Twist : Torts and Ticks

I'm going to focus on various Tortricidae from the garden, and including some ticks. In no particular order. First up, a couple of non-descript looking Torts that were confirmed via gen det courtesy of Andy Mackay:

Grapholita tenebrosana - 12/07/2021 - a full blown tick for me

Grapholita funebrana - 13/07/2021, previous records in 2017 & 2018

Oddly enough, I've had neither of these to the pheromone lures that seem to have attracted them for others (SKI & MOL). Unlike the following two; whilst these were never really in doubt, they have been confirmed by gen det too:

Pammene suspectana to MOL - 29/05/2021

Grapholita lobarzewskii to SKI - 13/06/2021

And this one too:

Dichrorampha vancouverana - 01/07/2021

The following was new for the garden, though I didn't realise until after it had been dismissed with the rest of the catch so only this quick snap.

Eucosma hohenwartiana - 16/07/2021

Also new for the garden, though not a classic specimen!

Variegated Golden Tortrix - 12/07/2021

None of the following were new, though only single records for each:

Gypsonoma oppressana - 17/07/2021 (one previous record 2013)

Cydia fagiglandana - 17/07/2021 (one previous record 2020)

Acleris kochiella - 22/07/2021 (one previous record 2011)

The following will be new for the garden when confirmed - pending gen det:

Dichrorampha sp. (alpinana / flavidorsana) - 17/07/2021

D. flavidorsana would be a full tick for me

Endothenia sp. - 22/07/2021

And to round up the Tortrix overload, none of the following are 'special', except that they are Tortricids which are perhaps my favourite moth group.

Epiblema foenella

Cydia splendana

Epinotia nisella

Lobesia abscisana

Zeiraphera isertana

Lozotaeniodes formosana

Rhyaconia buoliana

Pammene fasciana

Celypha lacunana

Finally sticking with the Tortrix theme, the Epinotia spp. that I netted a couple of weeks ago were confirmed as Epinotia tedella and Epinotia nanana by gen det.

Tortrix is derived from the Latin tortus, meaning twist - alluding to the leaf-rolling habits of many of these species.

Caught in a Trap

Been gradually catching up on records that have been sat on pages of my notebook since mid-May. I've been able to update my PSL, adding c18 species and I still have a couple pending confirmation. I need to update my garden lists, and of course my square list. I fully expect to be back up to date and ready before we hopefully see another upturn in conditions.

In the meantime, here's some mothy stuff from the garden:

First up, a couple of luring successes. I've hung clearwing lures up in the garden before, but only for an hour or so whilst I loitered watching out in vain. Having now got a proper lure trap, I've tried a couple of lures left out in the day. Nothing to MYO (targeting Red-belted) and nothing to FOR (targeting Red-tipped). But the TIP lure left out whilst I was at work on 15th June came up with a solitary Currant Clearwing - the first clearwing on the garden list:

I also hung out the SKI lure on 13/06/2021 in the hope that I'd get Grapholita lobarzewskii on the garden year list (the first for VC55 was from my garden in 2018 but was completely knackered and unidentifiable on externals). Nothing to the lure all day, then just 15 minutes or so before it was getting dark and suddenly there were four in the trap. Really good to see a recognisable one!

One that I will have to await confirmation, but I am pretty confident about is this non-descript looking Gelechiid that came to the garden light trap on 13/06/2021:

It is pretty worn and plain looking, but those basal spots and the small distinct discal spot - along with general shape and what is left of colouration - look absolutely spot on for Platyedra subcinerea. This species overwinters as an adult and flies again in the late spring, so you'd expect one to be pretty shabby by now. Moreover, it should be a lot further south and is perhaps declining - so needless to say that if confirmed it will be new for me, the garden and VC55.

Otherwise the garden trap has been starting to tick over with a good few NFY species in the last week or so. Here's a selection of Noctuids, and a couple of others lazily snapped at the trap:

Clouded-bordered Brindle ab combusta

Broad-barred White

Ingrailed Clay

Heart and Club

Clouded Brindle

Common Swift

Water Veneer

Bucculatrix albedinella