Suffolk Moths Blog

Last night in Woolpit was less quantity, more quality. Just 35 sp. noted after the overnight downpour and this morning’s Blackbird raid but I will never tire of seeing Netted Pug (pic below). Last night’s moth also continues the trend of catching one here every other year or so. No photo’s yet, but ‘new’ to the site were Teleiodes luculella and Ptycholoma lecheana. Having previously encountered both species on the opposite side of the village perhaps it was just a matter of time before they rocked-up in the garden trap. Otherwise, pretty quite with just two Diamond-backs, a Silver-Y and my first Foxglove Pug of the year of note.

Netted Pug – Woolpit (29 May 2017)

Last night was the first opportunity this year to join Keith to trap on one of his Suffolk sites. The plan was to record on the edge of Herringfleet Marshes and our target moth was to be Obscure Wainscot, last recorded in the area in 1988. When we arrived on site the strong breeze was still blowing from the south so we decided to move on to a sheltered site about 2 miles away.
This proved to be an inspired choice as it turned out to be the best May evening we could recall for sheer numbers of moths and total of species. More like what you would expect on a good evening in mid-July.
The area we recorded is fairly open mixed woodland with an abundance of Birch, Oak and Pine but also adjacent wet fen area with its usual vegetation. We record the site regularly at least once a year so we knew what was most likely to turn up in the traps. Even so, about 15 new species were added to the site list and 4 of these were new species for me.
Perhaps the best moth of the night was a tiny tortrix, Cydia cosmophorana in pristine condition. But another new to both of us was Adoxophyes orana also very fresh. Two others neither of us have recorded before were Cedestis subfasciella and Phyllonorycter stettinensis. So it was a very good evening for micros with some of the more notable ones such as Nascia cilialis, Stophedera nitidana, Ancylis upupana, Epinotia demarniana, Epinotia rubiginosana, Lobesia reliquana and Spatalistis bifasciana among the 50 or so identified.
Macros were also in abundance and we were impressed with the very high numbers compared to last year of some species such as Light Emerald, Common Lutestring, May Highflyer, Birch Mocha, Peacock Moth, Ochreous Pug (15) and one in particular which is so rare across most of Suffolk, Alder Kitten. We recorded 14 of this species, 11 of which were in one trap, the 3 bulb Wemlight. The Wemlight was teeming with moths as were most of the other 8 traps. Coronet, which now seems to be turning up regularly in this area, was another addition to the site list. So with around 85 macro species the nights total was over 130. The total count of moths in the traps was between 450 to 500 and in the end we just switched the lights off to allow them to disperse before packing up.
We finally packed up just as dawn was breaking and to the sound of a Bittern booming in the distance.

Brian

As the weather is looking OK for the rest of the week I’ve decided early that the meeting can go ahead on Friday 26th May, so hopefully see some of you there!

Neil

Well, I definitely can’t compete with the latest rare moth offering from Bawdsey … but congrats to Matthew all the same. Readers of Atropos Flight Arrivals or followers of Matthew’s twitter account will know what I’m referring too!

Back on planet Woolpit, it’s all been rather slow and mundane. Treble-lines, Mottled & Vine’s Rustic, White Ermine, Common Wainscot, Setaceous Hebrew C’ and the dreaded ‘pugs’ are just making their presence known. Had my first Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty and Bee Moths of the year last night, but still no pyrals or micros to speak of.

Chose to post now as we are due two nights of persistent rain which gives a break in the mothing. Very welcome rain though as it was beginning to look like a desert here. The month started with a week or so of very poor mothing weather owing to the cold winds, mainly from the north or east. Things warmed up towards the middle of the month with summer arriving during the day of 16th. I trapped on the night of the 16th but brought the traps in at around 1 am. Even then owing to such a warm calm night the catch was the best this year.

Visited The Patch on 14th where Epinotia immundana was the most abundant species and turned up my first Eyed Hawk-moth of the year there. Also there was Phyllonorycter viminiella, Seraphim and Small Phoenix and a very pale and well marked Cryptoblabes bistriga.  Thought I had turned up a Nematopogon swammerdamella at home but the one at the patch was my usual N. schwarziellus as all at home have been when carefully examined. At home Pugs galore; Common, Double-striped, Brindled, Oak-tree, Ocheous, White-spotted, Mottled, Narrow-winged, Netted, V, Currant and Lime-speck. Knot Grass, Poplar Grey and Coronet and the first Wainscot of the year was a Mathews. A few Phyllonorycter species in addition to the viminiella at The Patch, I have taken blancardella, spinicolella, messaniella, harrisella and klemannella at home with one of the P. klemannella being almost black with silver markings. The 15th and 16th saw a good emergence of micros. A number of Nepticulids turned up with Stigmella floslactella, S. roborella and S. samiatella being identified from the moth and others requiring dissection. Three Bucculatrix, albedinella, ulmella and lots of nigricomella. And a number of attractive larger micros by way of Eupoecilia angustana, Notocelia trimaculana, Pammene regiana, P. fasciana and P. aurita. My most pleasing first for the year though was a freshly emerged Cydia inquinatana which appears to be resident in my Acers. So I am expecting a few more this year.

I set my alarm for five today to beat the rain and keep the Robins off the catch and wished I hadn’t bothered, a measly 10 moths of 8 species – town centre mothing can be tough at times. Interest was provided though by this Garden Carpet ab. costovata which is the first time I have encountered it. Again, I’m wondering how often this has been picked up in the county.

Stuart

Sorry for the mix up with previous post – please view my comments