Suffolk Moths Blog

3 nights trapping all potentially excellent nights threatened by rain, but as it happens we remain downpour free up here. Light rain with a few moderate bursts spoiled things a bit most nights though. Average species count 70-75 per night. Highlight of the 22nd was 6 Twin-spotted Wainscot my best ever count at home,along with the first Webb’s here this year. The best night was Friday with 3 New macro species for home, which is pretty good considering I started trapping in July 2003. They were; Mullein Wave, Coast Dart and White-spotted Pug. The best moth of Saturday night was Lesser-spotted pinion first seen here last year. The best of the ‘migrants’ Dark Sword-grass and Rush Veneer.
For those of you following actinic success or failure on the night of 23rd, first trap checked, the actinic, had 39 species on a night when 4 traps had 75 species in total.
My trap is a Skinner, which is known to not hold moths so well, however I think the low light over the box probably gets more moths in the trap, whereas the Robinson with the light up in the air has more moths around it. However, placement is also key to good results and taller vegetation, ie shrubs, on at least one side seems to do best for me.

Last night (23 August) I was trapping at an undisclosed site in the north of the county (not too far from Halesworth).

The hot and humid conditions resulted in a high catch of c150 species which included four August Thorns. I got absolutely soaked doing the traps this morning though. I had considered this species extinct in Suffolk as I’ve not heard of any reports in recent years. I would be keen to know where and when you last saw the August Thorn? The same applies to September Thorn, Pale Eggar and Figure of Eight – I fear they may have gone from our county now; since I started mothing.

Also recorded were three of the seriously declining Dusky Thorn and a single Canary-shouldered Thorn; a Tawny Wave, several Square-spotted Clays and a number of Lesser-spotted Pinions.

Micros included my second Lesser Wax Moth of the week.

Conditions looked very good last night, with it being warm, cloudy and humid with winds coming up from France. So a bit disappointed this morning to find the traps weren’t as busy as I’d thought they would be. Maybe this is due to the recent heavy rain we have had here, and also the main recording season is now tailing off. Still, there were 104sp trapped with a few minor highlights including 4 Tree-lichen beauty (getting a bit worn now), C. straminea (not a common micro here), Scorched carpet (used to be rare but now starting to appear more often here, my second record this year), Mouse (first for year), Agonopterix assimilella and Gelechia senticetella. Only ‘migrants’ were a few Plutella xylostella and a White point.

Neil

August has been fantastic so far at the Hall. I am still working on the species lists for the Moth Night weekend and some micros still await determination, I will post these results once finalised.

Other recent highlights have included regular Cypress Pugs, Golden-rod Pugs and Bordered Pugs.  One of the female Golden-rod Pugs laid eggs; the resulting larvae of which I am rearing on Common Ragwort.   Several Dark Spinach, Sharp-angled Carpet, Scorched Carpet, Purple Bar and Maiden’s Blush in the traps.  A Birch Mocha was a very exciting capture (extremely rare here) and best of the geometrids – a White-banded Carpet on the 21st August. Going on the SMG website maps this would appear to be new to VC25. I have never seen this species in West Suffolk and it appears to have become locally extinct there.

Still catching the odd Pine, Privet, Poplar and Elephant Hawk-moth and odd late Buff Ermine and Garden Tiger this week.

Ground Lackey and Sandhill Rustic have had a good year and still catching these this week. Also from the saltmarsh a late Rosy Wave a few days ago and regular Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennettii.

Silver Ys have been an absolute pain – the new pronuba here! Hundreds most nights causing chaos in two of the traps along with wasps.   A few Gold Spot have appeared and a single Dewick’s Plusia was picked out amongst the gamma on 17 August and represents the fourth Bawdsey record; though the first for the Hall.  Other migrants have included several obstipata, peltigera and exigua and reasonable numbers of ipsilon.  Several janthina have been identified amongst the yellow underwings (also a single fresh orbona a few days ago).  The migrant pyralids – noctuella and ferrugalis are putting in an appearance with a couple of the tortricid Crocidosema plebejana (sometimes considered a migrant) and the ever-present xylostella.

Wainscots have been well represented this month with regular Bulrush, Webb’s, Brown-veined and Twin-spotted but the local White-mantled has yet to wander in.  Fen, Southern, Smoky and more recently second-brood pallens has appeared.  Odd L-album Wainscots have occurred between the obvious broods and may well be primary immigrants.

Numbers of xanthographa are rising with Frosted Orange and Feathered Gothic now flying.   Canary-shouldered Thorn numbers are rising too and three Red Underwings have come to light this week with a single Old Lady last week.

Micro captures have mainly centred around caloptilias – with several interesting ones retained for further examination.   Ethmia bipunctella has appeared in good numbers again this season.   Amongst the Yponomeuta have been several plumbella.   A Lesser Wax Moth at light this week was a rare capture for here and also the Wax Moth which is much more regular.  Several Agriphila latistria have appeared and Pima boisduvaliella still a regular.  Summer Fruit Tortrix has appeared a couple of times and Cochylis molliculana is  currently regular; Acrolepia autumnitella, an Epermenia falciformis and the tiny Bucculatrix albedinella have also appeared. Thanks to Raymond for assistance with the micros and pug determination.

Metalampra italica was first recorded in Suffolk on the 22nd August 2010 when a single adult was taken in Bramfield by Robin Harvey. Jump forward almost three years to the day and, amazingly, three adults were recorded in a light trap that was being operated in Cliff House Caravan Park, Dunwich. These now constitute the 2nd, 3rd & 4th county records.

Once considered to be endemic to Italy, M. italica now appears to be spreading its range. It was first recorded in Britain (in Devon) in 2003, and has since been noted in a few other southern counties, including Beds, Herts and Kent. While the origin of Dunwich trio will remain a mystery my thanks must go to Clive Moore et. al for allowing Matthew and I to see the specimen pictured below:

Metalampra italica - Dunwich Aug 2013

I trapped here again on the 19th having had a bit of a gap from the site. Brian joined me for most of the evening. Also this was the area he trapped on the SMG night up here in June. The target was White-mantled Wainscot. 94 species seen. I thought it fairly quiet considering the conditions, despite being clear setting up, perfect with very little moon seen. A few candidates for white-mantled on the night and all possibles brought home for thorough checking next day. As it turns out the two showing the very little white-mantle on the night were the only two confirmed. With the other four possibles being Brown-veined. I also brought home a definite Brown-veined as an identification aid which helped with spot position underneath. 7 Brown-veined recorded. Also 5 Acleris sheperdana, 2 Ancylis badiana, Goldspot, Small rufous, White-spotted Pug, Double-lobed, Olive, Reed Dagger. Still waiting confirmation on what may have been the best moth, an Agonopterix.

In this Saturday’s East Anglian Daily Times newspaper there is due to be a section on 30 years of the Suffolk Sandlings project restoring heathland in the county. As part of that section there is an article all about Ipswich Golf Club and the work we do here to restore Heather, the main part of my job at the site. Should be some photos to go with it. Hopefully there should also be a bit about the moth recording that goes on too, so may be worth looking out for if you get the newspaper.

Neil

Had a few nights off from trapping because of the cool clear conditions and working some long day shifts but as it was warm and cloudy last night the traps were back on again.
Pretty good numbers of moths in the traps this morning for the time of year, with 116sp identified. Pick of the bunch was a Cydia amplana in the twin 30w actinic trap, possibly a migrant but an outside chance it could be locally bred. Another wanderer was a Saltmarsh plume Agdistis bennetii. Highest count so far this year of Tree-lichen beauties too, with 4 seen. Commonest moths Agriphila geniculea and Agriphila tristella. More Copper underwings (6) than Large yellow underwings (3). A late Rosy footman too.
The twin 30w actinic trap seems to attract far more wasps than the 125w MV, bit of a challenge dodging those this morning as they were quite active around the light. A few Hornets again as well.
Conditions looking promising for a few nights with warm weather returning.

Neil