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

25th May 2018

The first really decent catch of the year with 45 species, with some migrant action (Silver Y x 8 and Diamondback x 1). Just one new for the garden (and an overall lifer):

[405] May Highflyer

May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata

For some reason I hadn't really expected this species despite it being seemingly common over the border in Norfolk. Although on viewing the old VC29 checklist it is considered to be scarce. 

Tried some clearwing lures the following morning - two Red-belted came in to the CUL lure after a while..

Red-belted Clearwing Synanthedon myopaeformis

21st May 2018

A new gelechiid for the garden list:

[404] Scrobipalpa costella

Scrobipalpa costella

I've only recorded this species (venacular name - Winter Groundling) once before in Cottenham and on that occasion it was a much paler individual with much more obvious dark subtriangular marks. The identity of this one was only apparent in the photos I took...its not exactly a stunner.

Otherwise, this Monopis crocicapitella was new for the year. At least I'm fairly confident that is what it is on size alone:

Monopis crocicapitella

9th & 11th May 2018

Despite predicting that I wouldn't get many new moths from now on, a few appeared over the nights of 9th and 11th May:

[400] Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
[401] Purple Bar
[402] Yellow-barred Brindle
[403] Least Black Arches

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet is often indistinguishable from Red Twin-spot Carpet (they both have 'red' and 'dark' barred versions) but all the pointers on this individual seem to be towards Dark-barred:  

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata

Purple Bar is a smart carpet (that isn't very purple mind) and this one is only my 3rd record in Cottenham. Both previous records were 2nd generation individuals in July and August 2013.

Purple Bar Cosmorhoe ocellata

Yellow-barred Brindle was regular at Corbett Street so its a little surprising that it hasn't turned up here before now. This one nearly eluded me too, helped by young Dylan I noticed it up high up on a wall late in the afternoon:

Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata

Least Black Arches was something I caught on my very first trap night in Cottenham I believe. However I haven't recorded in since 2014; so it was nice to find two on the wall next to the trap:

Least Black Arches Nola confusalis

6th May 2018

The bank holiday weekend was tremendously warm although night time temperatures were relatively cool. Consequently moth numbers are still low but I did manage two new moths for the garden:

[398] Mullein
[399] Campion

So the 400 is nearly up in just over two years of trapping. Considering my list at Corbett Street reached just 457 after seven years it has obviously been a productive couple of years. It does suggest that new moths are going to be quite hard to come by now. 

The Mullein is a superb moth and this one is only my second record in the village, with the Corbett Street record being as far back as 2010 (also in May).

Mullein Cucillia verbasci

Campion has completely avoided my Cottenham traps until now. It was slightly mystifying as it seems to be fairly regular nearby including northern Cambridge. I was concerned I was overlooking worn specimens and putting them down as Lychnis but there was certainly no mistaking this one:

Campion Sideridis rivularis

Best of the rest was this Puss Moth, always a great one to catch:

Puss Moth Cerura vinula

3rd May 2018

[397] Emperor Moth

After seeing some reports of the EMP lure working in attracting the odd Emperor Moth locally I thought I would give it a try. I put out the lure at 12:30 in seemingly perfect conditions - and didn't have a sniff over a lunch hour. Bill Mansfield did get success in the late afternoon though, so I returned to the garden at 16:00. Within 20 minutes I wondered why that Peacock butterfly was playing so much attention to the lure...when it slowly dawned on me what it was! Suddenly there was three Emperor moths doing laps around the garden. I manged to net two of them and took the lure in to give the other male a break.

Emperor Moth Saturnia pavonia

A completely brilliant moth and one I had only seen once before - a tatty female in the Cairngorms about 20 years ago. 

7th April 2018

A very tardy start to the mothing year for me although to be fair the weather has in general, been woeful. The trap produce a reasonable bunch of moths although dominated by a very high count of Common Quaker (44 individuals). I was however surprised to get three new moths for the garden including one that looks likely to be a first for VC29!

[394] Caloptilia populetorum
[395] Brindled Pug
[396] Pale Pinion

So, the only micro recorded turned out to be quite interesting. It took a while to work out but the identification looks pretty safe for Caloptilia populetorum, a scarce species of heathland and scrub with birch as its foodplant. Its been recorded once before in Hunts (in 2015) but excluding any potential 2017 records yet to be ratified, it hasn't been recorded at all in Cambs. Its slightly more regular in Norfolk, with the nearest records coming from the Lakenheath area it seems. One photo taken in Norfolk looks a dead ringer for mine. 

Caloptilia populetorum

Pale Pinion is a far from regular early spring species here and as well as being new for the garden I only recorded it once at Corbett Street on a near identical date (the 6th) in 2014.

Pale Pinion Lithophane hepatica

Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata

Otherwise, there was a couple of  Small Quaker:

Small Quaker Orthosia cruda

In addition to a Satellite, which comes quickly after the gardens first in November last year:

The Satellite Eupsilia transversa