Description


A diary of my mothing activity covering highlights and photos from my moth trapping activities. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I may mention other wildlife sightings here, especially insects, but for birds see my birding diary.

Saturday 22 August 2015

A couple of new micros and an Old Lady

I mentioned the Small Mottled Willow (and Rush Veneer) already, but 21st July was excellent even without them.

When I got home from work in the afternoon a large dark buttefly flew up the driveway towards me.  Flying right at me it looked big and dark, Peacock I presumed at first but I could see no sign of colour on the upperwing and something didn't look right.  A hint of a pale border to the wing made Camberwell Beauty cross my mind but surely I'd have seen more than just a vaguest hint of a pale border had that been the (unlikely) solution?  To my surprise if flew right past be and into the house through the front door!  I followed it in seeing it fly into the living room, but following it in there I was surprised to find no sign of it anywhere.  Surely a buttefly trapped in the house would be flying around the windows trying to get out?  I searched high and low and couldn't find it anywhere.  At this point the possibility that it was a moth crossed my mind and I wondered if it could have been an Old Lady.  Had I remembered then that Old Ladies have a pale border wings I might have been more confident from the off, but as it was it took several days before the riddle was solved.  Eventually it appeared at a window five days later - it was an Old Lady.

Old Lady, North Elmham, 26th July having been in hiding since its arrival on 21st July


The total count for 21st July was 540 moths of 123 species including 3 lifers.  The Small Mottled Willow was one, the other two were Dark Thistle Case-bearer Coleophora paripennella and Buff-marked Neb Monochroa lucidella, both of which had to be confirmed by gen detting.

Buff-marked Neb Monochroa lucidella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


Dark Thistle Case-bearer Coleophora paripennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


Some good macros too including some that I haven't seen very often before: Juniper Pug, Slender Brindle and Fen Wainscot.

Juniper Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


Fen Wainscot, North Elmham, 21st July


Slender Brindle, North Elmham, 21st July


Also new for the year were Pale Thistle Case-bearer Coleophora peribenanderi, House Groundling Bryotropha domestica, Marbled Cosmet Mompha propinquella and Plain Golden Y.

Plain Golden Y, North Elmham, 21st July


Marbled Cosmet Mompha propinquella, North Elmham, 21st July


Pale Thistle Case-bearer Coleophora peribenanderi (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella, 2 Cereal Tortrices Cnephasia pumicana, Hook-tipped Grass-veneer Platytes alpinella and Rufous Minor were noteworthy too.

 Hook-tipped Grass-veneer Platytes alpinella, North Elmham, 21st July


Dull Red Groundling Bryotrophra senectella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


Other macros were 3 Chinese Characters, Peach Blossom, Buff Arches, Blood-vein, 4 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 18 Single-dotted Waves, 17 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Large Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Yellow Shells, Barred Straw, V-Pug, 3 Green Pugs, 5 Double-striped Pugs, 2 Clouded Borders, 3 Brimstone Moths, 4 Early Thorns, 4 Scalloped Oaks, Swallow-tailed Moth, 5 Peppered Moths, 4 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Common White Wave, 3 Clouded Silvers, Privet Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Pebble Prominent, 2 Buff-tips, Brown-tail, 4 Yellow-tails, Round-winged Muslin, 17 Rosy Footmen, 6 Dingy Footmen, 8 Scarce Footmen, Buff Footman, 42 Common Footmen, 11 Buff Ermines, Ruby Tiger, 5 Heart and Darts, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 Flames, 5 Large Yellow Underwings, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 16 Double Square-spots, 4 Nutmegs, 3 Dot Moths, Bright-line Brown-eye, Lychnis, Brown-line Bright-eye, 5 Smoky Wainscots, Common Wainscot, Brown Rustic, 3 Dun-bars, 15 Dark Arches, 2 Tawny Marbled Minors, 14 Common Rustics, 2 Lesser Common Rustics, 38 Uncertains, 5 Rustics, Burnished Brass, Spectacle, Beautiful Hook-tip, Straw Dot, 11 Snouts and 2 Fan-foots.


Privet Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 21st July


Peach Blossom, North Elmham, 21st July


Lesser Common Rustic (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July



Common Rustics (males, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


The rest were Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, 2 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella, 38 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, 2 Woundwort Case-bearers Coleophora lineolea, 2 Grey Rush Case-bearers Coleophora glaucicolella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, 7 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 2 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, 3 Gorse Crests Brachmia blandella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrices Pandemis heparana, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrices Archips podana, 2 Privet Tortrices Clepsis consimilana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, 2 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 24 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, 38 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, Hook-tipped Grass-veneer Platytes alpinella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 8 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 3 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula stagnata, Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata, 2 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, 3 Dusky Pearls Udea prunalis, 15 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 4 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla

Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, North Elmham, 21st July


Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 21st July


A couple or nice bugs too, including Britain's largest leaf-hopper, Ledra aurita, and Iassus lanio.

Ledra aurita, North Elmham, 21st July


Iassus lanio, North Elmham, 21st July

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