Suffolk Moth Group Newsletter

Reports from Recorders around the county

Records reported in this section have not been checked by the Suffolk Moth Panel. Many thanks go to the recorders who provide write-ups and records for this section.

Mendlesham Green, September to year end 2008 - Steve Woolnough

Poor weather and a holiday meant that the trap was run on only six nights before the end of the year. However, there was still a new garden record with Mompha sturnipennella recorded on 27th September. The last Silver Y of the year appeared on 9th October and after a complete absence of Common Plume during the year, three were in the trap on 11th October. On 17th October, four Merveille du Jour occurred, the highest total recorded in the garden. The trap was last run on 14th November, when a Yellow-line Quaker and two Feathered Thorn were captured. The last moth of the year was an Agonopterix arenella seen on 8th December.

Five mines new to the garden were recorded during October (thanks to Neil Sherman for the idents). These were Stigmella anomalella (Rose Leaf Miner), Stigmella crataegella, Parornix anglicella, Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae and Phyllonorycter corylifoliella. Including mine records, the species total for the year was 319, the highest total since 2005.

After six years of garden trapping, the species total now stands at 535.

Eye Moths, late August to February 2009 - Paul Kitchener

August

A run of several warm nights during the last week of August produced a flurry of good garden records. On the 26th there were first site records for Aproaerema anthyllidella and Saltern Ear (the identification of both confirmed by Jon Clifton) and to follow on the 27th were two more firsts, Dichrorampha simpliciana (also checked by Jon) and Pyrausta despicata. The 28th was not to be outdone, with yet two more garden firsts (and yet more work for Jon) in the shape of Ectoedemia louisella and Cosmiotes consortella. Also on the 28th there was Acrolepiopsis assectella (the fourth site record and second of the year) and the second site record of Narrow-winged Pug (and only the third I’ve seen in Eye over the past thirteen years). Other bits and pieces at the tail end of August were Bucculatrix thoracella, Ypsolopha sequella (two on the 31st was a seventh record but the first since 2006), Blastodacna atra (the second of the month), Large Thorn (sixth site record, but only the second since 2003), Old Lady (fourth record and the third to come to MV) and a single Red Underwing.


Blastodacna atra © P Kitchener	Large Thorn © P Kitchener

September

Of the micros in September Stigmella obliquella was a first for the site whilst a Caloptilia syringella on the 8th was the third in a couple of weeks (there have been five records this year but only three previously). Phyllonorycter leucographella may also be increasing locally as one this month was the sixth of the year and the last year one was seen was 2003. Another Ypsolopha sequella was good but only two Plutella xylostella were trapped making a very poor total for the year (thirty-eight, the worst since 2005). Coleophora alcyonipennella (confirmed by Jon again) was a third site record, the previous two were both in 2006 and an Epinotia tenerana on the 23rd was a second site record and a second for the year. Epiphyas postvittana (fifteen this month) was not recorded here until 2006 when six were seen, there were ten in 2007 and thirty-seven in 2008, a steady increase pretty much expected once the first ones arrived.

Whatever the weather and however poor the year there is always hope that there will be the odd migrant or two turning up. This autumn it has indeed been just the two, with a Vestal (third site record) on the 9th and a Dewick’s Plusia (first site record) on the 23rd. Incidentally, twelve Silver Y were trapped in September, nearly half the year total.


Caloptilia syringella © P Kitchener	Dewick's Plusia © P Kitchener

A Clouded Border on the 8th was my latest ever (the first September record was only last year), a Swallow Prominent on the 6th was the first September record since 1999 and a Buff Ermine on the 7th was a surprise as I had never recorded it later than July. Species occurring this month that seem to have had a relatively good year include Dusky Thorn (the highest numbers since 2003), Willow Beauty (the most ever at this site), Frosted Orange (sixteen this month alone whereas there was only one seen all of last year) and Burnished Brass (the most ever at this site). Dark Spectacle would appear to be safely established around here now, (the numbers for the years 2001 - 2008 being 0/1/0/4/10/10/10/20) and Orange Sallow had it’s best year following a complete blank last year. Common Wainscot however had an extraordinarily bad year; from a peak count of six hundred and ten in 2006 it has crashed to just nineteen seen this year, the first time it has been outnumbered by Smoky Wainscot (which appeared in average numbers), a species that I have always assumed would be affected in much the same way by the vagaries of the weather.

October

I was away on holiday until the 10th and managed only twelve nights trapping during the remainder of the month, so there is very little to report. The night of the 13th produced the best catch with twenty species that included Acleris rhombana (only the seventh site record but second of the year) and my first October record for Small Square-spot (there were two more to come on the 15th). Two other species also appeared on their latest ever dates: Light Emerald (12th) and Burnished Brass (19th). A White-point on the 19th was the last one of the year and took the year’s total to thirty-six, the lowest number since 2004. One noteworthy feature of the month appeared to be the high numbers of Setaceous Hebrew Character relative to the year total (62/698). The year 2006 was a bumper one for this species but relatively few were seen in October (though well over one thousand were seen in September), the equivalent figures being 28/4098.

November

There were some very mild nights this month, ten of the eleven nights trapped having a minimum temperature above 8° C. As a consequence, perhaps, a record total of twenty seven species was seen, easily beating the previous record of twenty recorded in 2004. Of these, nine were micros which included Caloptilia rufipennella and Caloptilia stigmatella, both being seen in November for the first time.

December Moth © P Kitchener

Both Large and Lesser Yellow Underwing were trapped on the 3rd, the first November record for the former and there were also the latest ever records for Common Marbled Carpet (5th) and Pale Mottled Willow (15th). More typical of the time of year were two December Moth (this moth remains strangely rare around here, only thirteen individuals have been seen in eight years), fourteen Feathered Thorn (more than twice the very poor number seen last year), three Sprawler and three Brick (of the seven this year, after none at all last year).

December

Six nights trapping produced just three species, Emmelina monodactyla, Winter Moth and Chestnut before proceedings were brought abruptly to a halt by the cold weather. It would be mid-February before it would be worth a try again and the last time I went for a whole month without at least trying one night was January 2002.

February

Trapping resumed on the 15th and with night time temperatures holding up well for the time of year continued to the month’s end. Fourteen species were recorded, easily my best February count (the previous best being nine for last year and 2003).


Acleris cristana © P Kitchener	Pale Brindled Beauty © P Kitchener

An Acleris cristana on the 16th was a first site record and the first I’d seen in Eye since 2000. A Pale Brindled Beauty on the same night was the first of the year, a total of thirteen being seen this month (ten on the night of the 17th) whereas there was only one last year. Another surprise on the 17th was two Spring Usher, a real rarity around here. There has only been one previous record, in 2003. There was to be a third record, just a couple of days later. A Dotted Border on the 18th was my earliest and a Grey Shoulder-knot on the 20th was only the second February site record. The mild conditions encouraged a Caloptilia rufipennella out of hibernation on the 26th and the next night an Oak Beauty was not only the first I’d seen in February but also only the second site record, the first as recently as last year. And finally, the Orthosias just scraped into February with a single Common Quaker on the 28th.

Woolpit 2008: A quick tale of dark clouds and silver linings - Paul Bryant

It’s been quite a while since I came up with some musings about my garden trap so, with apologies in advance for the sterility of this note, I thought I’d try and put just a few words together.

Several months ago, I was asked how many species had I recorded at Woolpit? I never thought that there was would be a great deal of difference between my old garden and the one here so, allowing for a few variables and the fact that I left Thurston on 321, I guessed that my Woolpit list was somewhere in the region of 350 - 375. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was actually just a couple short of 450. What was even more amazing was the fact that 21 of those turned up in 2008 – and from only fifty nights trapping!


Diurnea fagella © P Bryant	Oak Beauty © P Bryant

By far the most productive month was July, which accounted for the half of the new arrivals, but things started back in March when I finally picked up the enthusiasm to do some trapping and recorded Diurnea flagella, Agonopterix heracliana and Acleris cristana. A much anticipated first turned up on the 3rd April in the shape of a single Oak Beauty and the end of the month brought another macro - a Brindled Beauty. May’s editions were single Streamer, Red-green Carpet, Puss Moth and Least Black Arches.

As I have already mentioned, July was the most productive month for new species. It was also the most productive period in the garden full stop in terms of nights trapped and species recorded. A European Corn-borer on the 14th got the ball rolling. I then added Dark Umber (18th), Phalonidia manniana, Pammene fasciana and Slender Pug (all on the 22nd), Pyrausta despicta and Oak Nycteoline (23rd), Calamotropha paludella (25th) and last but not least, Phyllonorycter geniculella and Scoparia subfusca (on the 30th). The final addition to the garden list turned up at the beginning of August, a single Limnaecia phragmitella.


Red-green Carpet © P Bryant	Limnaecia phragmitella © P Bryant

But that’s only 20 new species I here you cry. One other July addition, which I thought was a garden first, has subsequently been pre-dated by an early gen-det record - Paraswammerdamia lutarea.

Many of these moths are fairly common or widespread species. Whether it was good old luck, or just plain and simple paying a bit more care and attention to what was in the trap I cannot say (although I suspect the latter) but, if I’ve learnt one lesson, then its tube it up. My thanks as always to my long suffering wife who tries to share my enthusiasm over ‘boring brown moths’ and to everyone who kindly helped identify and confirm these additions along the way.

Happy trapping.

Paul

Moths at Ipswich Golf Course - July to November 2008 - Neil Sherman

July

July 2008 bucked the trend for the preceding months – it was a very good recording period, all due to the weather. Almost continuous warm muggy conditions prevailed, with some violent thunderstorms towards the end of the month. Traps were operated on 19 nights, resulting in a species total of 422 (228 micros, 194 macros). This was much better than 2007, when that wet month only produced 370 species. The best night was the 14th, when 2 traps caught 174 species. The worst night was the 20th, when unusually for the month the night was cold resulting in only 25 species being noted in the garden trap.

A lot of survey work took place in the wetland areas of the site from the middle of the month onwards, to try and determine the status of White-mantled Wainscot after last year’s records. This included 2 site visits by members of the Suffolk Moth Group with their additional traps to try and cover more ground, once at the end of July plus another at the beginning of August. Unfortunately, despite all this effort, no White-mantled Wainscots were seen, but the numbers of this moth and some of the other wainscots have appeared in my experience to be low this year, so more surveying will take place next year. One of the benefits of the SMG visits was that sitting out with the equipment meant that I could put out my wine ropes – these were successful in attracting Old Lady moths both nights, a scarcely recorded species here, and quite an impressive sight in the torch beam!

No new macros were noted during the month, but there were some notable sightings all the same. There were second site records for the following species: Lesser Cream Wave (2 on the 23rd) and Gold spot (31st). Reed Dagger (31st) and Mullein Wave (30th) were third site records. Also of possible interest were Leopard (4 seen on the 14th was a good count), Festoon (15 noted), Small Emerald (10th, scarce here), Spinach (1st, only sighting in 2008), Small Waved Umber (29th, fourth site record), Slender Pug (maximum count was 10 on the 23rd, the highest ever recorded), Clouded Magpie (2 on 23rd during SMG visit, first since 2006), Privet Hawk-moth (one only on 13th), Kent Black Arches (13 noted, maximum 4 on the 30th), Saltern Ear (30th), Webb’s Wainscot (31st first for year), Small Rufous (24th), Shaded Fan-foot (5 only noted) and a Dotted Fan-foot (14th). Note the number of interesting wetland species there, showing where most of the recording took place! Some species appeared to be at a low ebb at the site, 2 examples being the Common Wainscot (1 only on the 14th) and the Pine Hawk-moth (6 noted, last year there were 64!). One moth however that appears to be super-abundant in 2008 is the Black Arches, with the highest ever figures recorded. The best count was the 60 seen on the 31st!


Clouded Magpie © N Sherman	Coleophora deauratella © N Sherman

Micro numbers really took off in the traps during the month, with many being tubed up for later examination. Not surprisingly some new species were discovered. Phyllocnistis saligna (30th), Coleophora deauratella (15th), Coleophora hemerobiella (5 records) and Plodia interpunctella (the Indian Meal Moth – 15th) were all identified. Other interesting species included Morophaga choragella (3 records), Argyresthia glaucinella (17th first since 2006), Ypsolopha nemorella (14th, first since 2003), Agonopterix ocellana (31st), Thiotricha subocellea (3 records, first since 2006), Dystebenna stephensi (29th, second site record), Epiblema foenella (22nd, scarce here), Grapholita funebrana (1st, second record after the first last month), Agriphila selasella (31st), Evergestis pallidata (the 4 seen on the 23rd were the first since 2004), Ostrinia nubilalis (4 noted), Vitula biviella (28 recorded, down on last year’s figures), Capperia britanniodactyla (6 seen at light, a good count) and Adaina microdactyla (2 records, scarce here). There was a small invasion of ermine moths during the month, with quite a few Yponomeuta rorrella seen, with a maximum of 20 noted on the 26th. Also found was an Yponomeuta cagnagella (27th), a second site record. A smaller number of Acrolepiopsis assectella were noted, mostly in the garden trap with a maximum of 3 on the 15th. These can probably be attributed to the onions and leeks growing in our allotment!

Daytime observations included 2 sightings of Yellow-legged Clearwing drawn to their specific pheromone lure. Lures were tried many times for other species both here and at many other sites across Suffolk with little success – it seems 2008 was a poor clearwing year (in my experience anyway). On the 23rd, a few Chevron were seen flying around on one of the heathland areas of the site, these being the only ones noted as most of the recording with traps took place away from these places.