Suffolk Moths Blog

I have been spreading my wings a little to take me beyond Hollesley to locations I have landowner permission for moth trapping. To date these have comprised Bromeswell Green (mid month), Tangham (30th) and Staverton Park (31st). Highlights therefore cover these sites in addition to my home and a number of species new to me.

Following on from Jon Clifton’s post some time ago; a Lead-coloured Drab eventually did grace one of my traps at home. Herald has been a regular at home also Tangham and Staverton. Tangham provided the expected pine feeders for this time of year: Pine Beauty abundant and Ocnerostoma friesei common. Yellow Horned was common at Bromeswell Green. Several Agonopterix ocellana at Tangham and a propinquella at home. Some nice Acleris species; both ferrugana and notana at Tangham and Bromeswell, hastiana at Tangham, hyemana, cristana and literana at Staverton the literana being a nice follow-on from the SMG record there of August 2000. A good selection of Caloptilia; betulicola and falconipennella at Bromeswell, stigmatella, semifascia and populetorum at Tangham.

Eriocrania coming to light recently has put E. sangii and E. subpurpurella onto my site list at home. Tangham also saw E. semipurpurella in addition and Staverton Park also added E. unimaculella.

Brindled Pug was abundant at Staveton Park where the list included Frosted Green, Lunar Marbled Brown, Pammene giganteana and Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella which also was common at Tangham.

Among the early or unseasonal moths included a Hedya atropunctana at Tangham and a Nutmeg at home along with Dark Sword-grass and the spectacular Silver Diving Beetle on 31st.

Yesterday evening started off OK with a bit of cloud cover, but by 9.30 the sky was clear and as I was trapping not far from the river a wet mist descended. Even so, 22 species recorded and new for the year were Chocolate-tip, Lunar Marbled Brown, Early Tooth-striped and an Eriocrania sp.

Brian

The 3 traps run on the night of the 31st had plenty of moths in, no real exciting finds but some year firsts: Pammene giganteana, Nut-tree tussock, Eriocrania salopiella, Frosted green (5), Herald and Epinotia immundana. Most common species still Common quaker (91), second was Eriocrania subpurpurella (78), then Brindled pug (33). Small quaker still struggling along with only 29 caught. Also of note another Water carpet. 24sp total.
Last night (1st April), 2 traps run in the garden completely different, pretty empty really with only 10sp noted and single figures of all species. Only the Early thorn (2) and Lunar marbled brown (2) were of note being first for the year. Was a clear sky last night so that is probably the cause of the smaller catch.

Neil

Clive Moore and I ran two 125W Skinner traps at Spexhall on 29 March.   Just 11 species were noted but most were new for site as no trapping undertaken here before in March.

Agonopterix alstromeriana and subpropinquella were noted with small numbers of March Moth, Pine Beauty, Red Chestnut, Early Grey and Satellite bolstered by larger numbers of orthosias.

Nearby, on the same night, I operated six 125W Robinson MV traps at one of my private sites.  Here 19 species were recorded including two Pale Pinion, Oak Beauty, Pine Beauty, Shoulder-stripe, Brindled Pug and Early Thorn.

Clive Moore and I operated three 125W traps on the warm night of 30 March at Stanny Farm.

Many species were typical of this time of year but will be new for the site as I haven’t run traps there before in March.  Highlights of 341 moths of 30 species included Broom-tip and Dotted Chestnut – two moths I seldom see.  A Red-green Carpet was a rare spring sighting.   Three Pale Pinions were a very welcome catch too. 

Also recorded were Oak Beauty, Pine Beauty, Grey Shoulder-knot, Shoulder-stripe, Dotted Border, Herald, Powdered Quaker amongst hordes of commoner species.

I was astonished to discovered a pristine Sloe Carpet in a 125W MV Robinson trap at Bawdsey Hall this morning, complete with diagnostic white abdominal spots!

The last Suffolk records were way back in 2003 at Monks Eleigh (Watchman per AWP) and in 2002 at Great Cornard and Lavenham (Read & Underwood).   Numerous attempts by the SMG to find the moth in the past 11 years have proved fruitless; so the Bawdsey record is all the more exciting.  Perhaps we should be looking along the Suffolk coast too?

Also in the catch from 31 March was the third Bawdsey record of Dotted Chestnut.  ‘Firsts’ for the year that night also included Northern Drab, Shuttle-shaped Dart and Waved Umber.

Over the last two nights (30th/31st) numbers of moths at MV in the garden have gone up fivefold. It had been a poor spring for small quaker, but now up to 50 per night. Similar numbers of common quaker and hebrew character, and respectable counts for clouded drab, early grey and red chestnut. Shoulder stripe and early thorn about 4 per night. Two pine beauty (which is scarce here: no pine) and first powdered quaker last night. A few micros including Semioscopis steinkellneriana and Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (which continues my good run of plumes). And two great silver water beetles.

Garden butterflies on 30th included orange tip and brimstone.

Tony H

Overcast, calm and with the car thermometer reading 11 celsius, things looked promising for the 30w actinic/skinner this morning. And so it proved. 132 moths, with 91 being Common Quaker and just 13 Small Quaker. The other usual suspects were Early Grey (7), Hebrew Character (6), Clouded Drab (4). The four that had me buzzing were Herald (new for the garden), Satellite, Oak Nycteoline and Early Thorn. A pristine Shoulder-Stripe was a joy to behold too.

I am intrigued that my fellow Stutton moth-er Tony, who runs a twin 30w actinic/robinson in a much richer garden only pulled in 46 moths of nine species last night.

I have set the trap in a large hall garden tonight, close to a poplar plantation.