Suffolk Moths Blog

The last few nights have been pretty good for the garden MV. Best night for numbers was 30th March, but most interesting was last night (31st) which produced a blossom underwing and a diamond-back. Looking back at my 2016 records there were a few migrants around at this time (dark sword-grass et al) but nothing so exalted as the blossom underwing, and other moth numbers were well down then. It’s good to see ‘normal’ numbers of quakers this year (4 powdered quakers last night etc) plus 6 early thorn, a couple of red chestnut, streamer, shoulder-stripe etc . The only anticipated species that haven’t put in an appearance here this year are grey shoulder-knot and lead-coloured drab (I have a lot of aspen, but I’ve only seen the moth a few times). I think it’s an early season for some species too – I had a pale prominent on 30th which is three weeks earlier than my earliest previous record.

Tony H.

Readers may be interested to hear that an influx of Blossom Underwing is currently taking place. This is not a new phenomenon with previous influxes documented on the website. However, with migrants coming in from the near continent it is an exciting event and examples of this moth are certainly worth looking out for.

Last night (31 March) saw immigration on a broad front from Dungeness to Bawdsey (where two moths arrived). Another was noted at Landguard Bird Observatory. There is a good chance of more turning up in the next week.

Having finally got round to ordering some more 20w Wemlites I’ve had the trap out a couple of times this week. Nothing out of the ordinary to report apart from the superb Acleris cristana pictured below. This represents only the third site record, the others being March 2008 and April 2011. Also seen here during March were singles of Amblyptilia acanthadactyla on 10th, and both Twin-spot Quaker and Red Chestnut on 30th. Early Grey still hanging on, Early Thorn starting to appear plus nfy Double-striped and Brindled Pug.

(PS: of interest to some, my first Wemlite bulb lasted approx 18 months)

Acleris cristana (Woolpit 27 Mar 2017)

Following on from the good results on Wednesday evening, a similar number of species but on a different site in the Waveney Valley yesterday evening. The surprise was a very early first generation Balsam Carpet which was my second ever March record. Other firsts for the year out of the 23 species were Water Carpet, Red Chestnut, Acleris hastiana and Eriocrania unimaculella. Numbers counted, about 100, were down on the previous night but this was probably due to the site being more river valley than woodland. Lights were all packed away by 11 pm.                                                                                                       Compared to last year, you get the impression that there are a lot more moths on the wing. Let’s hope it continues.

Brian

I ran 5 lights at one of my woodland sites yesterday evening, 8.30 to 11.30. Results were very good with 25 species recorded; most abundant was Common Quaker with 52 counted but good numbers of Lead-coloured Drab (12), Brindled Pug (27) and D. flagella (20). New ones for the year were Early Tooth-striped, Caloptilia elongella, a very early V-pug, several Early Thorn and the highlight of the evening a Dotted Chestnut in the Wemlight trap which was new for the site and estate. Almost 200 moths counted which was no doubt due to thick cloud cover and the temperature not falling below 12 degrees.
On checking the garden trap when I got home there was just one Common Quaker and one Early Grey!

Brian

I’d like to draw members’ attention to this paper http://nl.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=11184
Two Anarsia examples trapped in my Ipswich garden, in 2015 and 2016, have been identified (from the photos) by Ole Karsholt as the newly named species A. innoxiella.
I expect A. innoxiella will prove to occur more frequently than A. lineatella given it’s more widespread foodplant.

Ipswich, July 2015

Ipswich, July 2016

Paul

Yellow horned

1st Pale pinion

2nd Pale pinion – darker specimen

Caloptilia falconipennella

Lead-coloured drab female

Small brindled beauty

Shoulder stripe

Twin-spotted quaker brown spotted form

Here is a selection of some of the nice moths seen here at IGC recently, only just got round to getting photos of all the moths and having time to upload them.

Neil

Firstly I must say I am sorry not to have been able to attend the Winter Meeting at Bucklesham this year. I have been without my car since late February and was unable to get a lift. That also means I have been unable to moth away from home recently.

To date March has generally been acknowledged as a good month for mothing. A stark comparison to last year! Very similar species recorded here as elsewhere in the county. The Orthosias started for me on 2nd with an O. gothica and O. cruda. Quite a surprise to pick up the Small Quaker as a starter as it is my least frequent of the commoner Orthosias. Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and Twin-spotted followed on and are in good supply now. A very attractively marked female Lead-coloured turned up on 11th. No Northern Drab so far.  An abundance of March Moth and Dotted Border this year. Both still going strong mid-month.  Tortricodes alternella gave way to Diurnea fagella with both present on 12th. I expect Caloptilia semifascia and C. rufipennella at this time of year but the year surprised me with a C. elongella and a C. falconipennella. The latter is a first for my garden though I have come across it at Bromeswell Green. Until recently I have been wary when Alder feeding species have turned up as I was unaware of the tree locally, however it is present along the Black Ditch at the bottom of my road in a local private nature reserve. The Patch as it is referred to by the owner who has granted me permission to moth there. Tony Pritchard trapped there briefly a few years ago. It is also where Butterbur grows so I am hopeful of establishing it as the source for those I have captured at home.

Further on the micros I have my usual 3 Agonopterix: alstromeriana, heracliana and scopariella. I also turned up an Acleris hastiana. This species always catches me out as they never look the same from one catch to another. This one a dull reddish brown. Must take more note of the broad shoulders and concave termen. One Plutella xylostella on 13th is the only migrant to date. No Mottled Grey here! No Dotted Chestnut this year yet either. Nice to see it turning up more regularly in Suffolk. I have recorded it at Captain’s Wood too. Latest additions to the year have been Double-striped Pug, Grey Shoulder-knot, Red Chestnut and Pine Beauty.

Another first for the garden list last night: Mottled grey, which is a bit of a rarity up here on the clay. Other species in the trap included 6 clouded drab, 15 Hebrew character, 2 small quaker, 8 common quaker, 5 dotted border, 1 shoulder stripe and a March moth. Not as good as the last couple of nights – and I never get big total numbers (the quakers won’t peak for another two or three weeks). But I won’t complain again about it being poor here in March/April.

Tony H.

More interest in the traps last night here at IGC: another Pale pinion (really dark one compared to previous specimen still in the fridge awaiting photos!), Lead-coloured drab (not seen every year here). 1st year records for Twin-spot quaker (2, including one without the spots), Clouded drab, Pine beauty, Alucita hexadactyla, Agonopterix heracliana and Caloptilia rufipennella. 19sp yet again, although some different ones from previous night. If you haven’t been running traps recently I would suggest its worth giving it a go while the conditions last, this warm spell can’t go on forever!

Neil