Dotted Chestnut

There weren't so many moths on 23rd April but they did include a Dotted Chestnut, my second here following my first last spring.  As the species spreads northwards I shouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be annual going forward.

Dotted Chestnut, North Elmham, 23rd April

Another Lunar Marbled Brown was noteworthy - my third this year of a species I only added to my garden list last year.  Also trapped were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Frosted Green, Brindled Pug, 2 Brindled Beauties, 2 Common Quakers, 5 Hebrew Characters, 2 Chrysoperla carnea agg. and a Common Wasp.

Common Wasp, North Elmham, 23rd April

The next night there were just 5 moths in the trap: Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana (new for the year), Early Thorn, Brindled Beauty and 2 Hebrew Characters.  A Brown-lipped Snail was the first I'd noticed this year.

Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, North Elmham, 24th April

Next day I returned to the meadows.  It was relatively unproductive but there were 3 species of hoverfly: Melanostoma scalare, Platycheirus albimanus and Syrphus ribesii.

Melanostoma scalare, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Platycheirus albimanus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Syrphus ribesii, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Another ant proved to be Small Black Ant Lasius niger - that's probably the two commonest ant species knocked off now - I wonder how hard it will be to find any others?

Small Black Ant Lasius niger, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I think this yellow mushroom must be a Yellow Fieldcap, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Yellow Fieldcap, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

There is a good display of Cowslips in the wildflower meadow.

Cowslips, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I found some Rue-leaved Saxifrage growing on the chapel ruins, along with plenty of Ivy-leaved Toadflax.

Rue-leaved Saxifrage, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Ivy-leaved Toadflax, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

This tree growing near the chapel doesn't look like an ordinary Cypress to me - I'm erring more on the side of Nootka Cypress, but if anyone can confirm or put me right please let me know.

possible Nootka Cypress, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I think these sheep thought I was going to feed them.  They were disappointed.

sheep, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

That night 3 Hebrew Characters were the only moths in the trap but there was also another Springtail, Orchesella cincta again I think.

Orchesella cincta, North Elmham, 25th April

A fractionally warmer night on 26th secured a small number of moths: Brindled Beauty, Muslin Moth, 2 Hebrew Characters and Nut-tree Tussock. Also a hoverfly Melanostoma scalare, my first here this year.

Early the next morning I popped up to the Cathedral Meadows where I found my first moths for the site at last.  At least 6 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella (2 retained and confirmed) were flying around nettles beneath a beech tree, at least 2 Common Thorn Midgets Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae were flying around the track flanked by Hawthorn and a Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella was flying beneath oaks on the railway.  Although I'd already counted an unconfirmed example the oxyacanthae were my first confirmed individuals of this species anywhere.

Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th April

Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th April

Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, North Elmham, 27th April

I then went to the patch at Bittering and saw my third Pyllonorycter species of the morning, a White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella.

Later that day I found my first Waxfly of the year, inside my study.  It was a Conwentzia sp., but like every other Conwentzia I've caught it was a female and so cannot be identified to species-level.

Conwentzia sp. (female), North Elmham, 27th April

That night there were no moths in the trap but 2 more hoverflies, both Melanostoma scalare.  Nothing at all the following night and just 1 Hebrew Character and another Melanostoma scalare on 29th.

Semioscopis steinkellneriana new for the garden

There were relatively few moths on the night of 20th April, though Purple Thorn was new for the year.  I also trapped Frosted Green, 2 Streamers, 5 Early Thorns, Brindled Beauty, Common Quaker, 2 Clouded Drabs, 4 Hebrew Characters and a Black Sexton Beetle.

Purple Thorn, North Elmham, 20th April

The following night was much better with 6 new moths for the year.  Among them were 2 Dawn Flat-bodies Semioscopis steinkellneriana, a new species for the garden, bringing my garden list up to 790.  With four additions this week, hitting 800 must be on the cards for this year.

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, North Elmham, 21st April

The others new for the year were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella and Great Prominent. The last was only my third here - I didn't get one last year.

 Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st April

Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, North Elmham, 21st April

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, North Elmham, 21st April

Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, North Elmham, 21st April

Great Prominent, North Elmham, 21st April

Other moths that night were March Tubic Diurnea fagella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Frosted Green, Streamer, 5 Brindled Pugs, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 4 Early Thorns, 5 Brindled Beauties, Common Quaker, 2 Clouded Drabs, 7 Hebrew Characters and Nut-tree Tussock.

Other insects included Chrysoperla carnea, Black Sexton Beetle and a new hoverfly for the year, Platycheirus albimanus.  The beetle seemed to be eating a dead Brindled Beauty on the ground next to the trap.

Platycheirus albimanus, North Elmham, 21st April

Next day I found a Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris trying to get out of my dining room - a species I'd not identified previously.

Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris, North Elmham, 22nd April

The Large Red-belted and Red-belted Clearwing lures failed to attract any clearwings (it is a bit early and neither are known to occur anywhere near here, so not very surprising really).  But the Red-belted did attract an as-yet unidentified beetle and a Stenodema laevigata, a new bug for the garden.

Stenodema laevigata, North Elmham, 22nd April

An evening visit to the Cathedral Meadows produced this Common Frog.

 Common Frog, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April

This snail keyed out as Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus despite having virtually no trace of any hairs, and I initially had it down as such.  After looking at some more snails I think this was erroneous and it was in fact a (small) Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus.

Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April

That night 2 Waved Umbers and a Muslin Moth (and a Common Earwig) were new for the year.  Other moths were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 3 Water Carpets, Early Thorn, 3 Brindled Beauties, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab, 6 Hebrew Characters, Early Grey and 2 Nut-tree Tussocks. The record of 3 Water Carpets is remarkable here - although common elsewhere I only had one here in 2015, none in 2016 and two in 2017 - I've now had 5 here this year.

Waved Umber, North Elmham, 22nd April

Muslin Moth, North Elmham, 22nd April

Common Earwig, North Elmham, 22nd April

On the ground by the trap was my first Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus for the year.

Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus, North Elmham, 22nd April

A new survey site: the Cathedral Meadows

I have recently been asked by members of our parish council to help surveying the Cathedral Meadows, some parish council land running between the North Elmham Chapel ruins and the railway (the chapel was formerly known as a cathedral).  They are particularly interested in my records of moths and butterflies, though of course I will be recording everything I can.  There is a small wildflower meadow on the site which they are especially interested in, but I plan to record wildlife from the whole site, and use it as an opportunity to brush up on some of the taxa I've not paid as much attention to as I would like (though for the foreseeable future there will still be some big gaps - I can't see me having time to master ichneumons any time soon for example, or most of the flies, and I'm not sure I can reaslistically hope to make much progress with mosses and lichens at the moment either).

My first proper look round was on 20th April.  I found my first dragonflies of the year, 2 teneral Large Red Damselflies.

Large Red Damselfly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

A number of bees were active, including Orange-tailed Mining Bee, Red-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee and Buff-tailed Bumblebee.

Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

Common Carder Bee, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

Having recently acquired the Naturalists' Handbook guide to Ants I made use of it to identify a red ant as the Common Red Ant Myrmica rubra, possibly the first time I've ever made a confident species-level identification of an ant!

Common Red Ant Myrmica rubra, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

There were Dark-edged Bee-flies along the track and I identified 3 species of beetle: 7-spot Ladybrd, Pea-leaf Weevil Sitona lineatus, and a new click beetle for me, Limonius poneli (according to Mike Hackston's excellent keys this is the same species that is often recorded as Kibunea minuta).

Pea-leaf Weevil Sitona lineatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

Limonius poneli, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

Bugs included 2 Stenodema laevigata and a new species for me, Scolopostethus affinis.

Stenodema laevigata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

Scolopostethus affinis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

My first positively-identified Stenocranus minutus were among the hoppers.

Stenocranus minutus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

Another new species for me was Euscelis incisus.

Euscelis incisus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

I'm not 100% certain about this one - I suspect it's a nymph of Javesella dubia - please let me know if you can confirm (or otherwise).

possible Javesella dubia?, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

Despite being in posession of the lovely new book on spiders I had been unable to put a name to this one, and wasn't even be sure of what family it belonged to.  Keith Kerr and Richard Wilson kindly confirmed that it's in the Lyniphiidae family and Richard suggested a couple of possible genera.  Keith gave me some more pointers which with the help of a close-up view of its palp lead me to conclude that it was Bathyphantes nigrinus.

Bathyphantes nigrinus (male), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April

The flora didn't present many surprises but of 3 species of fern growing on the chapel ruins this Maidenhair Spleenwort was technically a lifer.  I'm sure I've seen it before (probably including here) but have never looked it up and identified it before.

Maidenhair Spleenwort, North Elmham Chapel, 20th April

No moths and not many butterflies, but a productive start to surveying this site.