24 species only with three new for my site list: Heart and Dart, Seraphim and a Paraswammerdamia albicapitella. Now caught up on all outstanding micro ID for the end of May adding Tinagma ocnerostomella, Scoparia pyralella and Coleophora alconipennella to my site list.
Looks like a couple of non moth nights now.
The meeting today has been postponed to next week as the weather is far from ideal for looking for clearwings.
Tony
Didn’t feel promising but gave it a go and got 43 species with 8 new to my site list. Not all identified yet and a female Minor also goes into the unidentified category but probably a Tawny Marbled. New to site list were Ocheous Pug, Hedya pruniana, Mullein Wave and Pyllonorycter acerofoliella. Getting a few Deltaornix too, seems quite common here. Also caught up on some micro ID from the last few days to add to my site list are:- Eodonia pallida, Pseudatemelia flavifrontella, Aspilapteryx tringipennella, Coleophora striatipennella, Bactra lancealana and Dichrorampha aeratana.
A few weeks ago, having finally caught up with the female Serin, Tony joined me at Landguard for a bit of a wander. As it turned out, it wasn’t the most productive of searches but Tony did suggest that there was at least one species worth looking out for … who’s larvae feed within the stems of Viper’s Bugloss, then over-winter in a cocoon. We located some candidate stems by the car park and both took some home to try our luck. This morning, I found that an adult Tinagma ocnerostomella (BF398) had finally emerged. With a bit of patience I even managed to get a record shot (see sp’ account on the website) which shows the red eye quite nicely.
I was up at the Narborough Railway Line NWT reserve last weekend looking for the larva of the plume Merrifieldia baliodactylus. The larva feeds on Wild Marjoram and there is plenty of the foodplant growing on the chalk. The moth does not appear to have been recorded from Suffolk in the past but the foodplant does occur here. So if you come across any of the foodplant or know of any sites it may be worth checking them for this species.
The plants with larvae on are relatively easy to spot – just look for ones where the top has collapsed over and wilted and you will probably find a larva in the wilted shoot. They follow a similar habit to Capperia britanniodactylus by nipping the stem of the shoot they’re on to make it wilt.
Quite a few people turned up for this meeting that was aimed at checking the continuing status of the Devon Carpet at the site. There have been some concerns that over-grazing may have had an adverse impact on the habitat and foodplant of the moth at its known site. Nine lights of a mix of MV and actinic were spread out alongside the track.
Activity was a bit on the slow side but we eventually recorded over fifty species and there were good numbers of Flame Wainscot in several of the traps. Other species of note included Great Prominent, Reed Dagger, Flame Carpet, Orange Footman, Dark Spectacle, Ochreous Pug, Metendothenia atropunctana, Ancylis upupana and Acleris logiana.
However, no sign of Devon Carpet which is a bit worrying but I’d not like to draw any firm conclusions until we’d visited the site on a more favourable night.
Tony
Seemed like an ideal night up here, with threatening cloud build up and only enough rain to make splash marks in the dust overnight. Only 25 species recorded in the traps. Spruce Carpet not recorded here often, New for year being Red twin-spot carpet, Lychnis, Marbled Minor, Pale-mottled Willow, Nutmeg, Muslin and Garden Pebble. Common Swift the most abundant of the night.
Just found a Spuleria flavicaput in my greenhouse here this evening, first time I’ve ever seen this species. I see from UK Moths there has been a relatively recent Suffolk record, Suffolk moths shows quite a few old records but no recent ones so a good moth to get.
Shows you can find good moths anywhere!
Neil
Yes as others found the cloudy evening did not bring huge numbers as it turned cooler at dusk. Only 29 species and two new to the site list. It gave me the opportunity to catch up on some ID from the last 3 evenings. Pushed my site pug list up with Common, Foxglove, Oak-tree and Mottled, a melanic Pale Oak Beauty and a Willow Beauty, Phalonidia manniana, Scrobipalpa acuminatella, Epinotia rubiginosana, Phycitodes maritima, Epiblema cynosbatella, Deltaornix torquillela, Stigmella samiatella, Aethes smeathmanniana and Teleiopsis diffinis. Still have two outstanding one of which is a Scoparia. On the edge of thunderstorms this evening so it may get a complete miss. Will have to see when they stop.
I’ve recently added two more Adela species to the year list. At Wolves Wood, I finally caught up with Adela rufimitrella – seen flying around a small patch of Cuckoo Flower on Monday and, today, I saw a single Adela fibulella buzzing around a patch of Germander Speedwell at the top of Broom Hill, Hadleigh. Also good no’s of Glyphipterix simpliciella seen on various flowers on the lower slopes.
