Suffolk Moths Blog

Set my traps up on 13th, 14th, 17th, 19th and 21st at home and went mobile to Staverton Park on 14th and Tangham on 19th. 200 plus species at home on 14 and 21st. Ran on 17th following strong west and south west winds during that day in the hope of getting some of the migrants blown across from the south of the country and wasn’t too disappointed.

13th saw 2 to 300 Large Yellow Underwings in the front garden trap causing chaos. Not so bad on the other dates except 21st. Mouse about and a Shark! Otherwise nice to see a few Chionodes distinctella this year.

14th got me a nice site addition of Dichomeris alacella. I seem to do well on moss and lichen feeders here. Super photo of the species on ‘Moths of Suffolk’. I get a lot of Ectoedemia heringella in mid-summer and this was a start of them. Took me a while to identify this tiny moth but now I know it it makes looking for other neps at this time rather difficult. Staverton Park provided some nice catches. Larger moths like Biff-Tip, Leopard, Black Arches and Green Silver lines were common, also the Lackey, Festoon, Vapourer and a Scarce Silver Lines. Lots of Monochroa cytisella, some strongly marked Eudemis profundana and a few Strophedra nitidana. I picked up several Dystebenna stephensi, which, whilst Staverton Park may be its supposed habitat I have also picked up at home. Neil presents a photo of his catch at Ipswich on ‘Moths of Suffolk’. Look out for this species it may be more widespread, it doesn’t always show the brown markings in the wing patterning but the dark at the termen is a character. Anarsia spartiella taken, not lineatella unfortunately but did have some migrants there: Oncocera semirubella, Plutella xylostella, and a Small Mottled Willow.

17th was my hope for blown across migrants and I had a Striped Hawk-moth, a Catoptria verellus (not a looker is it!) and amazingly my second Olive Crescent of the year. Was this an immigrant or blown in from the Suffolk colonies?  A single Blastodacna atra was a new site addition.

19th turned colder than originally forecasted so the catch was not large but the Tangham trip was worthwhile. 4 Suspected and 3 Epinotia brunnichana. My first Cedestis gysseleriella another Anarsia that wasn’t a lineatella a Twin Spot Carpet, Festoon, Drinker Anania verbascalis, Saltern Ear and a Dark Sword-grass added interest.

21st at home was a big catch, plagued again by the Underwings, aproximately 350 Large in total with 250 in the front trap which with the Broad Bordered  and Lesser probably totaled around the 350 mark at the front trap. Smaller moths just a mess amongst the scales on the bottom of the trap. The catch did non-the-less give me two site additions a Sitochroa palealis and a Pempelia genistella. Might also have 2 Mompha lacteella but will need to do a gen prep to be sure. Nice to be seeing a few Large Emerald around at the present too.

Regular catches of the migrants Small Mottled Willow, Dark Sword-grass, Silver Y, Rush Veneer and Diamond-backed, with one further Bordered Straw during the period.

The great moth trapping weather in recent nights has brought some impressive catches of moths to IGC, so much so that I’ve struggled to cope. The night of the 14th stands out as the best, with c.200sp on the list so far from 2 traps run at the work shed woods with more micros still to work through. It’s not just been about the species count, just the sheer volume of moths caught has been amazing. Not underwings or Dark arches here either like the coastal trappers thankfully.
I’ve been lucky to get some rare wanderers/migrants. The night of the 13th brought in a Peach twig borer (Anarsia lineatella). Following on from a previous post of mine about moth food plants, this moth was caught in my actinic trap running in the garden right next to my Peach tree – coincidence?
The great night of the 14th produced two very good moths – a Silver barred and a Splendid brocade. The Silver barred is my second site record and of course the brocade is a site first.
I did trap again in the garden on the 15th, but this was a noticeably more quiet night compared to previous ones with no real exciting species seen, but a good number of moths were still caught.

Neil

Peach twig borer Anarsia lineatella

Silver barred

Splendid brocade

On the night of 10th May I trapped a single C. cuculipennella in my Ipswich (IP4) garden. This had survived the winter somewhere but perhaps not very close as this was the first Suffolk record and it has not been seen in either Norfolk or Essex for over one hundred years (and not at all in Cambridgeshire). I had thought that this would be the end of the story but last night (14th July) I trapped another one in my garden. This is undoubtedly one of a summer brood, so the question has to be is there a small local population? Last night was warm and humid and many moths were on the move but it seems to be quite a coincidence if both had travelled very far to find my trap. So, be on the lookout – I suppose a quick glance and it may be passed over for G. syringella but the oblique brown bands across the forewings are much less well-defined and the first specimen appeared “spotty” to the naked eye. With a hand lens the tufted labial palps are not difficult to see and that and the banded cilia rules out all other related species.

Last night an unexpected ‘first’ for Bawdsey arrived. I am over-the-moon to have recorded the Festoon! Regular on the Hollesley commons; this moth had never wandered down here before.

A Small Marbled was another fine catch (only my second ever record here). Scallop Shell was a ‘third’ for the site and there aren’t many records of the Scarce Silver-lines which also appeared here. Rosy-striped Knot-horn always a delight to see this Oncocera.

Friday the 10th I set up at Herringfleet Hills. Optimistic of a good night in perfect conditions, when it came to starting the generator it wouldn’t start. It has always been a first pull start on every occasion and despite several attempts it was no go. Brian was due to visit later as he was not trapping this night and when he showed up he offered to go home and bring his genny and so he did. Lights on at 22.50 I will have missed some moths, non the less 179 species recorded. It was good Brian was there as at switch on the traps were inundated with moths and it was a struggle to write down all species present. Moths seen included Triple spotted Clay of which there were several. D mucronellus, Pauper Pug, Crescent, Red-necked Footman, White Satin, Small Mottled Willow, Kent Black Arches, Water Ermine. Now without a generator possibly for the remainder of the season I guess focus will switch to my home site.

No Splendid Brocade for me but instead some 2 to 3 hundred Large Yellow Underwings in my front garden trap. Dreading it if the thousands turn up like last year. First Rosy Rustic and Tree Lichen Beauty also just to suggest the oncoming autumn.

I’ve only been home for a few days in the past month and am away again now, so have not been keeping up with the moth news. However, I was home at Spexhall on 10th and 11th July. Ran a moth trap both nights. Small willow beauty and rush veneer on 11th, but something I didn’t recognise on the 10th. Then saw the photographs in Matthew’s blog and recognised my moth straight away as a Splendid Brocade. I took photographs of it and kept the specimen (if anybody wants it they’re welcome). So, apologies to Matthew, but was mine the first or is there an earlier one out there?

Tony H

I’ve planted various things in the garden here to try and attract moths in that I haven’t recorded on my site before. I’ve put in Delphiniums to attract the Golden plusia, that was successful. I’ve more recently planted both Purple and Common toadflax for Toadflax brocade and Toadflax pug, and have succeeded with the brocade so far (although only an adult record no larvae yet). I have also grown a lot of Bladder campion from seed to try and attract in the beautiful Netted pug without success, until today that is. Was having a look at the flower and seed-heads for larval feeding damage when I spotted a small geometer larva resting on one clump. Safely potted up, I consulted the books and lo and behold it is a Netted pug. I’ll hang on to it to try and breed it through. So theres a tip for anyone trying to increase their site lists, plant some larval food plants!
I’ve also got Potatoes growing in my garden, will they one day draw in the fabled Death’s head hawk, I wonder?

Neil

Took an example of Splendid Brocade at Bawdsey Hall last night; which I believe is a ‘first’ for Suffolk of this moth which was only added to the British list about ten years ago.

It’s been incredibly busy trapping on the coast recently with numbers rivalling those of the vintage migrant year 2006.

Other recent migrant highlights have included Striped and Convolvulus Hawk-moths, Scarce Black Arches, hundreds of Small Mottled Willow (peak count 40 on night of 11 July); several Scarce Bordered Straw, tens of Bordered Straw, a handful of Pearly Underwings and scores of the more regular migrants. No Gem or Vestal yet this year but expect them soon.

Micros have included the three Catoptria verellus already blogged and a Peach Twig-borer on 11 July. Rush Veneer and Rusty-dot Pearl picking up but still low numbers.

Resident species have been busy too with most of the ‘regulars’ appearing. Twin-spot Carpet has appeared twice and is new to Bawdsey! A Feathered Gothic was highly unseasonable on 9 July. Several Gothic have also attended my lamps.

Been rather busy recently. Not only on moths. Ran two MV traps on 4 occasions 1st, 4th, 9th and 10th July. Species count on 9th was 135 the others were in excess of 200. Migrants abound in the UK at present and I have had a few. The first two nights were with easterly winds. The 3rd July brought a massive thunderstorm across from the east. We had a lightning strike somewhere in the vicinity of my property and that of my immediate neighbours. Everyone lost their broadband hubs and there was further damage to persons electronic equipment. My main pc which is surge protected was OK but my second one in the ‘insect room’ with attached Canon camera on a microscope now has the fans running continuously at a low speed and the camera is dead. The Thunderstorm brought immigrants and the easterlies helped salt-marsh species up to my traps.

1st July saw Bucculatrix maritima, Morophaga chorogella (new for site), Elachista scirpi (the second here and helps establish that it is resident on the coast at Hollesley), Monochroa suffusella (a first for me and probably for Suffolk) gen det, a very smart Celypha rosaceana, a Cypress Carpet (new for site) and 7 Red-necked Footman.

4th July turned up an Yponomeuta rorella, Leucoptera spartifoliella (new for site), Agdistis bennetii, Notocelia roborana (new for site), Aphomia zelleri, Four-dotted Footman (new for site), 6 Red-necked Footman, a Lilac Beauty (and they truly are!) and quite spectacular to see it in the trap an Olive Crescent (clearly new for site).

9th July whilst lower in species brought me my first Prays fraxinella other Prays have been ruficeps and another immigrant, a Cydia inquinatana (took me a while to work out what this one was).

10th July found an Argyresthia laevigatella (gen det) in the trap along with a Spatalistis bifasciana both new for the site.

Further on the immigrants, seems I’ve missed out on the Catoptria verellus but at the moment the Small Mottled Willow is notable when absent. Lots of Harlequin Ladybirds in the traps too.

What else; well Evergestis limbata is doing better than last year and quite a few Sciota adelphella. Particularly common this year are water Ermine, Treble Brown Spot and Fanfoot. Abundant are Clouded Silver and Synaphe punctalis with one of these looking like an albino variety, pale ochre with vague marking from scattered ferruginous scales. Currently Common Rustic are about now and my favourite Minor, the Rosy Minor. Dusky Sallow has appeared (sign of an oncoming autumn?) but still caught the Brown Silver Line on 10th.

Finally a rather sad story. I’ve been clearing out the final room of my property having been offered a sofa which will match the intended design. In the process I found the breeding site of the occasional Tinea pellionella that has been turning up in the last few years. A rolled up rug waiting to go down when the room was finished. Not any old rug though. A hand-made Moroccan rug I bought some 20 years ago for around £600!