Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Erebids (Erebidae) part 1: Herald, Straw Dot, Snouts and Tussocks and allies

EREBIDS (EREBIDAE)


Herald Scoliopteryx libatrix - Singles in the garden on 23rd and 24th April and 2nd May 2019 and on 5th April 2020.  I've had between 1-4 every year I've trapped here.  I've not caught this species anywhere else since living here.

Herald, North Elmham, 23rd April 2019

Herald, North Elmham, 5th April 2020

Straw Dot Rivula sericealis - At least 106 caught in the garden between 30th May and 25th September 2019 but no counts on 9 dates so the true total may have been higher (but possibly not a lot as a lot of counts of one around this period).  Almost certainly my worst year here, 2020 being the next worst year with 166 between 26th May and 30th September.  Over the previous 4 years I averaged nearly 460 a year.  Elsewhere caught next door on 3 nights, 20 seen at the meadows on 13 dates and 3-4 at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street and Swanton Great Wood and singles at Hills and Holes and in Cornwall.

Straw Dot, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Snout Hypena proboscidalis - Totals of 105 caught in the garden between 23rd June and 20th October 2019 and 91 between 3rd June and 27th September 2020.  I catch more than double those totals in an average year - these were my worst totals so far.  Elsewhere a total of 29 over 17 dates at the meadows, 6 in Hellesdon, 9 in Cornwall and 1-2 at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street, Swanton Great Wood, Weybourne and Row Heath (West Runton).

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis - One in the garden moth trap on 18th May 2020.  I've had 2 here before, in 2015 and 2017 (and 4 at my old house in Bawdeswell between 2010 and 2014).

Buttoned Snout, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

White Satin Leucoma salicis - None at home in either year or in any year since 2016, though 2 here in each of 2015 and 2016 and one next door in 2017.  One at the meadows on 18th July 2020 was my only record in 2019-20, my second here.

White Satin, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Black Arches Lymantria monacha - 4 caught in the garden between 22nd and 27th July 2019 and 6 between 18th and 26th July 2020.  I've never gone lower than 4 and the previous 2 years' totals weren't much higher but before that 22 in 2016.  Elsewhere one next door, 2 at the meadows, 3 at Bintree Wood, 5 at Swanton Great Wood and 2 at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August.

Black Arches, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Black Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Black Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2019

Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar - I've never caught this species myself but I did get to see one that someone else caught in 2019.  I don't normally twitch moths that other people catch but I took a call from Chris Mills who said that a friend who was staying in his house (while he was overseas)and  had caught what appeared to be this species.  His friend wanted someone else to go along and see it in order to confirm the ID as as I was at Winterton I was happy to pop in on my way home and take a look.  After becoming extinct in the 19th century this species is re-establishing itself in a few areas in southern England.  This was the 5th Norfolk record since 2016 and there were another 5 records in 2020 so it seems like it may be in the process of colonising Norfolk.  In any case we can expect more in coming years...

Gypsy Moth, Themelthorpe, caught by Sean on 18th August 2019

Brown-tail Euproctis chrysorrhoea - 3 caught in the garden between 11th and 26th July 2019 and 9 between 13th and 29th July 2020.  3-4 a year here is normal but I'd never gone above 6 before.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019 and 30 at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020.

Brown-tail, Brancaster, 2nd July 2020

Yellow-tail Euproctis similis - At least 17 between 11th July and 3rd August 2019 and 40 between 18th June and 12th August 2020.  Although not counted on 3 nights in 2019, so the actual total may have been a little higher than 17, this was certainly my worst year for Yellow-tails here - I averaged 68 a year between 2015 and 2018.  Elsewhere a couple next door, 3 at the meadows (plus a caterpillar on 27th May 2020), one at Bintree Wood and 2 caterpillars at Titchwell on 1st June 2019.

Yellow-tail caterpillar, Titchwell, 1st June 2019

Yellow-tail caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda - Totals of 12 caught in the garden between 22nd April and 30th June 2019 and 7 between 9th and 22nd May 2020.  15 a year is average and these were my worst showings since moving here.  Elsewhere 4 at the meadows and 8 at Hills and Holes.

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 22nd April 2019

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 9th May 2020

Pale Tussock, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Vapourer Orgyia antiqua - Singles in the garden moth trap on 6th Augsut and 26th September 2020.  I'd only ever caught 2 here before (2015 and 2017) though I'd also found a caterpillar in 2014.  Elsewhere oone to light at the meadows on 30th July 2019 and then 3 seen in flight in daytime on 15th-17th October; another to light on 18th July 2020.  Also one day-flying at Cromer on 22nd October 2019. 

Vapourer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd July 2019

Vapourer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Vapourer, North Elmham, 26th September 2020

Next page: more Erebidae

Moths at the meadows

On 16th July I trapped again at the meadows, catching 109 species of moth. There was nothing super-remarkable among them, but a few nice things.  Pine Hawk-moth was a surrpise given the absence of pines on site and it was good to see Peach Blossom, Small Phoenix, 2 White Satins and a Miller.

Pine Hawk-moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Peach Blossom, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

White Satin, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Miller, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

The other macros were  2 Drinkers, Pebble Hook-tip, Chinese Character, 3 Buff Arches, Small Blood-vein, Lesser Cream Wave, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, Single-dotted Wave, Riband Wave, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Shaded Broad-bar, Common Carpet, 2 Sharp-angled Carpets, Small Rivulet, Bordered Pug, V-Pug, Green Pug, Small Yellow Wave, 2 Clouded Borders, 2 Brimstone Moths, Early Thorn, 2 Scalloped Oaks, Swallow-tailed Moth, 3 Peppered Moths, 4 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Poplar Hawk-moth, Elephant Hawk-moth, Iron Prominent, Pebble Prominent, 5 Yellow-tails, Black Arches, Round-winged Muslin, 2 Rosy Footmen, 6 Dingy Footmen, 4 Scarce Footmen, 2 Common Footmen, Buff Ermine, Heart and Dart, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame, Flame Shoulder, Double Square-spot, Nutmeg, 3 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Lychnis, Antler Moth, Clay, 2 Smoky Wainscots, 2 Poplar Greys, Grey Dagger, Knot Grass, Small Angle Shades, 2 Dun-bars, Dark Arches, 3 Dusky Sallows, Ear Moth, Small Rufous, 3 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, Nut-tree Tussock, Plain Golden Y and Spectacle.

V-Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Small Yellow Wave, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Peppered Moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Black Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Antler Moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Grey Dagger (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Small Rufous, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Plain Golden Y, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Micros consisted of Hawthorn Argent Argyresthia bonnetella, 4 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, probable Orchard Ermine Yponomeuta padella, Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Dark Ash-bud Moth Prays ruficeps, Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, up to 8 Clover Case-bearers Coleophora alcyonipennella (1 confirmed), 4 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, 2 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, 12 Knapweed Conches Agapeta zoegana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, 4 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis cerasana, 4 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, possible Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana (messed up the gen det so not certain), 2 Maple Buttons Acleris forsskaleana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Smoky-barred Marble Lobesia abscisana, Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, Bulrush Veneer Calamotropha paludella, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 10 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 6 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 40 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Large Grey Scoparia subfusca, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula nitidulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, 6 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, 2 Dotted Oak Knot-horns Phycita roborella,

Hawthorn Argent Argyresthia bonnetella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Dark Ash-bud Moth Prays ruficeps, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Bulrush Veneer Calamotropha paludella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Caddisflies included 2 Hydropsyche pellucidula, Medium Sedge Goera pilosa, Limnephilus flavicornis, Limnephilus rhombicus, Leptocerus tineiformis and Grouse Wing Mystacides longicornis.  There was also a Blue-winged Olive (mayfly) Serratella ignita, the leafhopper Iassus lanio, the water beetle Ilybius fuliginosus, an Orange Ladybird and a new beetle for me, Curtonotus aulicus.

Iassus lanio, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Ilybius fuliginosus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

Curtonotus aulicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July

This spider was marauding around on the sheet by the trap, probably hoping to munch the odd moth when I wasn't looking.  I failed to identify it from photos so asked a friend, who asked a friend and ended up with a reply from a third - great team effort!  Anyway, it was a Labrynth Spider Agelena labrynthica - thanks Keith, Chris and Richard!

Labrynth Spider Agelena labrynthica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July