Suffolk Moths Blog

Another busy trap for me personally with 53 species noted. Moth of the night has to be Silky Wainscot – a most unexpected first for the garden and one that threw me for a while. I’d been looking at the pyralid  plates for ages until the penny finally dropped! Also of note were a second Limnaecia phragmitella (5th garden record), Small Rivulet (3rd garden record) and Dingy Shears (3rd garden record). A Catoptria pinella was noted last night when I went out to check the trap just before turning in for the night but evaded capture.

After the fiasco of not putting the light on having set the trap the previous night, normal service was resumed this morning. 44 species to the actinic (9 micros with a couple more that I didn’t bother with). First Ruby Tigers (2) and Dingy Footman (3) of the season, including a stramineola-type. Fen Wainscot was a garden first and other macros that are less than regular included Cloaked Minor, an Ear sp. and Chinese Character. There were three fresh Nutmegs too. Another (or the same?) limbata came in again – not as fresh as before. This is the third night I have trapped this species.

In the bedroom this morning were; Blue-tailed Damselfly, Brown-tail and Swallow-tailed Moth.

Last night Brian and I went to a new site called Summerhouse Water on the Somerleyton Estate. On arrival there was a heavy dew. The site has high and low areas and temperature differences were felt doing the trap rounds. Fog hung over the marsh traps around midnight and when we left at 2.30 it was just 9c and foggy all over, except for the higher ground. Despite the conditions we made 118 species with the 5 traps with several micros taken in the highest placed trap including; M. palustrella. Other micros of interest included R. naevana and O. sparganella. Best macro was Lunar-spotted Pinion which I have never encountered before, best of the rest included Dotted Fan-foot, Crescent, Dark Spectacle.

Part of the  site is a former Victorian Water Garden,  and is worth us visiting from time to time but with over 5000 acres to choose from on the Estate, plenty more new places to try.

I have been trundling the 15w actinic around various parts of the village during this good weather as my rather plain garden gets a bit predictable. Last night, I set up in a very large, mostly ornamental garden with plenty of maturing trees and shrubs no more than 400m as the crow flies from me. The owner told me this evening that when they bought the house 30 years ago it was just a paddock. It came up trumps with 47 species (111 moths). If I could do all the micros, the total would have pushed in to the low 50′s. Highlights were Lesser-spotted Pinion, my first ever Scalloped Hook-tip, Pebble Hook-tip, gigantella and forficella. I think Least Yellow Underwings are rather smart and it was good to see my first of the year. The smartest moth though was clamped firmly in the jaws of a spider – a Bordered Beauty.

Back home, I think I have a Brown long-eared bat visiting the trap. I found several moth wings on the floor of the summerhouse next to where I run the trap. I have seen these chaps in action before at another house and was able to id seven different macros from the wings on the floor. (I saw the bats as well which was a fabulous sight).

I can’t quite match Neil’s results but just under 60 species here to my trusty 11w actinic. Quite a few each of the commoner moths – Large Yellow & Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Dark Arches, Riband Wave etc. – and a few nice additions including 2 Privet, 2 Elephant and a Pine Hawkmoth, Lozotaeniodes formosanus (second this year), Brachmia blandella (2nd garden record) and Limnaecia phragmitella (4th garden record). Should be staying good for the next few nights.

151sp noted from 2 traps run in one of the wetland areas on the site. No White-mantled wainscot  nor any migrants at all recorded, but a few moths of note seen. Best was Apotomis lineana, a new moth for the site. Looking at the map for this moth on the Suffolk site this looks like a good record well away from the other sightings. Other species of interest included Festoon, Gold swift, Slender pug, Bordered beauty, Scarce silver lines, Southern wainscot, Fen wainscot, Small emerald, Ypsolopha nemorella and Monochroa cytisella. Also first record for year of Black arches and some second brood Purple thorn noted.

First Copper underwing of the summer just seen this evening on the outside of the house as well.

Neil.

During June this year I noticed laval webs of Yponomeuta malinellus on one of the old apple trees in my garden.

 26/6/12

After photographing the webs, I later kept one with the cocoons in a container. The first adult from these emerged this week.

This species is actually listed as non-Suffolk and generally, it is scarce due to spraying fruit trees with insecticides. Mine are never sprayed, so hopefully there is a chance of it surviving into the future.
Brian

In a big catch (115+ species) last night, here in Ipswich, that included two Festoon and five L-album Wainscot were a Clancy’s Rustic and two Waved Black.

Paul.

I must confess not all micros identified so was around 100 plus in the traps including; P. purpuralis, European corn-borer (3) Scarce silver-lines, Dark spectacle, Dark spinach. Archer’s Dart not seen here often.  Good numbers of Rosy Footman and Early Thorn. The first Brown-tails of the season. Yet to see a Ruby Tiger which has always been a frequent catch here. May be there will be a good second brood shortly. Privet and Elephant Hawks looking bedraggled now!