March Moths

I omitted to mention this Orange Ladybird in my last post - I trapped it on 21st February.

Orange Ladybird, North Elmham, 21st February

After a few blank nights while the Beast from the East brought lots of lovely snow things finally thawed on Sunday 4th March when a Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana appeared on the front door.

A trip to Fakenham on 5th produced my first Bee of the year, a Honey Bee I think.  Also Yellow Brain fungus or it's very similar counterpart (thanks again to James for confirming).  There were a couple of Springtails on the base of the fungus.

Honey Bee, Fakenham, 5th March

Yellow Brain (most likely Tremella mesenterica but possibly T aurantia), Fakenham, 5th March

Springtail sp., Fakenham, 5th March

That night Chestnut and Satellite turned up in the trap.

Satellite, North Elmham, 5th March

The following night was quiet with just Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 3 March Moths and 2 Chestnuts.  There was nothing the next night and just a single March Moth on 8th March.  Things picked up again on 9th with 5 Dotted Borders, 3 Hebrew Characters and 2 Chestnuts.

The following day I noticed a fly scuttling across the patio, a behaviour I don't recall seeing in flies before.  I've not done much with flies but thought this might be worth attempting to identify.  Eventually I narrowed it down to a Megaselia sp. but couldn't get any further with it.  It belongs to the family Phoridae, appropriately known as Scuttle Flies.

Scuttle Fly Megaselia sp., North Elmham, 10th March

That night saw a signifiant up-turn in number and variety of moths: 7 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, 4 March Moths, Pale Brindled Beauty, 2 Dotted Borders, Clouded Drab and Chestnut.  The Clouded Drab was new for the year.

Clouded Drab, North Elmham, 10th March

The following night produced 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Oak Beauty, 3 Dotted Borders and Hebrew Character, and then after a blank night, Common Quaker was new for the year on 13th, with Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut.

A Winter Shades Tortricodes alternella was new for the year on 14th - a species I don't get many of here (average one a year).  The only other moths that night were 2 Hebrew Characters.

Winter Shades Tortricodes alternella, North Elmham, 14th March

There were Clouded Drab, 2 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut on 15th and then I was away on the night of 16th.  I did leave the trap running though (on timer) and when I returned in the evening there was a Clouded Drab in it. No more moths in the snow that night thouugh, or the next couple of nights.

Things re-started with 2 Hebrew Characters on 19th and another 2 on 20th, the latter alongside an Oak Beauty.  I visited Great Ryburgh on 21st and found a Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana in the hide.  That night a Tufted Button Acleris cristana was new for the year; also Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 4 Hebrew Characters.

Tufted Button Acleris cristana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st March

The next night was the best night of the year so far with Small Quaker and Grey Shoulder-knot new for the year.  I didn't get the latter species last year and never get many.  The others were 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, March Moth, Oak Beauty, Dotted Border, 4 Common Quakers, Clouded Drab, 4 Hebrew Characters, Satellite and Chestnut.

Sallow Quaker, North Elmham, 22nd March

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 22nd March

Another new moth for the year appeared the following night: Shoulder Stripe.  The other moths that night were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 3 March Moths, Oak Beauty, Dotted Border, Small Quaker, 4 Common Quakers, 2 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut.

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham, 23rd March

Another Grey Shoulder-knot was the highlight the following night.  There was also March Moth, Small Quaker, 11 Hebrew Characters, Satellite and 2 Chestnuts.

Sunday 25th was mild and sunny and as I took the scenic route back home from Norwich at lunch-time I thought I'd probably see a few Brimstones.  A glimpsed butterfly at Swanton Morley was probably Small Tortoiseshell, my first butterfly this year.  Eventually I did see a Brimstone, just down the road at Worthing - and then a second Brimstone outside my house when I drew up.

The only micro in the trap that night was a good one, Red-letter Flat-body Agonopterix ocellana, a species that perhaps surprisingly I hadn't seen until last year.  Other moths that night were 3 March Moths, 2 Oak Beauties, 2 Small Quakers, 12 Hebrew Characters, Grey Shoulder-knot and Chestnut.

Red-letter Flat-body Agonopterix ocellana, North Elmham, 25th March

The following night there was March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, Small Quaker, Common Quaker and 7 Hebrew Characters. No new moths for the year on 27th either though another Winter Shade Tortricodes alternella was noteworthy. The others were March Moth, 3 Small Quakers and 10 Hebrew Characters. A Black Sexton Beetle was my first this year.

Winter Shades Tortricodes alternella, North Elmham, 27th March

Black Sexton Beetle, North Elmham, 27th March

There was only a single Common Quaker on 28th.  This Red Chestnut was new for the year the following night.  Other than that it was still very quiet though: Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 3 Hebrew Characters.

Red Chestnut, North Elmham, 29th March

The next night was poor again: Small Quaker, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 2 Hebrew Characters.  The month ended with Small Quaker, Common Quaker and 3 Hebrew Characters on 31st.


I've been working through a number of beetles I retained last year and managing to put names to most, some more easily than others, but the last one proved a real struggle.  Part of the problem was that I failed to correctly identify what family it belonged and after spending several hours on it on 3 occasions I was ready to give up.  Then I came across the beetle families page on the UK Beetle Recording website and this led me to Scirtidae, the Marsh Beetles.  I'd somehow missed this family so after all this time I was glad to finally have a lead.  In the end I still couldn't get a species-level ID as I believe it's a female Elodes sp., a genus in which only the males are identifiable (at least according to the references I've been using).  On the one hand disappointing that I couldn't resolve it fully but on the other hand satisfying that I finally managed to get as far as I think is possible with such a troublesome beast.

Elodes sp., North Elmham, 19th July 2017

Some new beetles

Antoher relatively good night on 18th February produced 2 new moths for the year: Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana and Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana. There were also March Moth, 2 Dotted Borders, Early Moth, Hebrew Character and 5 Chestnuts.

Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th February

Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th February

The following night brought March Moth, 2 Pale Brindled Beauties, Hebrew Character, 4 Chestnuts and a Minotaur Beetle.

Minotaur Beetle, North Elmham, 19th February

There were only 2 moths on 20th but these included my first Satellite of the year (along with a March Moth).

Satellite, North Elmham, 20th February

A tiny beetle in one of the egg-trays turned out to be Bembidion obtusum, a new one for me.

Bembidion obtusum, North Elmham, 20th February

There were no moths in the trap last night but a Dotted Border on one of the windows.


I've also been looking at some more beetles I retained over last summer but couldn't resolve at the time.  This has produced a couple of new (for me) species taken at Warham Greens on 16th June: Amara apricaria and Curtonotus convexiusculus.  The two were rather similar-looking medium-sized ground beetles but one (the Curtonatus) was distinctly larger than the other and there were several differences under the microscope.  The Curtonatus is a coastal species.

Amara apricaria, Warham Greens, 16th June 2017

Curtonatus convexiusculus, Warham Greens, 16th June 2017

Springtail and spring moths

A few nights with no moths came to an end with a Chestnut on 8th February.  The following day I identified a spider in the house as Amaurobius similis (I'm still working on the assumption that the similar fenestralis wouldn't be indoors but I'm not quite sure I've interpreted that correctly).

Amaurobius similis, North Elmham, 9th February

That night a Winter Moth was my latest ever and first February record.

Winter Moth, North Elmham, 9th February

Also in the trap was a Springtail.  I don't have a key for Springtail species identification but as far as I can tell from googling this one was Orchesella cincta (a very common species).  I think I've seen one before but I can't find any reference to it in my notes so I'm counting it as a first.  Springtails are supposed to be the most abundant creatures just about everywhere, but being tiny and living in the soil most of us are completely unaware of their existence.  They don't normally come to light - on the contrary - but I've seen at least 3 of the larger species when moth trapping now.  I don't recall seeing any actually inside the trap before though and it makes you wonder how it got there - did it jump in, or did it somehow get dropped in?

Orchesella cincta, North Elmham, 9th February

There were 2 Chestnuts the following night, the last moths for a couple of nights.  A 2-spot Ladybird woke up from hibernation in my study on 12th which reminded me I'd not put down any of the Harlequins that were doing likewise yet this year.

There were 2 moths on each of 13th, 14th and 15th: Early Moth and Chestnut, Dotted Border and Chestnut and Early Moth and Chestnut.

Nothing on 16th but the night of 17th February was the best night of the year so far in terms of numbers and variety with 8 moths of 4 species: March Moth, Pale Brindled Beauty, Hebrew Character and 5 Chestnuts. The March Moth was new for the year and the 5 Chestnuts was a record count for here.  Not bad for a frosty night!

March Moth, North Elmham, 17th February

I'm beginning to work through a few beetles I retained earlier last year but couldn't key them out successfully at the time.  Having practised a bit more over the course of last year I think I'm hoping I'll be able to name some of them now.  Certainly it's starting off that way.  The first I've re-examined was a Cabbage Flea Beetle Phyllotreta cruciferae, one of at least 6 similar beetles at Hills and Holes on 7th May and a new species for me.

Cabbage Leaf Beetle Phyllotreta cruciferae, Hills and Holes, 7th May 2017

The second and third were both species I'd identified before without resorting to keys, but for some reaons I'd hit a barrier when I looked at them in the spring.  Both were from 11th May, one a Tabacco-coloured Longhorn Beetle Alosterna tabacicolor from Thursford Wood and the other a Common Grammoptera Grammoptera ruficornis, one of 30 seen at Brancaster.

Tobacco-coloured LonghornBeetle Alosterna tabacicolor, Thursford Wood, 11th May 2017

Common Grammoptera Grammoptera ruficornis, Broad Lane, Brancaster, 11th May 2017

The next one eventually proved to be Luperus longicornis, another new species for me this time from Holt Lowes on 13th June.

Luperus longicornis, Holt Lowes, 13th June 2017

2018 off the blocks

The year got off to a slow start without any moths until a Mottled Umber on 5th January.  The beetles got off the ground slightly quicker though, with a Minotaur Beetle on 4th January.

Minotaur Beetle, North Elmham, 4th January 2018

I think this spider is a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica - I understand the marks on the underside of the abdomen are distinctive though I'm still not entirely clear if they're diagnostic.  However unlike the last one I had at home I could see the top side of this one a bit too, and that seems to support the ID of umbratica.

Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica, North Elmham, 6th January

Next up for the moths was an Early Moth on 6th - presumably recently emerged although it already looked like it had been through the wars.

Early Moth, North Elmham, 6th January

After a couple of blank nights there was Winter Moth (and another Mottled Umber) on 9th and Pale Brindled Beauty (and another Winter Moth) on 10th.

Pale Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 10th January

I'm not sure how unusual it really is but a Common Wasp in my study the next day seemed quite unseasonal to me.

Common Wasp, North Elmham, 11th January

There was another Pale Brindled Beauty that night and an Early Moth the following night.  Then a run of blanks before another Pale Brindled Beauty on 18th.  22nd January was the first night of the year with 3 species of moth: Early Moth, Pale Brindled Beauty and my first Chestnut of the year.

The following night was even better - 4 species and 6 moths: Dotted Border new for the year along with Pale Brindled Beauty, Early Moth and 3 Chestnuts.  It wasn't just moths either - there was a Great Diving Beetle Dytiscus marginalis and my first bug of the year, Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis.

Dotted Border, North Elmham, 23rd January

Great Diving Beetle Dytiscus marginalis, North Elmham, 23rd January

Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, North Elmham, 23rd January

It eased off again after this with Pale Brindled Beauty and Chestnut on 24th, another Chestnut on 25th and then a nil return. 

My first micro of the year on 27th, a Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana.  Also Pale Brindled Beauty, Early Moth and 3 Chestnuts.

Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 27th January

A nice surprise the following night was an Oak Beauty, about a week earlier than my previous earliest.  Also Early Moth and 2 Chestnuts.

Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 24th January

There were more Early Moths on 31st January and 2nd February and 3rd February, and on the 2nd also a Hebrew Character, a real surprise as it's more than 3 weeks earlier than my previous earliest record.

Hebrew Character, North Elmham, 2nd February