Cambridge Blues

After finding a small colony of Small Blue butterflies in South Cambridgeshire in 2016, which turned out to be the first seen in the County for a decade, I've always been fond of this species. It isn't exactly the most dramatic of butterflies but it is our smallest while it is sparsely distributed across southern England and isolated colonies in Scotland.

Since 2016 they have been discovered at a second site in the county, Trumpington Meadows where they have been monitored each year. The foodplant of Small Blue is Kidney-vetch which is abundant on the Magogs so I always thought the butterfly could/ should occur. I do visit the site occasionally with the family and I had never come across it though...until now. Just a few minutes after Beth said we should be looking out for Small Blue I found a single individual that allowed a few quick photos:

Small Blue Cupido minimus

It does seem as if this is the first Small Blue to be seen here for many, many years. A few other observers have visited the site since and found at least two individuals so it bodes well for a colony to establish itself and for the status of the butterfly in the County. As an aside, these must refer to second generation individuals so it is highly likely that they have been lurking here without being detected at least earlier this year. 

22nd July 2020

The nationally scarce Gynnidomorpha alismana was a surprise occurrence to me here but a bit of research turned up a record in nearby Landbeach. The larvae feed on water-plantain so it would be interesting to work out where that grows nearby. 

The best of the rest of just under 100 species included a Pediasia contaminella which has only turned up a handful of times. While this species is also nationally scarce, it has this misfortune of having the vernacular name of 'Waste Grass-veneer'.

Gynnidomorpha alismana

Pediasia contaminella

[595] Gynnidomorpha alismana

17th July 2020

Another good selection of moths totalling around 100 species. Two species were new for the garden with both taking over a week to identify!

[593] Phyllonorycter comparella

[594] Gypsonoma minutana

After not recording any Phyllonorycter leaf mining moths to the garden at all previously, this year has been remarkable with multiple individuals of several species. Perhaps I am looking harder at the 'dust' at the bottom of the trap? This one looked distinctive and I was hopeful of putting it down to a particular species:

Phyllonorycter comparella 17.07.2020

Despite suggestions of several species including P. pastorella which has been recorded in the village before I couldn't find an exact match. This was going to be another one I had to let go as being unidentifiable until I trapped a near identical individual on 24 July:

Phyllonorycter comparella 24.07.2020

So this made me put in some more effort to find out what they might be. Finally, I found a match of P. comparella, a rare species of white and grey poplar. There are limited photographs of adults available but ones from Germany etc are compellingly similar. 

In contrast, I should have worked out this Gypsonoma minutana more readily as I had recorded it at Corbett Street:

Gypsonoma minutana

 Other good moths included my second and third Mere Wainscots:

Mere Wainscot Photedes fluxa

This superb Bordered Sallow was also only the second I have recorded:

Bordered Sallow Pyrrhia umbra

Continuing the theme of second records for the garden was this Acleris logiana:

Acleris logiana

New for the year was the smart tortrix Eucosma conterminana:

Eucosma conterminana

15th July 2020

Caloptilia rufipennella should is an apparently common moth but it has taken a while to turn up here:

Caloptilia rufipennella

Just a handful were new for the year:

Dark Sword-grass Agrotis ipsilon

Argyresthia goedartella

[592] Caloptilia rufipennella

13th July 2020

The best moth of the trap was not a new species but a rarity nonetheless - Sciota adelphella. A smart pyralid that I caught on a very similar date in 2018. This one made an unfortunate getaway before being photographed. 

Two moths were new for the garden and did stick around:

[590] Epagoge grotiana

[591] Notocelia roborana

Epagoge grotiana

Epagoge grotiana is a tortrix of deciduous woodland so not expected to be regular here although I did record it once at Corbett Sttreet. I also manage to string one here so good to get a definitive version!

Notocelia roborana is fairly widespread but has eluded me completely until now:

Notocelia roborana

Another interesting moth was this Phyllonorycter:

It is certainly something new to me but not identifiable to species without dissection. It is most likely P. coryli but P. maestingella amongst others cannot be ruled out. 

Lunar Hornet Moth

My attempts at attracting Hornet Moth to the garden are probably in double figures now with no reward. Lunar Hornet Moth is even more mythical as no pheromone lure existed..until now. Within a week of ALS putting it up for sale I had my hands on it  - although my first two attempts produced nothing. A third session however hit the jackpot...absolutely superb!

[489] Lunar Hornet Moth

Lunar Hornet Moth Sesia bembeciformis

Other dayfliers have been scarce recently, although Mint Moths are present on a daily basis:

Pyrausta aurata

30th June 2020

The first half of July has been really poor with regards to weather, a bit of a comedown from June. The trap has barely been out so here's a few good moths caught at the end of June to report. Nothing new for the garden but several species that are seen in small numbers only:

Ypsolopha sequella

Recurvaria nanella

Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana

Cydia fagiglandana

25th June 2020

Three new for the garden moths to report:

[586] Epinotia abbreviana

[587] Endothenia marginana

[588] Brown Scallop

A fresh and distinctive looking tortrix was one of the first moths I noticed. I thought I would be able to work it out quickly, but it was however a struggle and I tentatively put it down as just an unusually bright Ancylis achatana. That was seen to be completely wrong when I posted a photo online - a suggestion came back as Epinotia rubiginosana. Although I thought that wasn't quite right (I caught one of this species several years ago) it was definitely one of the Epinotia. A further suggestion of E. tenerana wasn't convincing either and then finally two votes for E. abbreviana cracked it. This is a very variable species that feeds on elm it certainly is a species I wasn't particularly aware of. 

Epinotia abbreviana

An even more difficult genus of tortricids, if that's possible, are the Endothenia. I catch very few of these however so they are always of interest. This individual was diminutive so is very likely to refer to E. marginana:

Endothenia marginana

Keeping up the theme of the previous trap, a Brown Scallop is a species that I recorded just once at Corbett Street. I had forgotten how dowdy they could be; they must be in the running for the worst geometer out there:

Brown Scallop Philereme vetulata

During the week there had been unusually large numbers of Acrobasis repandana turning up on the south coast. Two were in my trap and considering I've only recorded this once before its tempting to conclude they were part of the same movement. 

Acrobasis repandana

23rd June 2020

The warm nights returned and while diversity of moths wasn't far off the range recorded this time last year the numbers of the commoner species does seem rather low. I did catch up with two excellent new moths for the garden though, both of which I recorded at Corbett Street on single occasions only. 

[584] Ethmia dodecea

[585] Dotted Fan-foot

So after waiting several years for an Ethmia species in the garden I get two in a few weeks. 

Ethmia dodecea

Dotted Fan-foot is a Nationally Scarce (B) moth of fens and marshes so its regular at the key sites in the County and I had expected it turn up here eventually.

Dotted Fan-foot Macrochilo cribrumalis

After identifying one last year I was a little disappointed not to work out this Cnephasia longana without some assistance. Never mind, at least I photographed this one as last years escaped..

Cnephasia longana

New for the year was the common but charismatic Crassa unitella:

Crassa unitella