Suffolk Moths Blog

Tony joined me on a first visit to Beccles Marshes yesterday evening and we placed the traps on the river bank with high hopes of possibly drawing in some of the interesting species that we know are present on the opposite (Norfolk) bank. Conditions that looked favourable earlier in the day changed rapidly when the clouds cleared. The temperature dropped and it got quite chilly. So there was no great movement by the moth population and by midnight we called a halt. 25 species and about 60 moths was disappointing after the previous 2 good nights, with Burnished Brass, Campion, Tawny Marbled Minor & Eyed Hawk-moth the only highlights for me as they were new for the year. The only micro we saw was netted at dusk, Elachista maculicerusella.
Another day might be different.

Brian

A reasonable night last night given the way the year’s gone so far. A total of 33sp to actinic, which includes a few micro’s still awaiting I’d. Was quite surprised to see a Silver Y which raised my hopes a little when I saw a small geo with it’s wings folded up tightly over its back. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t turn it into anything other than a Dingy Shell. Still …can’t complain as it turns out to be a new garden species.

What a difference a bit of cloud cover makes. Trap in the garden run overnight full of stuff this morning. 72sp recorded, including some good site records: Dark spectacle, Caloptilia semifascia (second site record), Plutella xylostella (2), Small elephant hawk, Cochylis nana. Best night of the year so far, hopefully things will continue!

Neil

27th May brought 49 species with 18 new to my site list. 28th brought 75 species (including 2 by day) with 23 new to my site list. Still have some micros to identify but so far to add to my list from these catches are:- Brown Silver-line, Marbled Brown, Brown Rustic, Scalloped Hazel, Spectacle, Barred Red, Elephant Hawk, Phtheochra rugosana, Sandy Carpet, Phycitodes maritima, Orange Footman, Flame, Flame Wainscot, Rustic Shoulder-Knot, Cabbage, Anthophila fabriciana, Small Dusty Wave, Eyed Hawk, Rivulet, Waved Umber, Light Emerald, Poplar Grey, Common Wave, Buff-tip, Puss Moth, Tawny Shears, Alder, Burnished Brass, Bright-line Brown-eye, Coronet, Pale Mottled Willow and a Nutmeg. Have some work to do on a number of micros now also a few of which have not been added to the species list. Cloudy tonight can it get better still?

Plenty of moths (and chafers) in my 2 traps put out last night, but species diversity still very poor for the time of year, only 36sp. Commonest species Treble lines (51) and Coleophora albicosta (50). Not much else of note really, first year record of Brindled white spot and Eyed hawk of minor interest. Where are all the different moths?

Neil

Brian and I went to Herringfleet Hills last night  expecting  good results. Dusking with the net turned up 6 species one or two of which didn’t show in the usual five traps. Flame Wainscot showed with two at conventional light. I expect them to be in good numbers in the not too distant reedbeds, other moths I’ve chosen to mention being; Birds Wing, Light Brocade, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Rivulet and Small Rivulet, Straw dot, Common Swift, Small Phoenix. Most common moth Brown silver-lines , very few caddis, no Brimstone moth! Best micro identified at time of blogging, Carpatolechia proximella. Brian has now gone through the micros and done well identifying the best record, Glyphipterix fuscoviridella.

Around 10.15 the lost lady could be heard approaching. A holiday maker complete with life jacket arrived. Drawn across the marshes by a moth light placed out there. She had been forced to abandon her dingy on the river and couldn’t make it back to her hired broads cruiser, was given some directions by a reluctant local and thought she was following the path, infact wandering luckily in a straight line across the marshes close to the edge of the woodland, She was panicky and wanted us to call the police to let her husband, who was on the cruiser, know that she was safe. Establishing where the boat was moored and knowing the area very well I escorted the lady to the boat, through thigh high wet grass at times for a round trip of 35 minutes or so, leaving Brian with the traps. Arriving at her boat the womans husband was still reading the book he was reading when she had left him a couple of hours earlier, oblivious to her adventure. She was really lucky not to be trapped out on the marshes all night cut off by dykes! It was heading back that my first Flame Wainscot was drawn to my lantern and I also managed to get a record for Nightjar on the hills when distant enough across the marshes to hear its call.

Keith

Visited Wolves wood this lunchtime to try and see Micropterix mansuetella. I checked the Hawthorn bush where adults had been found by Paul earlier this week, but most of the flowers were out of reach and were not viewable. After reading in books that the moth can be found on Sedge flowers, I checked all the flowering Sedge I could find along the ride leading away from the bush, and managed to locate at least 20 Micropterix mansuetella with relative ease feeding on the heads. There were also quite a few Micropterix calthella present too but it was easy to pick out the mansuetella because of their black heads. So that one Hawthorn bush is not the only place the moths are in the wood!

Neil

35sp again in the garden trap last night, moths of possible interest included Light brocade(5), Nematopogon metaxella, Cydia conicolana, Eulia ministrana (2) and Waved umber.

Neil