Some days out and about

During July I took the opportunity to spend a bit of time out and about visiting sites I would not normally go to.  In a week off in the 2nd week of July I visited a very breezy Fen Bog on the North Yorkshire Moors to see Large Heath and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, and also Keeled Skimmers.

Keeled Skimmer

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

The following day I headed south into Lincolnshire armed with a map and directions for a completely different site, something I didn't realise until I arrived at Chambers Farm Wood and couldn't make head nor tail of it.  With no site directions or anyone to ask I walked off into the wood and found a likely clearing and lucked in on at least two tree-top Purple Emperors, at least five White Admirals and dozens of high-flying Purple Hairstreaks.  There were probably hundreds of Ringlets along the rides, and a casual search of a Field Maple provided a mine of an Ectoedemia louisella, a new moth for me.

Ectoedemia louisella

Purple Hairstreak (with damaged wing)

White Admiral

Later that same week I attended a Field Studies Centre course at Preston Montford on Fly Family identification and managed to see a new moth, a Meal Moth!

Meal Moth

At the end of the month I had the opportunity to visit Slapton Ley in Devon through work, and spent the night trapping at the north end of the reed-beds.  Despite competition from an almost full-moon, numerous ships with lights in the bay and Start Point lighthouse, I still managed a reasonable nights catch.  What a beautiful morning, two young Hobbies flying around over the reed-bed, a singing Cirl Bunting in a distant hedgerow and a few Sedge and Reed Warblers chuntering away in the reeds.  

Slapton Ley, Devon

The moth highlights at Slapton included one new micro Homoeosoma sinuella (a poor phone photo), a Phycitodes maritima based mainly on small size, and Webb's Wainscots and Eupoecilia angustana both of which I had seen before at Gunwalloe in Cornwall in 2010. Migrant Silver Y's were in evidence and at least half of them were of the very small form dwarfed by the others. 

Homoeosoma sinuella

Phycitodes maritima

49.111 Eupoecilia angustana

The next two are the same species, Webb's Wainscot, and show the extremes in the dark markings, the lower more uniform one had a beautiful pink dusting to the wings.  A Notable B species found mainly in reed-beds especially along the coast from Yorkshire and East Anglia, Kent along to Cornwall, North Somerset and South Wales.

Webb's Wainscot

Webb's Wainscot

A successful month with a handful of new species seen.

Not a bad week....

I normally take this week off each year to accommodate a couple of family birthdays, the weather is usually good, and has also proved excellent for moths. This week has been no exception.  The only downside is that after 13 years of heavy use my generator failed last night, so no records from what would have been the fifth night in a row out trapping.

The trapping events for the week all in VC62 were as follows, including the results and highlights:

26 May - Brafferton Spring, 142 moths of 46 species

28.019 Esperia sulphurella

49.307  Spotted Shoot Moth Rhyacionia pinivorana

71.005  Sallow Kitten Furcula furcula

70.224  Scorched Wing Plagodis dolabraria

28 May - Hood Hill, Kilburn. 566 moths of 81 species

70.151  Foxglove Pug Eupithecia pulchellata

74.009  Oak Nycteoline Nycteola revayana

73.046  Poplar Grey Subacronicta megacephala

73.001  Spectacle Abrostola tripartita

29 May - Brafferton Spring, 228 moths of 58 species

One of the highlights was a Pine Hawk-moth, my first in Yorkshire following a handful seen in Dorset.  Photo taken by phone.

69.007  Pine Hawk-moth Sphinx pinastri

This fantastic micro is only 6mm in length and is one of two very closely related species.  The extent of the yellow almost reaching the cillia at the tip is in favour of C. alchimiella, however, gen.det. would be required to be 100%. 

Caloptilia alchimiella/robustella

30 May - Hood Hill, Kilburn, 454 moths of 66 species

73.016  Beautiful Golden Y Autographa pulchrina

Blomer's Rivulets are pretty scarce nationally and in Yorkshire, but have been regular at the Kilburn sites, and there were ten caught on this occasion.

70.116  Blomer's Rivulet Venusia blomeri

31 May - Pilmoor, 185 moths of 50 species

Rather than the usual trapping on the old railway line I decided to try out on the open heath area, one trap under an oak on the edge of the wood and the Robinson sited in the open next to the rushy pool.  The numbers and variety were initially disappointing but it was soon evident that the quality was exceptional.

One of the few coleophora that can be identified from its markings, and is found in heathery areas.

37.055  Coleophora pyrrhulipennella

The next four are rarities in VC62, and being micros are small in size, the first is only 5-6mm in length and the last is a mere 3mm long.

49.184 Lobesia reliquana

49.298  Notocelia trimaculana

49.240 Epinotia immundana

08.005  Phylloporia bistrigella

A fantastic few days trapping culminating in my trusty generator conking out last night and also knocking over the tripod while setting up and breaking one of my bulbs...

A couple more new ones....

Only eight days into 2018 and two more species identified from photographs of mines in retrospect.  The top one was in a rejected file of Shieldbugs but on closer scrutiny there is a mine of Heliozela sericiella which starts off in the twig, burrows out along the mid-rib before cutting an oval hole close to the mid-rib and dropping to the floor to pupate.  The photo taken at Pilmoor 17 Oct 2010 is out of focus (even the target shieldbug!) but I have added it to the site due to its rarity, probably the first VC62 record since 1984 and only the 3rd VC record.  Record accepted by the CMR.

Heliozela sericiella

The next is a mine/blotch in Rowan, made by a Stigmella sorbi, taken (from memory) near Miley Pike east of Osmotherley (VC62) on the confirmed date of 14 Jun 2011. 

Stigmella sorbi

Again, this reinforces the usefulness of keeping all photos on file with dates and locations and having a look through them at a later date just checking them thoroughly for anything that may have been missed.

Valerian Pug

Trapped at Hag Wood, Kilburn on 7th July 2017 and as with many pugs the photos have languished in my TBC file....  When I first potted it I was immediately struck on its lack of features not through wear but its plainness generally.  It was roughly 20mm across and once photographed I was able to study it in detail.  I cannot deny I really struggled with it.  Only for the reason it was 'plain' did I consider Plain Pug and posted an image on the Pugs Flying Tonight website where Valerian Pug was suggested.  Looking into other images of Valerian Pug I feel that this is a good call.  For what has such indistinctive features it is actually quite distinctive and there were a number of features noted on each of the web images from trusted sites; I plotted the features good for this species on one of my photos.

Valerian Pug

This is a scarce moth in the UK although reported in small numbers from most counties, it is rare in Yorkshire with last accepted VC62 record in 1913.  The foodplant is Common Valerian which according to BSBI maps does occur in the Kilburn area and I will be looking out for the plant on my next visit.

Trapping at Hag Wood, Kilburn, VC62, night of 7th July

Yes I know, another night at Kilburn, but to be honest after such a good run of scarce moths it just had to be done.  A return to one of the original early sites I have used in the past produced 434 of 84 identifiable species.  The highlights were my first Yorkshire Beautiful Hook-tips (two) a southern species moving north into the county; two of the larch feeding Ptycholomoides aeriferana, a recent arrival to the UK but now widespread in small numbers; another Olindia schumacerana, this and the last one a week before showing only a trace of the cream coloured 'belt'; four Blomer’s Rivulet and a Larch Pug.

Ptycholomoides aeriferana

Olindia schumacerana

Olindia schumacerana

Apotomos betuletana

Spilonota ocellana 

Larch Pug

A daytime walk of the site today offered a couple of Silver Y nectaring, but no other moths of interest.  

Trapping at Kilburn, VC62, night of 1st July

Having studied the Kilburn area using google Earth looking for new potential accessible habitat I decided to try some of the higher tracks below Roulston Scar to the west of the White Horse. However on arrival I found the tracks to be more like paths and none were driveable and I had not brought my wheelbarrow or sacktruck to move the equipment any distance.  Feeling thwarted on this occasion I headed back to one of the main tracks where three meet at the foot of Hood Hill and chose the NE fork and located myself on a bend surrounded by mixed conifer and broad-leaved woodland. It was quite a breezy night especially around midnight as a very weak front passed through allowing a short period of very fine drizzle before clearing.  As it turned out, a fair night with some 415 moths of 83 species including three new micros.

The three new ones were a Carpatolechia fugitivella, an wych elm feeder, a very faded Epinotia tedella and a white marked rather than yellow Pammene regiana (awaiting gen.det.)  Each took some time to identify for different reasons: the first is not illustrated in Sterling and Parsons and I just stumbled across it while looking for something else on the internet; the second appeared non-descript but the faint marking matched similar images online including the buffy head colour and the white 'nick' in the trailing edge of the wing; and finally the Pammene patch colour is usually yellow or cream but white ones do appear in various photo libraries. 

Carpatolechia fugitivella

Epinotia tedella

Pammene regiana

The best of the rest included Larch Pug, another Clouded Magpie, seven Blomer's Rivulets, all confirming the mix of broad-leaved trees including Elm and various conifer trees including Larch and Norway Spruce.  A small selection of other species trapped are included below.

Eucosma cana

Dichrorampha acuminatana

Brown China-mark

Shaded Broad-bar

Double Square-spot

Two nights in Kilburn woods, VC62

Having a week off and choosing the best midweek nights for trapping I chose a new location on an existing site in Kilburn woods not far from the White Horse.  Wednesday night was dry but breezy and turned out to be a night of exceptional quality micros, and this success prompted a return visit last night some 200m away in slightly different habitat on a calm and biting midge-filled night.

Night of 31st May, just over 300 moths of 70 species, but what quality!  The comments on rarity underneath are using not quite up-to-date information but certainly a reflection on their scarcity.

0128 Phylloporia bistrigella = 1st since 1883 in VC62

0481 Epermarnia falciformis - 3rd VC62 record (the other two are mine too)

0906 Blastodacna atra - only 3 Yorkshire records, the first in VC62 since 1921

as above

1132 Epinotia subocellana - I had two, 5th and 6th VC62 records

1242 Pammene populana - only 6 Yorkshire records - the first in VC62 since 1954

as above

Night of 1st June, over 470 of 68 species, the highlight being four Clouded Magpie which are simply stunning and I have only had a couple before.

0968 Cochylis nana

1885 Clouded Magpie

1887 Clouded Border ab. - a variable species but I have never seen one like this

2043 Orange Footman

2150 Grey Arches

In addition to all the moths I was lucky enough to have some Glowworms totalling 12 females and one male over the 200m stretch over the two nights.  Always a pleasure to see and duly reported to the recording scheme.