th June 2020
Brown Silver-line, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020
Barred Umber Plagodis pulveraria - None. I've never seen this species and don't really expect it to turn up here, it being a rare woodland species. But it does occur in woodlands not all that far from here so there must be a fair chance of finding it somewhere near here, perhaps in Bintree Wood?
Scorched Wing Plagodis dolabraria - My worst years so far here with just 6 singles between 2nd June and 7th July 2019 and then only one in 2020, on 27th May. I've had up to up to 33 in a year (2016) and was averaging 19 a year from 2015 to 2018. Elsewhere singles at the meadows on 25th and 31st May 2019 and 23rd June 2020, 3 at Bintree Wood and one at Hills and Holes.
Scorched Wing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019
Scorched Wing, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020
Scorched Wing, North Elmham, 27th May 2020
Horse Chestnut Pachycnemia hippocastanaria - 2 in NW Spain between Sant Vicenc and Torrelles de Llobregat on 23rd February 2020, the first time I've seen this species which doesn't occur in Norfolk.
Horse Chestnuts, between Saint Vincenc and Torrelles de Llobregat (Spain), 23rd February 2020
Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata - Totals of 119 trapped at home between 5th May and 3rd October 2019 and 141 between 8th May and 19th September 2020. On average I catch around 190 a year and these were my lowest annual totals so far. Elsewhere caught next door on 3 nights, at the meadows on 14 nights (total 27), at Swanton Great Wood, Hellesdon, Whitwell Street, Hills and Holes, Brancaster, Weybourne, Row Heath (West Runton) and in Cornwall and on Mull.
Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 19th May 2019
Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 18th July 2018
Bordered Beauty Epione repandaria -7 in the garden between 20th July and 18th August 2019 and then singles on 29th July and 8th August 2020. It took me a long time to catch my first of these (2 here in 2016) but after 4 more at different sites in 2017-18 I then caught 7 in the garden in 2018 and now another 7 in 2019. For such a beautiful moth this increase was welcome - let's hope that 2020's return to lower numbers is temporary.
Bordered Beauty, North Elmham, 21st July 2019
Bordered Beauty, North Elmham, 8th August 2020
Speckled Yellow Pseudopanthera macularia - One west of Tiroran on Mull on 10th June 2019. In Norfolk this day-flying species is restricted to the Brecks - I last saw it here way back in 1991.
Speckled Yellow, west of Tiroran (Mull), 10th June 2019
Orange Moth Angerona prunaria - None. I've never seen an Orange Moth but although they're pretty rare in Norfolk the few records there have been are pretty widespread across the county, so surely I must have as much chance as anyone of catching one...?
Next page: more Geometridae
