Norfolk moths: Rockland St. Peter garden, 16 May 2014

Eyed Hawk-moth Smerinthus ocellata

After a warm, sunny day, the sky remained clear – at least until my last look at the trap at 22h00, by which time the temperature was still 14.0°C. The moon was a couple of nights past full and there was little evening activity at the trap. By dawn (04h30), the temperature had only dropped to 10.8°C and there were a dozen or more moths around the trap, with several Blackbirds anticipating an easy breakfast.

It proved to be a diverse, if small, haul of macros, including 16 species new for the trap: Chinese Character, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Mottled Pug, Common Pug, Eyed Hawk-moth, Iron Prominent, Marbled Brown, White Ermine, Buff Ermine, Heart and Dart, Light Brocade, Marbled Minor agg, Treble Lines and Buttoned Snout.

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata is now thought to be considerably scarcer than Red Twin-spot Carpet X. spadicearia, since previous separation criteria (including the pronounced notch on the inner edge of the wing-band at the costa in X. ferrugata) have been called into question. I have trapped good candidates for X. ferrugata in the past, but this one is about as close as one can get to being sure of the species without dissecting the animal. No hint of red on that dark central bar. And this one does show the wing notch...

Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis, a local, former UK BAP species

Scarcer still was my first Buttoned Snout. This was, until 2007, a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority species. The larvae feed on Hop Humulus lupulus (of which we have a supply in the garden) and adults over-winter to emerge about now.

Scorched Carpet (first caught in early April) is another fairly local species, whose larvae feed on Spindle Euonymus europaeus.

Light Brocade Lacanobia w-latinum      

Marbled Brown is a local moth of "long-established woodland in which mature oaks remain plentiful" (Waring et al. 2003), of which there is precious little in this area. Unfortunately, this smart little Notodontid fell victim to a Blackbird before I could photograph it (and despite my best efforts to protect it).

In contrast, Light Brocade, another local species represented by two of last night's catch, is associated with open ground on calcareous soil.







Foxglove Pug was attractive and easily identified (and, of course escaped before I could photograph it), but I struggled for a long time several other pugs and had to leave two unidentified, despite unstinting help from Norfolk Moths groups. I felt confident of Common and Mottled though.

Mottled Pug Eupithecia exiguata

Five species were firsts for 2014: Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Pebble Prominent, Turnip Moth and Small Square-spot.

Macro-moths (45 moths of 30 spp.):-

Cilix glaucata	Chinese Character	1
Xanthorhoe ferrugata	Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet	1
Xanthorhoe montanata	Silver-ground Carpet	1
Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	4
Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet	2
Eupithecia pulchellata	Foxglove Pug	1
Eupithecia exiguata	Mottled Pug	1
Eupithecia vulgata	Common Pug	1
Ligdia adustata	Scorched Carpet	1
Opisthograptis luteolata	Brimstone Moth	5
Menophra abruptaria	Waved Umber	1
Smerinthus ocellata	Eyed Hawk-moth	1
Notodonta dromedarius	Iron Prominent	2
Notodonta ziczac	Pebble Prominent	1
Drymonia dodonaea	Marbled Brown	1
Clostera curtula	Chocolate-tip	1
Calliteara pudibunda	Pale Tussock	2
Spilosoma lubricipeda	White Ermine	3
Spilosoma luteum	Buff Ermine	1
Agrotis segetum	Turnip Moth	1
Agrotis exclamationis	Heart and Dart	1
Agrotis puta	Shuttle-shaped Dart	1
Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder	2
Diarsia rubi	Small Square-spot	1
Lacanobia w-latinum	Light Brocade	2
Phlogophora meticulosa	Angle Shades	1
Apamea sordens	Rustic Shoulder-knot	1
Oligia strigilis agg.	Marbled Minor agg.	1
Charanyca trigrammica	Treble Lines	2
Hypena rostralis	Buttoned Snout	1

Micro-moths (3 moths of 2 spp.):-

Evergestis forficalis	Garden Pebble	2
Eurrhypara hortulata	Small Magpie	1

References

Waring, P., Townsend, M. & Lewington, R. (2003) Field guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing: Hook, Hampshire. 432 pp.