Cottenham leaf mines

Instigated by the need for detective work needed to work out the origin of several species recorded in the garden trap this year I've started paying more attention to leaf mines around the village. This is something I had no prior interest in...but its incredibly rewarding. With the help of the fantastic http://www.leafmines.co.uk/ resource I've managed to locate  eleven species in a small area including many that I didn't know were present locally. I'm sure there is much more to find. 

The species that got me going on leaf mines this year was Phyllonorycter comparella. It didn't take too long to find some mines on a nearby Grey Poplar which could well be the source of my garden records this year:

Phyllonorycter comparella on Grey Poplar

Also on the same Grey Poplar was the very distinctive mines of Phyllocnistis xenia; a species I also recorded in the garden trap for the first time this year:

Phyllocnistis xenia on Grey Poplar

In late spring mines of the rare Phyllonorycter pastorella were readily found on willow:

Phyllonorycter pastorella on willow

Found in many places in the village were the mines of Stigmella aceris on Field Maple:

Stigmella aceris on Field Maple

A stand of young Hornbeam supported two species, neither of which I have (knowingly) trapped. These included Stigmella microtherella:

Stigmella microtherella on Hornbeam

While Phyllonorycter esperella were very common:

Phyllonorycter esperella on Hornbeam

I've struggled to identify many mines on Oak - there are many species to choose from, but I worked out two new species for me:

Phyllonorycter messaniella on Oak

Stigmella basiguttella on Oak

Somewhat easier to work out is the widespread Stigmella aurella on Bramble:

Stigmella aurella on Bramble

Another Stigmella species was perpygmaeella which mines Hawthorn - I only found one mine of this:

Stigmella perpygmaeella on Hawthorn

While on Alder were some Stigmella stettinensis:

Stigmella stettinensis on Alder

Some of the best leaf mines I found were actually away from Cottenham while surveying a beech woodland in Norfolk this autumn. Some of the 'green island' mines on Stigmella tityrella are stunning:

winter moths November / December 2020

The weather allowed the trap to go out a few times in mid November this year. The options for new moths for the year were few after a productive October but I was glad to trap my second December Moth here, a a tremendous species:

December Moth Poecilocampa populi

Also a second garden record was a Acleris cristana, with the previous one occurring in March 2019:

Acleris cristana

Several Mottled Umber of different variations turned up making it by far my most productive year for this species. They were also seen with some regularity on several house walls on the school run:

Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

Similarly Winter Moths were found mostly  attracted to house lights from late November into December:

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

A final new moth for the year was a Satellite:

Satellite Eupsilia transversa

Late October 2020

The second half of the month involved a couple decent mild nights which produced two new moths for the garden.

Sprawler is a late autumn species of broad-leaved woodland so I had thought it would be difficult to catch one here:

Sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx

Chestnut on the other hand is a common and widespread species that can occur throughout the winter into early spring. It was a strange gap in the garden list and finally, two individuals turned up this month:

Chestnut Conistra vacinii

An Acleris sparsana was just the second for the garden:

Acleris sparsana

Three more Merveille du Jour turned up including two together on the 16th. A total of four this year is my best ever return. 

Merveille du Jour Griposia aprilina

Some other great moths from the tail end of the autumn:

Feathered Thorn Colotois pennaria

Mallow Larentia clavaria

Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata

This might be it now for the year; there are just a handful of realistic possibilities that will be addition to the year list before the years end.

[622] Sprawler

[623] Chestnut

Early October 2020

October was overall pretty good with most of the classic species turning up and a handful of new ones for the garden. An early Mottled Umber on the 6th was the first new species for the garden and just the third I have recorded in Cottenham:

Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria

Merveille du Jour is always a much anticipated October moth:

Merveille du Jour Griposia aprilina

Some other species that were new for the year in the first half of the month:

Rhomboid Tortrix Acleris rhombana

Large Wainscot Rhizedra lutosa

Red-line Quaker Agrochola lota

Yellow-line Quaker Agrochola macilenta

Sallow Cirrhia icteritia

[621] Mottled Umber

22nd September 2020

A couple of quiet catches recently haven't produced anything unexpected so a return of three new moths for the garden was a pleasant surprise. This was just reward for braving the early morning downpours that necessitated a move of the trap to the car port.

The best moth was a Breckland Plume, a nationally scarce b species that is rarely recorded in the County; although there is has been at least one previous record this year. As it name suggests it is resident in the Brecks in addition to parts of coastal Norfolk and Suffolk.

Breckland Plume Oxyptilus distans

One of the key features is the lack of dusky fringe markings on the final forewing lobe, which distinguishes it from the similar but even rarer O. laetus:

A late Spilonota tortrix caught my attention in being slim and with a suffusion of grey scale markings. These are all good features of S. laricana (Larch-bud Moth). This species was previously thought to be a variation within S. ocellana  (Bud Moth) which commonly occurs here in mid-summer. 

Spilonota laricana

The final new moth for the garden involved two Deep-brown Dart. This species turned up twice at Corbett Street prior to 2015. 

Deep-brown Dart Aporophyla lutulenta

[618] Breckland Plume

[619] Spilonota laricana

[620] Deep-brown Dart

4th September 2020 - Catocala craziness

 Finding my second Clifden Nonpareil on the gate by the trap at 2230 was exciting enough but by morning a second Catocala species had arrived.  Yet again it wasn't the expected Red Underwing but a fantastic Dark Crimson Underwing. It was remarkable to catch these two species together, especially as neither had seemed remotely possible here in Cambridgeshire until this year. 

The Clifden is definitely a different individual than the one caught here in late August and since then several more have been seen in the County.

Dark Crimson Underwing Catocala sponsa

Clifden Nonpareil Catocala fraxini

[617] Dark Crimson Underwing

26th August 2020

For a supposedly common moth, the stunning Bordered Beauty doesn't turn up here very often. In fact this is the first for the garden and only the second I've seen in the village; the previous being in 2013.

Bordered Beauty Epione repandaria

Signs of autumn continue with the years first Barred and Centre-barred Sallows. Here's the latter:

Centre-barred Sallow Atethmia centrago

While Dioryctria abietella was new for the year:

Dioryctria abietella

Box-tree Moths are becoming more regular now and my first melanic version turned up:

Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis 

A fairly late Lobesia abscisana was of some interest as was a smart Vapourer:

Lobesia abscisana

Vapourer Orgyia antiqua

[616] Bordered Beauty