Black-headed Gold

On the night of 12th May there were three new moths for the year at home: Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana and 2 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella. Not a great deal else: Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Common Pug, Scalloped Hazel, 3 Muslin Moths and Hebrew Character.

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, North Elmham 12th May

Common Marble Celypha lacunana, North Elmham 12th May

Brown House Moth Hoffmanophila pseudospretella, North Elmham 12th May

There was also a Common Earwig and this Garden Snail, my first this year.

Garden Snail, North Elmham 12th May

Next day at Ryburgh I found a female (unfeathered) Feathered Bright Incurvaria masculella and what seems to be another Phyllobius maculicornis.

Feathered Bright Incurvaria masculella, Ryburgh, 13th May

Phyllobius maculicornis, Ryburgh, 13th May

That evening I went to a concert at Snape so wasn't at home.  I put the trap on anyway and checked it the following afternoon on returning home - don't know how much more I would have found if I'd checked it earlier in the morning but there were just five moths left: Peppered Moth was new for the year, and Green Carpet, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder and Nutmeg.  Also the caddisfly Limnephilus auricula.  I did at least see a Common Lizard at Aldeburgh in the morning.

On Sunday afternoon I found a few moths at Ryburgh: 4 Plain Golds Micropterix calthella, Meadow Long-horn Cauchas rufimitrella, 5 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana and Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella.  Beetles included one of the pollen beetles Meligethes sp. and Byturus ochraceus.

Byturus ochraceus, Ryburgh, 13th May

After this I moved on to Whitwell Common where butterflies were represented by Small Copper and Red Admiral.  Among the many Plain Golds Micropterix calthella (over 100) I found at least 3 Black-headed Golds Micropterix mansutella, a new species for me.  Sadly the sun was going in by the time I reached the spot where Dave had seen Red-barred Gold Micropterix tunbergella which would have been another lifer for me.

Black-headed Gold Micropterix mansutella, Whitwell Common, 14th May

Other moths were Long-streak Midget Phyllonorycter salicicolella, 3 Vetch Piercers Grapholita jungiella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Green Carpets and 2 Rivulets.

Long-streak Midget Phyllonorycter salicicolella, Whitwell Common, 14th May

Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella, Whitwell Common, 14th May

Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Whitwell Common, 14th May

Rivulet, Whitwell Common, 14th May

Beetles included a Rove Beetle Tachyporus sp. (I can't figure out how to reliably identify these to species level except using a very complex key to the arrangement of the tiny hairs on the elytra which I could barely see under the microscope) and another one that was surprisingly challenging to identify to species level (though I think I got there in the end): Malthodes marginatus.

Tachyporus sp., Whitwell Common, 14th May

Mathodes marginatus, Whitwell Common, 14th May

That night Coxcomb Prominent, Least Black Arches and Treble Lines were new for the year here, with Red Twin-spot Carpet, Green Carpet, 4 Muslin Moths and Flame Shoulder.

Coxcomb Prominent, North Elmham, 14th May

Least Black Arches, North Elmham, 14th May

Treble Lines, North Elmham, 14th May