July 2017 - some common species

Here are some photos of common species that have been ignored in my previous posts:

Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes

Bud Moth Splionota ocellana

Endotricha flammealis

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe

Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata

Dot Moth Melanchra persicariae

Agonopterix alstromeriana

Scalloped Oak Crocallis elinguaria

Fan-foot Herminia tarsipennalis

18th July 2017

The forecast predicted a heavy shower or two when in fact it rained continuously from around 11pm onwards - I decided to rescue the trap at 02:30 which wasn't too much fun. Happily, there were still some good moths left in the morning while one or two were potted before the deluge. There were  six additions to the garden including two not recorded in Cottenham before:

[358] Garden Rose Tortrix

[359] Catoptria pinella

[360] Pediasia contaminella

[361] Donacaula forficella

[362] Small Phoenix

[363] Twin-spotted Wainscot

Pediasia contaminella was the first completely new one for me, its distinctive resting posture giving it away:

Pediasia contaminella

Small Phoenix is one thats avoided my trap until now:

Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata

There were three Twin-spotted Wainscots all looking subtedly different to each other. I think I recorded this species only twice at Corbett Street:

Twin-spotted Wainscot Lenisa geminipuncta

The Donacala forficella was a disnctive male and quite an interesting moth:

Donacaula forficella

I was somewhat shocked to find that Garden Rose Tortrix was new for the garden; its normally a common species with an extensive flight season. Not sure why it went missing last year:

Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana

Scorched Carpet seems to be getting to be getting a little more regular here - this is the 3rd in 2 years after only being recorded once in the previous 6:

Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata

13/15th July 2017

A nice bunch of  moths included eight new for the garden, of which three were totally new for me:

[349] Helcystogramma rufescens
[350] Argyotaenia ljungiana
[351] Eucosma obumbratana
[352] European Corn-borer
[353] Maple Pug
[354] Bordered Pug
[355] Dark Umber
[356] Phoenix
[357] Southern Wainscot


Helcystogramma rufescens is a fairly distinctive gelechid and quickly identified once I had bothered looking properly at it. I've not recorded this in Cottenham before:

Helcystogramma rufescens

Argyotaenia ljungiana is a moth that is rather inconsistent in appearance at my Cottenham traps. In some years it is common and in others completely absent (like last year). I do wonder sometimes if I'm overlooking it due to the unusually low standard illustration in Waring but I'm sure that is not the case - its reasonably distinctive:

Argyotaenia ljungiana

Eucosma obumbratana is a relatively local tortrix and the first I've recorded:

Eucosma obumbratana

The final micro caused me a headache but turned out to be a worn European Corn-borer:

European Corn-borer Ostrinia nubilialis

On to a tale of two pugs - one distinctive and one not so. The latter has caused some split opinions but looks a very strong candidate for Maple Pug. Bordered Pug otherwise is quite smart and recorded most years in Cottenham:

Bordered Pug Eupithecia succenturiata

Maple Pug Eupithecia inturbata

Dark Umber is a less than stunning moth (marginally better than the awful Brown Scallop!) but rare here - this my only record in the village since two in July 2013:

Dark Umber Philereme transversata

Southern Wainscot has a distinctive feature - a grey 'alice band' on the forehead. It not as obvious on this individual as others I've recorded but it is there.....

Southern Wainscot Mythimna straminea

I had completely overlooked that Phoenix is new for the garden (it was recorded annually at Corbett Street), so I didn't take too much care in getting a photograph;

Phoenix Eulithis prunata

New for the year moths included my second ever Webb's Wainscot:

Webb's Wainscot Globia sparganii

..and a Timothy Tortrix...

Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana

7th July 2017

Back home to Cambridgeshire to continued warm nights and it was rather busy with moths in the garden - just one short of the magic 100 species and so being the most diverse trapping night here to date. There was no big headliner like recent good nights but an excellent thirteen were new for the garden. Oak Nycteoline (of the attractive form ramosana) would have been the highlight but it made its escape without being photographed:

[335] Orchard Ermine
[336] Bucculatrix nigricomella
[337] Agonopterix subpropinquella
[338] Ypsolopha scabrella 
[339] Aethes rubigana
[340] Hedya salicella
[341] Celypha striana
[342] Cydia splendana
[343] Meal Moth
[344] Small Rivulet
[345] Haworth's Pug
[346] Wormwood Pug
[347] Brown-tail
[348] Oak Nycteoline



The Yponomeuta ermines are rather tricky indeed and a lot of what I see do not get assigned to species. However, this individual has a complete grey cast and therefore is a strong candidate for Orchard Ermine:

Orchard Ermine Yponomeuta padella

Contrast this to the plain white (including the cilia) of this Spindle Ermine:

Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella

and the common and finer-spotted Bird-cherry Ermine:

Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella

Bucculatrix nigricomella is a tiny micro and caused me a headache the first (and only) time I've recorded it as its not illustrated in Sterling & Parsons. It is reasonably distinctive however so I recognised it pretty quickly this time:

Bucculatrix nigricomella

The second species of Aethes seen here in the last month was this rubigana - only the second time I've seen it I think:

Aethes rubigana

The three new tortrixes (tortrices?) were all fairly common species but all missing last year

Hedya salicella

Celypha striana

Cydia splendana

Haworth's Pug however is far from common and thank god for the orange abdomen which makes it fairly distinctive for a pug:

Haworth's Pug Eupithecia haworthiata

I flipped with the identification of this pug between Wormwood and Currant before settling on the former - principally due to wing shape and size:

Wormwood Pug Eupithecia absinthiata

Small Rivulet is a moth I've recorded in Cottenham only once before I believe:

Small Rivulet Perizoma alchemillata

New for the year moths included this nice Anania coronata....

Anania coronata

and there were several of the tiny Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners

Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella

July in West Dorset

Whilst away for a few days at Lyme Regis I put the trap out a couple of times. The results were rather underwhelming compared to recent results back home. I did however catch this monster Four-spotted Footman:

Four-spotted Footman Lithosia quadra

1st July 2017

Whilst sitting in the lounge I heard something large hit the trap and I was rather pleased that it turned out to be a stunning Goat Moth. It doesn't often come to light and was definitely one of my most wanted moths:

Goat Moth Cossus cossus

Everything else paled into insignificance but there were three new for the garden:
[332] Goat Moth
[333] Lesser Cream Wave
[334] Early Thorn

Lesser Cream Wave Scopula immutata

Early Thorn Selenia dentaria

There was also the fifth Pine Hawkmoth of the year  - an unprecedented total:

Pine Hawkmoth Sphinx pinastri

A fairly scarce micro here is Tinea trinotella and this was the first this year, after one recorded last year:

Tinea trinotella

The commonest moth however at this time of year is often the crambid Chrysoteuchia culmella:

Chrysoteuchia culmella