Vice county first!

It seems that the NOLA database is online if you access it via the mobile site, though still showing as offline from the regular site.  Anyway, the mobile site allowed me to check previous county records of Spindle Smudge Ypsolopha mucronella.  There are indeed around 20 records but bizarrely they're all in the east of the county, VC27.  There's a good scattering of records in VC27 with some coming reasonably close to the border, but it would appear that my two recent records are the first and second for VC28, west Norfolk.

Spindle Smudge Ypsolopha mucronella, North Elmham, 12th March - the first for VC28?

Spindle Smudge Ypsolopha mucronella, North Elmham, 18th March - the second for VC28?

Another mucronella

Not a great deal to report since my last post, with no new species for the year over the last 4 nights.

Sunday's best was a Twin-spotted Quaker, with 4 Common Quakers, 5 Hebrew Characters, Satellite and Chestnut in support.

Monday night produced 2 March Moths, 2 Dotted Borders, Small Quaker, Clouded Drab, 3 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut.

Tuesday night  was rubbish: March Moth, Dotted Border, 2 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.

Last night secured the only micro so far this week - another Spindle Smudge Ypsolopha mucronella!  The database is down at the moment but as far as I can see from the flight chart there have only been around 20 Norfolk records before so nice to get a second individual suggesting a population nearby.  This one was rather less well-marked than the last.

Spindle Smudge Yposolopha mucronella, North Elmham, 18th March

So far as macros are concerned, last night was the best of the four in terms of numbers but the worst in terms of variety: 2 Common Quakers, 4 Clouded Drabs and 9 Hebrew Characters.

Ypsolopha murinella - first moth-tick of the year!

Went out to the garden just before dusk to put the light in place and decided to take a second look at the piece of straw stuck to the side of the shed.  I've a feeling it was there this morning when I checked the moth trap and I dismissed it as a piece of straw.  But it wasn't a piece of straw, it was a Spindle Smudge Yposolopha mucronella!  A new moth for me and easily the best moth so far this year!

Spindle Smudge Ypsolopha mucronella, North Elmham, 12th March

Another Varied Carpet Beetle appeared in the bathroom today - in almost exactly the same place as the last one - where are they coming from?  Can't find any suitable breeding habitat for them in the bathroom!

Varied Carpet Beetle, North Elmham, 12th March

Recently I had a look at a beech leaf I'd kept back from September that had then contained leafmines occupied by Small Beech Pigmy Stigmella tityrella.  Not really sure how to grow out leafmines and I've no idea if the thing I'm taking to be the pupa is alive or dead, or even empty - or indeed if it is the pupa.  Anyway, when looking to see if anything had emerged from it I discovered a tiny green mite with a few long hairs on its back.  I don't know much about mites but a bit of research uncovered two species that occupy beech leaves (there might be thousands more for all I know).  One (Aceria nervisequa) has distinctive galls that appear to be absent on this leaf.  The other has rolled up edges to the leaf with hairs - my leaf doesn't look nearly as obviously rolled as the photos online but the edges of the leaf are quite hairy in places and maybe just a little rolled.  So don't know, but maybe that's what the mite is: Acalitus stenaspis.  I can't find any pictures of the adult mite online, so no idea if it's supposed to look green and hairy or not.

Couldn't manage to get it to sit still long enough to take photos through the microscope while it was alive, but when I looked again today it was dead, and sitting still.

dead mite from Beech leaf, perhaps Acalitus stenaspis?, North Elmham, 12th March