Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Leopard Moth (Cossidae), Clearwings (Sesiidae) and Burnets (Zygaenidae)

GOAT and LEOPARD MOTHS (COSSIDAE)


Goat Moth Cossus cossus - None.  Sadly I didn't join the excellent field trip to Weeting Heath where they caught no less than 3 Goat Moths!  I've never seen this species but there are records from not too far away including one at Lyng in 2019, so I've not given up hope of finding one locally.


Leopard Moth Zeuzera pyrina - Singles at home on 5 nights between 23rd June and 6th August 2019.  This species is just about annual here but 5 nights is the most I've ever recorded it on in a year, though I have trapped more than 5 individuals in a year before.  In 2020 2 on 26th June and one on 21st July; also one at Bintree Wood on 24th July.  I don't think this is a moth you can ever see too many of.  Most don't go in the trap - they just flop on to the grass nearby.

Leopard Moth, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

Leopard Moth, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

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CLEARWINGS (SESIIDAE)


Raspberry Clearwing Pennisetia hylaeiformis - None.  I've been trying for this for 3-4 years but have had no luck yet.  That it's worth looking for is now clear - after the first county record in 2018 there were 4 more records in 2020.


Hornet Moth Sesia apiformis - None. This species came to lure here in 2017 (2) and 2018 but no luck in 2019 or 2020.


Lunar Hornet Moth Sesia bembeciformis - One of the events of 2020 was the discovery that this shy and elusive species isn't half as rare as we thought it was.  A new pheremone lure became available and most of us who got hold of it quickly had instant success with it, some of us getting them in within just a few minutes (I had 2 by 9.15am on 2nd July).  It remains to be seen whether they will be this easy every year or if 2020 was a good year for them.  A week or two later, still well within their flight period, they became much harder to find and I failed to get any at the meadows.

Lunar Hornet Moths, North Elmham, 2nd July 2020 (first 3 photos are the same moth, last is a different one)

Large Red-belted Clearwing Synanthedon culiciformis - None.  Maybe I shall have to head to some heaths to find this species but I still reckon I've got a chance of attracting one to the garden - indeed I see someone found one very near here in 2020.  No such luck for me yet though.


Red-tipped Clearwing Synanthedon formicaeformis - 2 in the garden on 23rd June 2019 and 4 between 21st May and 17th June 2020, the third and fourth consecutive years I've recorded this species here.  All came to the Red-tipped Clearwing lure except for one which came to the Yellow-legged Clearwing lure (though it's possible I'd had the Red-tipped Clearwing lure in there beforehand and not cleaned it out properly).

Red-tipped Clearwing, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

Red-tipped Clearwing, North Elmham, 31st May 2020

Red-tipped Clearwing, North Elmham, 17th June 2020

Orange-tailed Clearwing Synanthedon andrenaeformis - I was a bit disappointed in 2017 to find that my first Orange-tailed Clearwing attracted to lure died in the trap so I never saw it alive.  I have never had the same problem with any other clearwing until 29th June 2019 when I caught my second Orange-tailed Clearwing, and was gutted to find that this was dead too.  Thankfully I got two more chances in 2019 catching live examples on 3rd and 4th July.  The first two came to VES Yellow-legged Clearwing lure as expected but the last came to the HYL lure for Raspberry Clearwing, however I hadn't cleaned the lure holder since the previous day so it may have been attracted to scent left on it from then.  Another one on 13th June 2020.

Orange-tailed Clearwing, North Elmham, 3rd July 2019

Orange-tailed Clearwing, North Elmham, 13th June 2020

Red-belted Clearwing Synanthedon myopaeformis - 2 in my garden on 25th June 2020.  I had lures for both Red-belted and Large Red-belted Clearwings out and one went in each.  I've only caught this species here once before, in 2018.  Note that although this species is meant to have white palps (orange on Large Red-belted) one of these had extensively orange tips to the (otherwise white) palps.

Red-belted Clearwings, North Elmham, 25th June 2020 - first 2 photos are the same moth and last 2 are the other moth

Yellow-legged Clearwing Synanthedon vespiformis - Totals of 5 in my garden between 2nd and 30th June 2019 and 3 between 19th May and 31st July.  The third and fourth years  running I've caught this species here.  All came to the VES lure for Yellow-legged Clearwings except for the last which came to the new lure for Orange-tailed Clearwing.

Yellow-legged Clearwing, North Elmham, 22nd June 2019

Yellow-legged Clearwing, North Elmham, 25th June 2020

Yellow-legged Clearwing, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Currant Clearwing Synanthedon tipuliformis - 3 in the garden on 30th June 2019 and 2 on 25th June 2020.  They all came to the TIP Currant Clearwing lure and the 2019 ones at least were late afternoon/evening.  The third and fourth consecutive years I've recorded this species here.

Currant Clearwings, North Elmham, 25th June 2020

Six-belted Clearwing Bembecia ichneumoniformis - One to the pheremone lure for this species here in my garden on 25th June 2020, the first record in this 10k square.  It hadn't been one I was particularly expecting given the absence of records from central Norfolk but Keith catching 4 in Litcham in 2019 gave me hope that it might be possible, and sure enough in 2020 it proved to be so.

Six-belted Clearwing, North Elmham, 25th June 2020

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FESTOON (LIMACODIDAE)


Festoon Apoda limacodes - None.  I haven't recorded this species any closer than Weston Park but it doesn't seem to much of a stretch to hope for one to turn up round here.

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BURNETS (ZYGAENIDAE)


Forester Adscita statices - None.  I haven't recorded this species locally and there aren't many records anywhere near here.  Just enough to give me some hope though.


Slender Scotch Burnet Zygaena loti - At least 3 found at Slochd, west of Tioran, on Mull in June 2019.  This species is endemic to Mull and two of the smaller adjacent islands so it was high on my wanted list during this trip.  In the end it was the only Burnet I found (shame about the Transparent, but there'll be another chance to see them one day).

Slender Scotch Burnets, west of Tioran (Mull), 10th June 2019

Six-spot Burnet Zygaena filipendulae - 8 at the Cathedral Meadows on 24th June 2019 and one there on 29th July.  None in 2020.


Five-spot Burnet agg. Zygaena lonicerae/trifoli - One at Foxley Wood on 11th July 2020.  This is the nearest I've come to recording either species or unidentified aggregates locally but there are a few records from this part of the world so perhaps I can expect to before too long.  Also a caterpillar at Brancaster on 2nd July which was either Five-spot Burnet or Six-spot Burnet (Narrow-bordered Five-spot has longer hairs).

Five-spot Burnet or Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, Foxley Wood, 11th July 2020

Five-spot Burnet or Six-spot Burnet, Brancaster, 6th July 2020

Next page: Pyralidae

Fritillaries, Six-belts and a Norfolk Owlet

On Monday 26th June, after finding Peacock, Comma and Meadow Brown in the garden (Comma was new for the year here) early on, I headed up to Burnham Overy.  I was hoping to see, among other things, Dark Green Fritillaries.  I wasn't disappointed - I must have seen at least 20 Dark Green Fritillaries, quite possibly a lot more.  And I didn't have to wait until I reached the dunes - these were feeding along the seawall.

Dark Green Fritillaries, Burnham Overy, 26th June

A good selection of other butterflies included 2 Small Whites, 5 Brown Arguses, Common Blue, 9 Small Tortoiseshells, at least 140 Meadow Browns, 5 Ringlets, 5 Small Heaths, 4 Essex Skippers and 4 Small Skippers.

I had another go at attracting Six-belted Clearwings to lure and this time I was successful - I saw my first two.  I also saw a Five-spot/Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet agg. in the same area.

Six-belted Clearwing, Burnham Overy, 26th June

There were about 15 Welsh Chafers in the same area - the same place I saw them a while back.  I'd started to doubt my ID given that they're not shown as occurring here on the NBN Atlas so I retained one for re-checking.  I keyed it out very carefully and apart from being a little on the small side it keyed out perfectly for Welsh Chafer Hoplia philanthus.

Welsh Chafer Hoplia philanthus, Burnham Overy, 26th June

I was pleased to bump into this Forester, a species I've rarely seen before.

Forester, Burnham Overy, 26th June

I often see Spindle Ermines Yponomeuta cagnagella around the spindle trees in the dunes, either the adults or the larvae in their coccoons.  Sometimes the caterpillars strip the trees completely.  It was interesting to see huge numbers of adults today that had clearly just emerged - and also to see even more huge numbers of pupae at the bases of the trees.  I must have seen at least 500 adults and I should think that there must have been thousands of pupae, many still clealy occupied.

Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella pupae, Burnham Overy, 26th June

At the east end of the dunes I met a chap looking at bugs who was on holiday with his family.  Turns out that he's a county recorder for bugs and he had a couple of interesting ones with him which he showed me.  I can't remember the names of either, but one he said was easily identified by its disctinctive diamond-shaped markings and even in my really awful photo I think these are clear enough to identify it as Graptopeltus lynceus.

Graptopeltus lynceus, Burnham Overy, 26th June

He had been looking for one of two rare species that live under Storksbill (if I remember rightly) and I thought he had said he had found one, and that that was the other bug he showed me.  According to my recollection he wasn't yet sure which of the two it was.  Having looked it up I'm guessing he was referring to the Arenocoris spp. but although the bug he showed me looks a bit like one of those, I'm not sure it is.  Maybe he never said it was and I just remembered wrong, or maybe I got confused and photographed the wrong insect, or maybe I'm now wrong and it really is one of the Arenocoris spp. as I thought he'd said, but I can't help thinking that it is in fact Coranus woodroffei.  Please let me know if you know better though.

Coranus woodroffei I think?, Burnham Overy, 26th June

Anyway, he was a lovely guy and I enjoyed meeting him and chatting about bugs and things.  I went on to find a couple more bugs - Rhopalus parumpunctatus, a new one for me, and Common Green Caspid Lygocoris pabulinus.

Rhopalus parumpunctatus, Burnham Overy, 26th June

Common Green Caspid Lygocoris pabulinus, Burnham Overy, 26th June

I also found a lovely Sulphur Beetle Cteniopus sulphureus, another new species for me.

Sulphur Beetle Cteniopus sulphureus, Burnham Overy, 26th June

My main moth target for today was a Rosebay Willowherb specialist that is only found here.  It was found to be common here in 1980 when it was added to the British list, though a couple of earlier records from the west of the county came to light subsequently.  I believe it has been recorded in Suffolk and in Lincolnshire too, but so far as I know Holkham NNR (which includes Burnham Overy Dunes) is the only place it is regularly recorded in the UK - and even here there was only one record between 1980 and 2014.  Anyway, I found my first - a Norfolk Owlet Scythris inspersella.

Norfolk Owlet Scythris inspersella, Burnham Overy, 26th June

Other moths included Downland Conch Aethes tesserana, 2 Barred Grass-veneers Agriphila inquinatella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, Common Carpet, Lime-speck Pug, Common Footman and 2 Cinnabars.

I keyed the following bee out to Black-headed Leafcutter Bee Megachile circumcincta - hope I got that right!

[2026 update: I surely didn't get that right... I think it must have been Silvery Leafcutter Bee Megachile leachella.]

Silvery (not Black-headed) Leafcutter Bee Megachile leachella, Burnham Overy, 26th June

Other insects of note included Dune Villa Villa modesta, Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis and my first identified Red-legged Spider Wasp Episyron rufipes (pretty sure I've seen them before without knowing what they were).

Dune Villa Villa modesta, Burnham Overy, 26th June

Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis, Burnham Overy, 26th June

Red-legged Spider Wasp Episyron rufipes, Burnham Overy, 26th June