Summer Fruit Tortrix

A Firethorn Leaf-miner Phyllonorycter leucographella was new for the year on 14th August.

Firethorn Leaf-miner Phyllonorycter leucographella, North Elmham, 14th August

Other moths were Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, 2 Carrion Moths Monopis weaverella, New Oak Slender Caloptilia robustella, Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis corylana, 2 Dark-triangle Buttons Acleris laterana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 53 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 4 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Orange Swift, Maiden's Blush, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Common Carpets, Grey Pine Carpet, Lime-speck Pug, Currant Pug, Tawny Speckled Pug, 5 Double-striped Pugs, 4 Brimstone Moths, Canary-shouldered Thorn, 4 Dusky Thorns, Light Emerald, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Wainscot, 3 Copper Underwings, Straw Underwing, 15 Flounced Rustics and 6 Straw Dots.

Square-spotted Clay, North Elmham, 14th August

The only mayfly was a Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum and the brown lacewings were 2 Hemerobius lutescens and Micromus variegatus.  Among the caddisflies Lype phaeopa was new for the year; the others were Crunoecia irrorata, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Molanna angustata.

Lype phaeopa (female), North Elmham, 14th August

A Birch Shieldbug was the only bug but beetles included one new for the house - the weevil Curculio venosus - and one new for the year - the water beetle Ilybius ater.  Other beetles were Amara apricaria and 10 Bradycellus verbasci.

Curculio venosus, North Elmham, 14th August

Ilybius ater, North Elmham, 14th August

The following night was good with a totally new moth for me in the garden trap - a Summer Fruit Tortrix Adoxophyes orana.  Up to this decade there were just 5 records of this species in Norfolk, 3 of which were in 1953.  Things picked up a bit recently with a further 10 records prior to 2018 when there was another the same night as mine and another two nights later.

Summer Fruit Tortrix Adoxophyes orana, North Elmham, 15th August

Another new moth for the year was Vetch Sober Aproaerema anthyllidella - just my fourth record of this species.  A Drab Clothes Moth Haplotinea insectella was my third this year but numerically the best moth of the night - although my sixth it is only Norfolk's 14th record.  I suspect macro fans will be more impressed by the Butterbur though.

Vetch Sober Aproaerema anthyllidella, North Elmham, 15th August

Drab Clothes Moth Haplotinea insectella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 15th August

Butterbur, North Elmham, 15th August

Other moths that night were Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Red Birch Midget Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Dark-triangle Buttons Acleris laterana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella, Straw Grass-veneer Agriphila straminella, 61 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 3 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 5 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Single-dotted Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Currant Pug, 6 Double-striped Pugs, Scorched Carpet, Latticed Heath, 3 Brimstone Moths, Dusky Thorn, 2 Willow Beauties, Light Emerald, Swallow Prominent, 7 Flame Shoulders, 5 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Six-striped Rustics, Common Wainscot, Copper Underwing, Straw Underwing, Angle Shades, Common Rustic, 12 Flounced Rustics, 4 Vine's Rustics, 6 Straw Dots and Snout.

Mayflies were 2 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum and 2 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita. There was a great selection of lacewings: 2 Chrysopa commata, 2 Chrysoperla carnea (plus a presumed female), Dichochrysa flavifrons, 2 Dichochrysa prasina, Hemerobius humulinus, Hemerobius lutescens and 6 Micromus variegatus. Also a waxfly that was almost certainly Conwentzia psociformis - currently female Conwentzia cannot be positively identified but all the males I've recorded have been psociformis. Moreover it is thought that the number of segments in the antennae may prove a reliable means of separating females, in which case the 37 segments would confirm this was psociformis. Caddisflies were 4 Hydropsyche siltalai and Leptocerus tineiformis.  There were 3 Birch Shieldbugs including a pair copulating, the leafhopper Lamprotettix nitidulus and another Curculio venosus,

Lamprotettix nitidulus, North Elmham, 15th August

Curculio venosus, North Elmham, 15th August

Bat survey results, an aberrant Rivulet and a new leafhopper

The highlight at home on 12th August was a new leafhopper, Arboridia ribauti.  It's another one where the NBN Atlas doesn't show any records from Norfolk, but this isn't a reliable indicator of status unfortunately.

Arboridia ribauti, North Elmham, 12th August

Other bugs were Hawthorn Shieldbug (new for the year at home), Birch Shieldbug and another Compsidolon salicellum.  Bradycellus verbasci and Nicrophorus investigator were the only beetles and the hoverfly Eupeodes latifasciatus was new for the year here.

The only lacewings were Dichochrysa prasina and 2 Micromus variegatus but there was a selection of caddisflies: Polycentropus flavomaculatus, 3 Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus and Limnephilus sparsus.

None of the moths were new for the year but Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella was good.  The others were Apple Leaf-miner Lyonetia clerkella, Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 4 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 41 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 9 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Wax Moth Galleria mellonella, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Orange Swift, Single-dotted Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, Double-striped Pug, Scorched Carpet, Brimstone Moth, 2 Willow Beauties, Dingy Footman, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 3 Flame Shoulders, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Square-spotted Clays, Six-striped Rustic, Cabbage Moth, Antler Moth, Common Wainscot, Straw Underwing, 4 Flounced Rustics, Spectacle and 4 Straw Dots.

Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 12th August

Perhaps the most unusual moth the following night was a Rivulet.  Not because they're rare here (though they are quite uncommon - not quite annual) but because it had an unusual extent of white on its forewings.  With a 15mm forewing there wasn't much doubt about its identity but given its unusual appearance I did check its genitalia just to make sure.

oddly-patterned female Rivulet, North Elmham, 13th August

The following night Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea was new for the year.  It must have been a record night for Agriphila species with 5 different species (the others being Pale-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila selasella, 3 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 58 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella and Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, the latter less than annual here).

Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, North Elmham, 13th August

Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, North Elmham, 13th August

The other moths that night were 2 Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Blotched Marbles Endothenia quadrimaculana, 3 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Orange Swift, Blood-vein, Riband Wave, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Common Carpets, Tawny Speckled Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Yellow-barred Brindle, Latticed Heath, 4 Brimstone Moths, 3 Dusky Thorns, Willow Beauty, 3 Poplar Hawk-moths, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Square-spotted Clays, 3 Six-striped Rustics, Cabbage Moth, 3 Straw Underwings, 12 Flounced Rustics, Vine's Rustic and 5 Straw Dots.

Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, North Elmham, 13th August

Latticed Heath, North Elmham, 13th August

3 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum were the only mayflies and the caddisflies were 3 Hydropsyche siltalai, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus lunatus.

There were 4 Forest Bugs and the only bug was new for the year, Phytocoris tiliae.

Phytocoris tiliae, North Elmham, 13th August

Beetles were 6 Bradycellus verbasci and an Aphodius rufipes.  The only other insects I recorded were 2 Hornets.

Early the following morning I went to the meadows to collect the bat detector equipment I left at the meadows overnight for the final one of six nights recording.  This was part of the Norfolk Bat Survey programme and after analysing my recordings they told me what species I had recorded.  They gave me a host of information and a very intrestesting breakdown of the number of passes of each species each night, but in summary the following speceis were recorded, with the numbers being the number of passes the bats made past the recording equipment:

1. Whiskered/Brandt's Bat Myotis mystacinus/brandti 1
2. Daubenton's Bat Myotis daubentonii 20
3. Natterer's Bat Myotis nattererii 25 (also another 15 unidentified Myotis sp.)
4. Leisler's Bat Nyctalus leisleri 3
5. Noctule Nyctalus noctula 13 (also another 4 unidentified Nyctalus sp.)
6. Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus 306
7. Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus 625 (also another 155 unidentified Pipistrelles)
8. Serotine Eptesicus serotinus 64
9. Barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus 6
10. Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus aruitus 35

So a total of 1272 recordings about half of which were Soprana Pipistrelles and a further quarter of which were Common Pipistrelles.  But particularly interesting to me was the variety of other species recorded.  The single Whiskered/Brandt's Bat was a good one.  These two species can't be separated acoustically so most records are lumped as either-or.  There are only a scattering of records across the county, with just 13 records in 2017 (when there was very good coverage thanks to the bat survey).  Leisler's Bat was also good to find, with the three passes all from different fields on different nights.  This is mainly a Breckland species, particularly scarce elsewhere in Norfolk.

Excluding one that hasn't been recorded in Norfolk since the 1950s and one migrant species that only occurs here as a rare vagrant, there is only one other species of bat that occurs in Norfolk, the Nathusius's Pipistrelle which is mainly found in the Broads and would be quite unexpected here in mid Norfolk I think (at least there were no records anywhere near here in 2017).  So a much better result than expected and really as good as could possibly have been hoped for.

Anyway, although that was as good a time as any to give you the results of the bat survey, the point of me starting to write about collecting the equipment was to introduce this leafhopper nymph that was on top of the bat detector box when I collected it on 14th August.  Given its yellow colouration I imagined it would be one of the Fagocyba or Edwardsiana species, but it subsequently moulted and proved to be a female Kybos sp., either Kybos virgator, strigilifer or perhaps calyculus (females cannot be fully identified).

Kybos sp. nymph, North Elmham, 13th August

Spindle Knot-horn

I ran a light in the meadows for a while on the evening of 12th August and caught a few moths.  The most unexpected moth was Spindle Knot-horn Nephopterix angustella, only the second time I have seen this species.  I've not located any Spindle here so not sure where it came from.

Spindle Knot-horn Nephopterix angustella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Other highlights included 2 New Oak Slenders Caloptilia robustella, Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis, Wax Moth Galleria mellonella and Cream-bordered Green Pea.

New Oak Slender Caloptilia robustella (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorcyter corylifoliella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Wax Moth Galleria mellonella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Cream-bordered Green Pea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

The other moths were Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, 3 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, Ash-bud Moth Prays fraxinella, Wainscot Smudge Ypsolopha scabrella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, 3 Knapweed Conches Agapeta zoegana, Chamomile Conch Cochylidia implicitana, 3 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis corylana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Smoky-barred Marble Lobesia abscisana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 50 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 8 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 2 Oak Hook-tips, Blood-vein, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Common Carpets, Purple Bar, Lime-speck Pug, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Dusky Thorns, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, Poplar Hawk-moth, Swallow Prominent, Black Arches, Dingy Footman, 3 Turnip Moths, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Six-striped Rustics, 3 Common Wainscots, Copper Underwing, Straw Underwing, Dun-bar, 2 Cloaked Minors, Rosy Rustic, 2 Vine's Rustics, Silver Y and Straw Dot.

Rosy Rustic, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Straw Underwing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

This sub-imago Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum later moulted into its imago stage:

Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August - the same mayfly in both photos taken a day or two apart before and after its moult

Lacewings included Chrysopa commata, Chrysoperla carnea agg. and the waxfly Coniopteryx tineiformis.  A good selection of caddisflies were recorded including Hydroptila sparsa, Ithytrichia lamellaris, Hydropsyche pellucidula, Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus, Limnephilus rhombicus, 3 Molanna angustata, Athripsodes albifrons and Ceraclea albimacula.

Athripsodes albifrons, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Ceraclea albimacula, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Bugs included 2 Hawthorn Shieldbugs, Forest Bug, Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, Phytocoris varipes and the leafhopper Kybos strigilifer.

Kybos strigilifer (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Beetles included Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes, probably 30 Bradycellus verbascis (2 checked properly, others probably the same), 2 Aphodius rufipes, Lagria hirta and Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium.  Also a Hydrophiliid that has so far defied my best efforts to identify it.

Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Bradycellus verbasci, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Other insects inluded Oak Bush-cricket, the hoverfly Eupeodes latifasciatus and 2 German Wasps.  (Edit: I reported before that one of these had stung me.  I got mixed up - it was actually on 19th August I got stung, possibly by a Common Wasp not a German Wasp.  Not the first time something German has been blamed for something that was fairly and squarely the fault of common Brits).

Oak Bush-cricket, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

Eupeodes latifasciatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August

A few good seconds

Two new moths for the year on 7th August were both second records for the garden: Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis and Little Conch Cochylis dubitana.

Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis, North Elmham, 7th August

Little Conch Cochylis dubitana, North Elmham, 7th August

The most numerous moths were 76 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella. This was the peak count of the year and a record count for me.

Other moths were 2 Bordered Carls Coptotriche marginea, probable Skin Moth Monopis laevigella (would have been new for the year if it hadn't escaped before I could confirm it), 2 Carrion Moths Monopis weaverella, 2 Blackthorn Slenders Parornix torquillella, Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, 2 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella, Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, Honeysuckle Moth Ypsolopha dentella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, 8 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Knapweed Conches Agapeta zoegana, 3 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 5 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 2 Blotched Marbles Endothenia quadrimaculana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 23 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 7 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 3 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Maiden's Blush, Flame Carpet, 4 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Common Carpets, Small Rivulet, Lime-speck Pug, Double-striped Pug, Dusky Thorn, 2 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Turnip Moths, 3 Flame Shoulders, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Straw Underwing, Dun-bar, Lesser Common Rustic, 2 Flounced Rustics and 4 Straw Dots.

Mayflies, lacewings and caddisflies consisted of 3 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita, Cunctochrysa albolineata, Hemerobius humulinus, Hemerobius lutescens, 2 Micromus variegatus, 2 Ithytrichia lamellaris, Hydropsyche pellucidula, 5 Hydropsyche siltalai, 2 Limnephilus auricula and Leptocerus tineiformis.

Among the bugs Compsidolon salicellum was only my second.  Others were Birch Shieldbug, Forest Bug, Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, Trigonotylus caelestialium and the leafhopper Empoasca vitis.  There was also the psyllid Cacopsylla brunneipennis which was technically the first one I identified as this species.  However in the process of identifying it I realised that it was very probably the same species as one I had identified as Cacopsylla pulchra from 27th July.  I'd been a little doubtful about that ID so it was good to get a second chance to nail it.

Compsidolon salicellum, North Elmham, 7th August

Cacopsylla brunneipennis (female), North Elmham, 7th August

Beetles consisted of Amara apricaria, 6 Bradycellus verbasci, Aphodius rufipes and Harlequin Ladybird.  There were also 7 Hornets.

Hornets, North Elmham, 7th August

There were 3 new moths the following night and again they were all second records for the garden.  In fact the first two were my second records anywhere.  They were Rowan Slender Parornix scoticella, Black-tipped Ermine Yponomeuta plumbella and Gorse Groundling Mirificarma mulinella.

Rowan Slender Parornix scoticella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th August

Black-tipped Ermine Yponomeuta plumbella, North Elmham, 8th August

Gorse Groundling Mirificarma mulinella, North Elmham, 8th August

Elm Midget Phyllonorycter tristrigella was also my second ever, following my first just six nights earlier.  Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta was another species I had seen for the first time this year with two here in the garden and one elsewhere.

Elm Midget Phyllonorycter tristrigella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th August

Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta, North Elmham, 8th August

The rest of the moths that night were 2 Carrion Moths Monopis weaverella, Apple Leaf-miner Lyonetia clerkella, Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, 2 Blackthorn Slenders Parornix torquillella, Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 11 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 68 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, 2 Orange Swifts, Pebble Hook-tip, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Common Carpets, Tawny Speckled Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 2 Magpie Moths, Brimstone Moth, Canary-shouldered Thorn, 5 Dusky Thorns, 4 Willow Beauties, Coxcomb Prominent, 3 Turnip Moths, 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 3 Flame Shoulders, 3 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 9 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Cabbage Moth, Common Wainscot, Common Rustic, 5 Flounced Rustics, 2 Vine's Rustics and 7 Straw Dots.

Mayflies, lacewings and caddisflies were 3 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita, Dichochrysa flavifrons, Dichochrysa prasina, Conwentzia psociformis, Hydropsyche pellucidula and Limnephilus lunatus.

Birch Shieldbug was the only bug, Bradycellus verbasci and Aphodius rufipes the only beetles and there were 4 Hornets and a Common Wasp.

Things then took a turn for the worse and the night of 9th August was dire: just 41 moths of 14 species: Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 22 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Willow Beauty, Turnip Moth, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Six-striped Rustic, Straw Underwing, 4 Flounced Rustics and 3 Straw Dots.

The only other insects I noted were Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus and 2 Hornets.

If that was bad then the following night was even worse - just 9 species of moth!  They were Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 25 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Orange Swifts, Willow Beauty, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Six-striped Rustic, Common Wainscot and 2 Flounced Rustics.

There was also the caddisfly Limnephilus marmoratus, a Hornet and a Common Frog.

Next day I went to Titchwell where the main focus was birds.  But on the way out I stopped at In-focus to pick up my eye-piece that had been in for repairs.  The buddleia in their car park was full of butterflies but among them was something smaller.  Eventually I got a good enough look at it - it was a Gold Spot, and clearly very much at home among the butterflies feeding in the sunshine.

That night there was a slight improvement in numbers of moths though none were new for the year.  There were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii, Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, Dark Ash-bud Moth Prays ruficeps, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, 4 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 2 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 56 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Orange Swifts, Single-dotted Wave, Flame Carpet, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Magpie Moth, Brimstone Moth, Dusky Thorn, Buff Ermine, 2 Flame Shoulders, 4 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Six-striped Rustics, Straw Underwing, Dun-bar, Vine's Rustic and 6 Straw Dots.

Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii (male, gen det), North Elmham, 11th August

Rush Marble Bactra lancealana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 11th August

Lacewings and caddisflies consisted of Hemerobius humulinus, Hemerobius lutescens, 4 Micromus variegatus, Hydropsyche siltalai, 3 Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis and 2 Limnephilus lunatus.

There was one new insect for the year among the beetles, a 10-spot Ladybird - in fact only my second here I think.  Other beetles were Amara apricaria and Nicrophorus investigator.

10-spot Ladybird, North Elmham, 11th August

It's been a good year for Hornets and they peaked in the garden this night with a total of 10 in the moth trap.