I spent some time on the text for the smaller micros on the new web site this summer which restricted my trips away from home and reduced the amount of dissections I carried out. This was one of the reasons why my annual species total for the year at home was only 741. This considerably lower than the last 3 years. I also only gained a further 22 species new to my home site. However apart from this the year as a whole was not one of the best. Whilst it started quite well for moths and was OK during July, August was not a great month for moths and the rest of the year did not see spells of regular migrants. Species expanding their range in the UK played a prominent part in catches across the county and I was one of those who caught the spectacular Clifden Nonpareil. Some of my site other additions were also pleasing, some of which were new for the vice county. These included Caloptilia honoratella, Lyonetia prunifoliella, Iana incanana, Grapholita lobarzewskii, Sciota hostilis, Three Humped Prominent and Dusky Marbled Brown.
I had a target of the White-mantled Wainscot for the RSPB site at Abbey Farm Snape last year. Really wanting to find it there for the new wetland reserve. As the season progressed it came down to the 25th July as my only real opportunity. However this was also the night when the weather broke with a massive thunderstorm. I took the opportunity. I was successful for the target moth and also picked up a number of other species that I would not have done so without the weather event. It was worth while but especially memorable for the spectacular weather.
]]>Thoughts on Climate Change: This is something that we are all aware of these days. The expected change to our climate, particularly in the east here has been evident this year. Dry warm summers (I have lost two trees in my garden this year from the drought). Mild wet winters. Once the hurricane season started in the Caribbean then the Atlantic storms have brought the rain to us. How will, or is it now, affecting our moth species. We are clearly seeing an increase in immigrants from more southerly and European climes and some of them are settling and breeding. How many of our established residents are on the decline due to climate change versus loss of habitat? The Monarch Butterfly has been turning up in the south west recently. Will American moth species turn up with the increased storm activity?
]]>On the local species I had two Butterbur early in the month which is a good sign for the local population. A Rest Harrow on 8th suggesting they are resident now. A Brick on 29th was my first of what I call the true autumn species to start the autumn off. I had an unusual number of Eucosma tripoliana around the middle of the month. It is quite late for them. I was out on a PoMs trip on the Butley Estuary around then and was paddling the high tide over the salt-marsh so that made me think that perhaps they wander inland when high tides force them off the salt-marsh. Moths of interest included a Hellinsia carphodactyla on 18th which was not my first at home as I caught one several years ago. A dark form of Elophila nymphaeata that had me struggling for an identity for a while and a very small dark Caryocolum which dissected as alsinella but lacked any clear white patches quite unlike others I have seen. A few second broods have turned up. White Ermine on 27th, Chrysoteuchia culmella on 27th and the first of a number of Evergestis limbata on 24th.
Immigrants have been regular at a low level. There have been four highlights from my point of view. A Three-humped Prominent on 1st was a new species for me. I have taken three Beautiful Marbled this year and whilst it has been having a very good year as an immigrant Matthew is of the opinion that it is also resident locally. I took a Tuta absoluta on 7th. I did not take one last year and on 31st I had an Apomyelois bistriatella in perfect condition. I have seen this species in the Tangham Forest in mid-June. Sterling, Parsons and Lewington express the view that late examples of this species may be immigrants and I support this view for my specimen as the suitable habitat is not local to my home and it was caught in the front garden trap that faces the coast. In this Painted Lady year I have also had two Painted Ladys and one Red Admiral in the traps.
]]>In general the usual moths for July were caught except for an absence of Brimstone and Nutmeg though they did appear at the end of the month. The Bordered Pug continued to be caught throughout. My first two Lackey moths for my home site were caught on the 13th and 22nd, a second Goat on 25th and the Svensson’s Copper Underwing on 22nd and 24th with one also at Abbey Farm Snape on 25th. I was pleased to catch Merrifieldia baliodactylus on 24th confirming the species is hanging on and also the return of Carycolum viscariella and Gelechia scotinella, 8th and 16th. Endothenia marginana has also appeared in the garden and E. gentianaeana also turned up so along with the regular E. oblongana these need very careful examination now when they appear. The most exceptional find during July however was a specimen of Caryocolum blandulella. It had damaged wing tips but was clearly one of the pale Caryocolum species so I carried out a dissection expecting to confirm C. blandella so the ID was a surprise. It last occurred in Kent in 1983 but has since been found in Carmarthenshire. There are no confirmed records elsewhere. The larvae feed on the Little Mouse-ear in sandy locations. That plant occurs in the Sandlings and Breckland so the species is probably resident.
For the immigrants; however some of these species are also resident so it cannot be clear that for example the Four-spotted Footman, Oncocera semirubella and Catoptria verellus that have turned up through the month are either. The Blackneck was captured on 13th and 16th as elsewhere on the coast and were suggested as possible immigrants. I got a third Sciota hostilis on 24th. The hot weather began to breakdown here on at dusk on 25th with a spectacular thunderstorm, it and subsequent air streams promoted immigrant moths. A large number of Tree-lichen Beauty appeared that night with the variant photographed being common among them. Silver Y, Bordered Straw and Cydalima perspectalis at Snape. From that date to the end of the month at home I have taken, Plutella xylostella (lots), Udea ferrugalis, Nomophila noctuella, Silver Y, Dark Swordgrass and my first Beautiful Marbled.
My trip out to Abbey Farm, Snape was primarily aimed at finding the White-mantled Wainscot there, otherwise I would not have set up with the storm that was forecasted. It was spectacular setting up with ground strikes all around but the downpour did not start in ernest until I left the site. It was a good catch. In addition to those already mentioned I had a Metalampra italica, Acrobasis marmorea, Lesser Common Rustic and Burnet Companion in the trap. I got two possible White-mantled that were too weather worn for confirmation from the moth so dissection became necessary. That proved surprisingly difficult with only one on the web site and no Brown-veined and my dissections conflicting with Pierce. To make matters worse, when I went to my collection for a Brown-veined that also turned out to be White-mantled. Eventual conclusion was all were indeed White-mantled. Have I ever seen a Brown-veined?
Finally but not a moth, a spectacular Longhorned Beetle, male Prionus coriarius arrived on 29th.
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Bordered Pug and Double Square-spot are having a good year at home but there is a distinct lack of the Nutmeg. I visited the Abbey Farm, site at Snape on the 1st of June where the Small Clouded Brindle was abundant. I also captured a Coleophora amethystinella there which is possibly the most northern record to date. A Buttoned Snout and a Lunar Yellow Underwing were also good catches and there were several Elachista atricomella which were new to me.
I have had several species new to my home site during June which have included immigrant species, of which more later. Great to get a lovely Rosy Marbled along with the less striking Brindled White Spot on 23rd and Eana incanana on 22nd which was a first for me. More interesting was the capture of Grapholita lobarzewskii. This is a relative newcomer to the UK that is expanding its range. I captured one on the 16th and on the 23rd. These appear to be a first for Suffolk. It is a small dark but very attractive species and has a similar life style to Cydia pomonella but also feeds on plum species.
It has been an interesting second half of the month for immigrants. The 24th saw the unwelcome invasion of the Large Yellow Underwing. There were several hundred in my front garden trap which made it impossible to open the trap without losing a lot of moths . There were Lesser Yellow Underwings amongst them and an occasional Lunar. They have dispersed to some degree but been further boosted later in the month. On the same date were a number of Catoptria verellus, a lot of Yponomeuta evonymella and of Dioryctria species. Dioryctria were mostly abietella that I have often considered as immigrants along with simplicella and one sylvestrella. I visited Havergate Island the following night where I picked D. abietella and D. sylvestrella off the outside of the buildings there supporting their being immigrant species as well as resident in Suffolk. Similarly I believe Caloptilia species arrive as immigrants and C. stigmatella and C. falconipennella were also captured on 24th. C. falconipennella has been on the increase locally and immigration may well be assisting in this. The best larger moth catch on 23rd was a first Suffolk Dusky Marbled Brown. It was in the rear garden trap and so not damaged by the hordes of Noctua pronuba. There were an exceptionally high numbers of Willow Beauty on 21st with an otherwise poorish catch. I took 2 Pearly Underwing on 15th and an Ethmia terminalis (a first for me) and Elegia similella on 29th. The 29th and 30th saw Sciota hostilis arrive in Suffolk. The first was sent to confuse me as it was a very dark specimen that looked exactly like S. fumella, a non UK species, but the genitalia prep. did not match so the second specimen sorted my mind out. Plutella xylostella have been prominent throughout the month and peaked in the order of 1000 on 30th.
]]>My home site has been showing a tendency towards more woodland species recently. This does reflect changes locally. May moths such as Epinotia immundana and Dwarf Pug. The Tawny Marbled Minor appeared before the Marbled Minor this year and Eudonia angustea before Scoparia ambigualis. I have a few micros new for my site during May. In contrast to last year Nepticulidae have been doing well and have added; Stigmella perpygmaeella, S. crataegella and Ectoedemia louisella. Also new for my site were Phyllonorycter rajella, Glyphipterix simpliciella (in malaise trap) and Coleophora amethystinella. C. amethystinella is a big success story for Suffolk being caught by a number of moth-ers locally and I have also captured it at Tangham and Snape.
I trapped at Tangham on 25th. Lovely moths there and always a pleasure. Both the Peacock and the Sharp-angled Peacock are regulars there as are the lovely Lobesia reliquana and Ancylis mitterbacheriana. I confirmed the location for Coleophora lassella as well as picking up C. amethystinella but got a big surprise with a Barred Hook-tip. Looks like it has wandered some distance as I have not noted Beech trees in the Tangham Forest. Two species caught there were new to me, a Lampronia fuscatella and a Pammene germmana.
On 27th May I hada day as a Pollinator Monitoring Scheme volunteer at our site beside the Butley Estuary which is an opportunity to look at day flying species there. I netted Gynnidomorpha vectisana, Aristotelia brizella and Agdistis bennetii on the salt marsh and was please to find a specimen of Grapholita compositella again for a photo.
Migrants have been scarce so far this year with only Plutella xylostella and Silver Y.
]]>All the regulars have been around with a general trend being the reduction of Orthosia species and an increase in the Prominents and diversity. Three species to note that have done well for me this year have been Sallow Kitten, Frosted Green and Nut-tree Tussock. I have mentioned the Early Tooth Striped in a previous post and I had my only Northern Drab for the year on 8th. The warm dry weather sped up emergence resulting in a good diversity during the warm spell. Species included Leucoptera laburnella, Buff-tip, Cinnabar, Poplar Hawk-moth, Maiden’s Blush, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Grey Dagger, Poplar Grey, Knot-grass and Chamomile Shark.
Few immigrants. One Dark Sword-grass and a few Plutella xylostella, although they could be resident examples.
]]>Coastal catches tend to be a little slower than a few miles inland but better than central East Anglia. The weather has been variable with a mix of cold weather spells, warm days with cold night and some overall warm spells.
The few January moths were Early Moth, Winter Moth, Spring Usher, Chestnut and Dark Chestnut. Dotted Chestnut seems to appear from hibernation a lot latter and did not appear here until March. A mild spell in Mid-February brought out Acleris cristana, March Moth, Dotted Border, Pale Brindled Beauty and Oak Beauty. Orthosia species firsts were cruda on 16th, gothica on 17th, cerasi on 22nd and incerta on 23rd. March brought the Twin-spotted on 2nd, Powdered on 26th and Lead-coloured on 27th. Apart from the first two days March was cold until around 17th when from then some good mothing weather was found and some early emergences such as the Scorched Carpet on 21st and Nutmeg on 22nd. I had a good selection of Gracillarids during March, Calybites phasianipennella, Caloptilia semifascia, C. elongella and C. falconipennella which seems to be becoming quite frequent. As usual Agonopterix also come out of hibernation and I have had heracliana, alstromeriana, arenella, scopariella ocellana and curvipunctosa also becoming a regular. I took a further Acleris literana on 21st which has also been captured elsewhere on the Suffolk coast. This seems to be a regular immigrant now and bodes well for potential establishment at additional locations in Suffolk.
]]>December was interesting Yellow-line Quaker persisted in the first week and as Matthew points out Dark Arches were caught. These are interesting catches being found around the coast at the end of the year (a few inland) which suggests they could be immigrants. They are often in catches that include other species known to migrate. It has been poor for me with the Umbers but as others have found, Spring Usher and Pale Brindled Beauty appeared late in December. The 31st turned up the last Dark sword-grass of the year and the 30th turned up a micro that I put down as Acleris hastiana but was unusual. I posted it on Facebook and that straightway got a correction from Steve Nash and Paul Kitchener that is was actually Acleris umbrana. Quite a catch. The nearest modern record to Suffolk is East Sussex in 2009. Otherwise it is found in the south west (Hampshire to Monmouthshire).
2018 started slowly and as summer approached catches were low and late so the peak numbers turned up in August rather than July as usual. Catches were reasonable then through to the end of the year. Total species caught in 2018 for me turned out the same as in 2017 and I picked up 35 species new to my home site. This brings my site total to 1075 species. 2013- 745, 2014- 726, 2015- 738, 2016- 751 (35), 2017- 769, (32) and 2018- 769, (35). To me 2018 saw the impact of climate change. I see this as the spread of species to Suffolk from further south, such as Coleophora amethystinella, Acleris schalleriana, Dotted Chestnut. Also establishing resident populations of immigrant species and their range increasing. Caloptilia hemidactylella, Oncocera semirubella, Cydia inquinatana (now reached Ipswich), Catoptria verellus (also at Waveney sites and in Essex), Cydalima perspectalis, Clancy’s Rustic and Clifden Nonpareil. Less clear on residency but look like they will at some stage might include Oak Processionary, White-speck, Oak Rustic and Blair’s Wainscot. Only time will tell! There are others that could be added to the list though proving any listed as being resident is less easy that making rash assumptions!
Happy 2019 to all and good mothing.
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