Suffolk Moths Blog

I decided not to attend the Aldeburgh beach meet as I seem to get most of the immigrant, coastal and even saltmarsh species at my garden site. I guess overlooking Shingle Street that can be expected. No Dewick’s Plusia though! Some of you will be aware I picked up a Great Brocade on 13th. It was very badly worn which meant I had to call on Matthew Deans gratefully received help in recognition for identification. Hawk moths continue with what appears to be newly emerged Poplar and Pine Hawks. Some good pugs including Plain, Juniper and Cypress. A few Plumes that include Saltmarsh, Breckland and Citron. Yponomeuta represented by evonymella, padella, cagnagella, rorrella and plumbella. Have been getting a number of Lichen-tree Beauty with fewer Marbled Green and Marbled Beauty. A few Square-spotted Clay and Coronet. Agriphila tristella has been overtaken by Catoptria falsella in the abundance stakes but Large Yellow Underwing and Blastobasis adustella still top the tables. 18th brought me a good selection of around 150 species with some nice additions to my site list of those not already mentioned:- Orange Swift, Mocha, Maiden’s Blush, Campion, Webb’s Wainscot, Bulrush Wainscot, Paractopa ononidis, Gymnancyla canella and Galleria mellonela. Plus a few micros still to ID. Very large number of beetles in the traps have been causing a bit of a problem and a number of cabbages and turnips in the traps too.

My first post in a while due to a holiday interlude. Hoping to cash in on the recent amplana influx I put the trap out last night (18th Aug) and kept my fingers crossed. A pre bedtime inspection turned up a familiar looking, although somewhat active moth.  This morning I was able to confirm that I’d caught a Dewick’s Plusia. What a turn up! It’s a moth I always thought I stood a chance of picking up here but it still came as a bit of a surprise. Other highlights amongst the 60 sp’ recorded included Square-spotted Clay, Lesser Spotted Pinion, Mompha propinquella and Yponomeuta plumbella (also new to the site).

I ran my traps in the balmy heat on Beccles Common last night. This site has mixed woodland around the perimeter including large areas of birch, with gorse and broom on the sandy grassland where the golf course is.
Macro highlights were Gold Spot, Six-striped Rustic, Treble-bar, White-line Dart (many), Sallow Kitten, Vapourer and a few Grass Emerald from the gorse. An abundance of good mircos included Willow Ermine, Rush Veneer, Pyralis farinalis, Epinotia brunnichana, Hypatima rhomboidella, three Ypsolopha species – scabrella, parenthesella and what is possibly a sylvella as it had a very well-marked dark area (needs a second opinion). Also several Anacampsis and as they were all from under the birches, most probably blattariella. From the gorse area, Agonopterix nervosa & Batia lambdella. Just over the 100 species in 3 hours trapping, but as with others, the traps were literally heaving with moths and just about everything else with wings. The dust from the moth scales was so intense that it set me off on a bout of uncontrolled sneezing!

Brian

Like Matthew, found my traps this morning heaving with moths. Outside of lights absolutely covered in Blastobasis adustella, hundreds of them! Has taken most of my spare time before work, during lunch break and an hour after work to sort the traps out. 130+sp, best moths included 2 Tree-lichen beauty, 6 Rush veneer, A.assectella. Lots of micros tubed up for later sorting, will report more on this night when time allows. It certainly did pay off to run lights sheltered from the wind, seeing that others didn’t do so well with numbers in more exposed sites.

Neil

56 species. Fairly low numbers of moths, but a personal and site first for Lesser-spotted Pinion, the other worth a mention, Webb’s Wainscot. Six Silver Y and Four Diamond-back the migrants. Butterflies on the up with two Painted lady and Two Red Admiral amongst plentiful Peacocks and a good number of Small Tortoishells. All records from the 16th.

An auspicious night at Bawdsey with traps absolutely heaving with moths by 5:00am this morning. I really could have done with the dustbin! Quite a few moths were rubbed and a few dead in the bottom of the trap due to sheer numbers.

A similar total of around 130 species were noted. An increase in migrants was noticed with twelve Diamond-back Moths, two Ethmia bipunctella, seven Rush Veneer, two Cydia amplana and 17 Silver Y. Local specialities included a Platytes alpinella, two Cypress Pug, Ash Pug, two Marbled Green and eight Tree-lichen Beauty.

It was nice to see the Lackey (having seen Ground Lackey on the saltmarsh the previous night). Also recorded were Dark Spinach, Small Yellow Wave, Least Carpet, Tawny-barred Angle, Small Phoenix, White Ermine, Garden Tiger; Privet Hawk-moth, Coronet, Twin-spotted Wainscot and Saltern Ear.

Hopes were high last night as I set the actinic at another new site in Stutton – a former fruit farm. It was overcast and warm, although a hint of a breeze had planted a seed of doubt before sunset. So it was to prove. Just 34 moths graced the trap of 22 species. I shall in future always consider the likelihood of the wind getting up and finding a more sheltered spot! Sadly, nothing of interest to report. The Green Carpet was only the second this year in Stutton from 24 trapping sessions. Is this a common theme?

A last minute text from Keith Tailby found me mothing last night (15th) on the saltmarsh at Bawdsey. Keith could only run his two traps for a short duration as he was on his honeymoon! I operated two of my traps in the picnic site.

Keith was hoping for Sandhill Rustic but in the breezy conditions we had not trapped any by 10:30pm. Seven male Ground Lackey were seen on the saltmarsh along with Eucosma tripoliana, Dioryctria abietella, Agdistis bennetii, Pine Hawk-moth, Rosy Rustic and a few Silver Ys.

My picnic site traps were operated until shortly before midnight producing the following: Acrobasis (Conobathra) tumidana (fourth for Bawdsey, but first since 2005), Vitula biviella, Catoptria falsella, a presumed Maiden’s Blush (needs to be examined further), a few Black Arches, Sallow Kitten, Archer’s and White-line Darts.