19th June 2018

I'm picking up some interesting micros this year and this continued with these three new for the garden:

[420] Hawthorn Moth
[421] Exoteleia dodecella
[422] Epermenia chaerophyllella

I've recorded Hawthorn Moth just once before (June 2014):

Hawthorn Moth Scythropia crataegella

I needed some help in identifying the E. dodecella possibly as it doesn't feature in the plates of Stirling &Parsons. It's yet another Scots Pine species that's fairly local in East Anglia:

Exoteleia dodecella

While E. chaerophyllella was a little easier to identify:

Epermenia chaerophyllella

Another good micro was this Phycitodes binaevella which I get in very small numbers most years:

While Beautiful Hook-tips are continuing their upturn, with several trapped so far this year:

Beautiful Hook-tip Laspeyria flexula

One of the most common grass moths is Crambus pascuella, which are turning up now:

Crambus pascuella

15th June 2018

Over 85 species to sift through and rewarded with four new micros for the garden:

[416] Ectoedemia heringella
[417] Apple Leaf Miner
[418] Gypsonoma sociana
[419] Notocelia rosaecolana

A minuscule moth at the bottom of the trap caused me to wander back and forth cluelessly trying to work out what family it was from never mind species. Thanks to Rob Partridge for the identification, it looks like it is Ectoedemia heringella (New Holm-Oak Pigmy). This species was first discovered in 2002 and has since spread substantially; even so it is the leaf mines that are commonly recorded not the adult. 

Ectoedemia heringella

Also tiny was this Apple Leaf Miner (shocking photo I know). I had a run of several records of this species in 2013 and 2014 but not since.

Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella

Gypsonoma sociana is, for a black and white tortrix, reasonably distinctive:

Gypsonoma sociana

I can't say the same for various Notocelia / Epiblema species however. A second opinion on this one though has allowed me to claim N. rosaecolana:

Notocelia rosaecolana

I don't record many Catoptria pinella, the smartest of the grass moths that occur here:

Catoptria pinella

Hypsopygia glaucinalis is also annual in very small numbers:

Hypsopygia glaucinalis

 While scoparids are generally a nightmare and unfortunately quite abundant right now (!). This one looks good for the common Eudonia mercurella:

Eudonia mercurella

The fourth Cochylis of the year appeared; this is the most regular species here - C.hybridella:

Cochylis hybridella

Clearwings June 2018

Courtesy of James Hanlon who twitched my garden, here's some photos of four species of clearwing caught in a mad 90 minute session on the 15th:

Currant Clearwing - 3 caught (second garden record):

Orange-tailed Clearwing - 3 caught:

Red-tipped Clearwing - 2 caught:

Red-belted Clearwing - 3 caught:

13th June 2018

Another good catch with four new for the garden:

[412] Piniphila bifasciana
[413] Dioryctria abietella
[414] Mottled Beauty
[415] Clouded Brindle

I nearly overlooked this tortrix thinking it was an earlyish Lobesia abcisana but a double check on the photo below revealed its true identity. A fairly local species of Scots Pine, so not an expected addition to the list.

Piniphila bifasciana

Dioryctria abietella is a moth that I had recorded just once before in Cottenham (Aug 2013) and is also a Scot's Pine species (coincidence?!):

Dioryctria abietella

Mottled Beauty used to be annual in small numbers, but this is the first one I've had in a few years:

Mottled Beauty Alcis repandata

Clouded Brindle has always been scarce however, this is just my third record (others being in 2012 and 2014):

Clouded Brindle Apamea epomidion

There was also the gardens second Cochylis molliculana:

Cochylis molliculana

And finally a couple of other species - a few Small Fan-foot have appeared this year

Small Fan-foot Herminia grisealis

 While Smoky Wainscots are also on the wing:

Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impura

As are Poplar Grey:

Poplar Grey Subacronicta megacephala

Red-tipped Clearwing 10th June 2018

I managed to net and photograph a single Red-tipped Clearwing that came in to the FOR lure:

Red-tipped Clearwing Synanthedon formicaeformis

3rd June 2018

While the numbers of moths weren't quite as impressive as two nights previous, there were still over 60 species to process. Two new ones for the garden:

[410] Monopis weaverella 

[411] Cochylis atricapitana

Monopis weaverella

Cochylis atricapitana

1st June 2016

A warm and muggy night brought some quite spectacular results - at least 89 species of over 300 moths. This took the best part of two hours to sift through, not an unpleasant way to spend my Saturday morning..that was until the local Robins decided that a moth breakfast/brunch/lunch was in order. It is definitely time to change tactics on when releasing everything!

Four moths were new for the garden, two of which were lifers:

[406] Coptotriche marginea
[407] Argyresthia trifasciata
[408] Argyresthia cupressella
[409] Freyer's Pug

Jon Heath reported catching Argyresthia cupressella  (AKA Cypress-tip Moth), an adventive species, a couple of nights previously. I was however still a little surprised that an Argyresthia  potted not long after dusk turned out to be this species too. Not sure how many records there have been in VC29 but looks like they might be a more regular occurrence from now on. Another one was in the trap by morning:

Argyresthia cupressella

Argyresthia trifasciata is more expected (I recorded it in both 2014 and 2015 at Corbett Street) but still good to see alongside the above species:

Argyresthia trifasciata

It took a suggestion from David Griffiths to sort the identity of the Coptrtriche marginea. A tiny moth that I also nearly overlooked, never mind put an identity to:

Coptrtriche marginea 

Freyer's Pug was regular at Corbett Street with over 20 records between 2010 and 2015. So its been somewhat of a mystery why its been missing on the High Street  until now. 

Freyer's Pug Eupithecia intricata

Other good moths including two Sitochroa verticalis (3rd and 4th records in Cottenham:

Sitochroa verticalis

And my second ever Small Square-spot here:

Small Square Spot Diarsia rubi

And my third Cochylis nana:

Cochylis nana