Suffolk Moths Blog » leaf-mine

Mompha terminella – new to Suffolk

Tony Prichard — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:55:55 +0000

John Chainey and Jenny Spence were in Suffolk last weekend and found mines of Mompha terminella on Enchanter’s Nightshade at Freston Wood. This is a new species to Suffolk.

The plant prefers damp shady woods and this would fit with the conditions of Freston Wood. According to Sandford’s Flora Enchanter’s Nightshade is widespread and common in Suffolk so it could well be found elsewhere if looked for.

Sudbury area, some larvae – 15th September 2012

Tony Prichard — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:39:59 +0000

I was out doing some day-time searching for larvae and leaf-mines yesterday in the Sudbury area. I’d say that both currently appear to be a bit thin on the ground. From the larvae I’ve seen at this site and others I’d guess that the season is still running a week or two behind so maybe things will pick up shortly.

Ipswich Moths and some leaf-mines

Tony Prichard — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 10:26:07 +0000

Nothing too much to report from my garden trap – it starts going quiet at this time of year. Square-spot Rustics are now out in force while Straw Underwing seems to have faded away. Feathered Ranunculus, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Large Yellow Underwing, Vine’s Rustic all present in reasonable numbers. Most common moth in my trap for most of the year is Epiphyas postvittana and numbers show no sign of dwindling at the moment. A couple of species of particular note from this week were Cochylis molliculana and Schreckensteinia festaliella. I’ve had the latter before in 2009 and I’ll probably check the bramble clump at the bottom of the garden for the larvae a bit later.

I was out at Wissington doing some leaf-miner recording yesterday – a little early for large numbers of species but I did find some cones of Caloptilia semifascia and mines of Ectoedemia spinicolella. E. spinicolella tends to be coastal but this is the second time I’ve found the species in this part of the county, definitely not coastal but not far from the river.

Tony