Tart's Tick Butterfly

I had a few days in Devon last week, and managed to point my camera at a few inverts whilst down there. Best of the bunch for me was a new butterfly at Heddon's Mouth (on the coast a few miles west of Lynton). There were a few flitting about but none settled to check them properly and no chance to get a proper shot, so I has to resort to netting and potting one and then grabbing a couple of phone shots in the pot before releasing it again.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Heddon's Mouth 31/05/2018

Whilst nosing about looking at coastal lichens and grabbing some abstract photos, I found a couple of other bits on the rocks ....

Knot Grass, Heddon's Mouth 31/05/2018

Salticus scenicus sl, Heddon's Mouth 31/05/2018

Most other bits I photographed were in the in-laws Guineaford garden.

Mint Beetle, 31/05/2018

Copper Underwing, 01/06/2018

Micropterix aruncella, 01/06/2018

Micropterix calthella, 02/06/2018

Speckled Bush-cricket nymph, 02/06/2018

Beautiful Demoiselle, 02/06/2018

Psychoides filicivora, 02/06/2018

Unexpected Moth Tick, 'n stuff

Nipped over to Huncote Embankment after work for a thoroughly pleasant amble about with my net, a few pots and the camera. Only disappointment was the complete lack of Bee Orchids - though it was perhaps more surprising that they ever appeared there in the first place. Flower-wise there were lots of weedy bits that I have no clue about, plus these (feel free to correct my plant IDs!) ....

Weld

Common Mallow

Hedge Woundwort

Some sort of ornamental Water Lily. Probably. White Water-lily

As ever whilst ambling along I spotted a few bits resting on, living on or living in leaves, such as ...

Pistol Case-bearer

Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner

Mullein

I also noted loads of beetles, flies, hoverflies, bees etc nectaring (though bugger all butterflies or dragons during the whole hour and a half I was there!). Most interesting was this (actually, there could easily have been numerous firsts for Britain for all I know amongst the tiny unidentifiable detritus).

Female Swollen-thighed Beetle

Anyway, onto the moths proper. A few bits netted or noted, like Lathronympha strigana, loads of Cherry Fruit Moths, Pammene aurana, Crysoteuchia culmella, a Double-striped Pug, but the main focal point for me was these ...

At this time of year, swish your net at anything flying around Oxeye Daisies, Tansy or Yarrow and you will undoubtedly get one or several Dichrorampha species. I really like this group, though not sure why as they are generally unidentifiable without a gen det. Trust me though, if you have never seen a Dichrorampha, or you want to add one to the county list - get out there and get swishing and be prepared to get one or two detted. I have added a couple to the county list this way.

Dichrorampha alpinana (probably)

CONFIRMED - gen. det. by Jon Clifton Jan 2012

Dichrorampha aeratana (probably)

CONFIRMED - gen. det. by Jon Clifton Jan 2012

I also nonchalontly potted up a micro that I took to just be a slightly big Emmetia marginea, however on checking more closely at home it is actually a tick for me - Tischeria ekebladella.

I'll sign off this overly-illustrated post with a tiny one - Micropterix aruncella

Croft Quarry / Huncote Embankment 15/05/2009

Yesterday afternoon I went to Croft Quarry Nature Trail / Huncote Embankment to meet up with Phil Jackson, the Biodiversity and Restoration Advisor for Bardon Aggregates. The purpose was to walk the site and determine the permissible areas and boundaries for moth trapping there -I should be getting a key shortly and fully intend to get the traps out there as soon as the conditions pick up. Despite the breezy and generally crap weather, I stayed on for a short while to have a swish around with my net and promptly added four new micro species to the site list. The pick of these was Micropterix aruncella. This tiny moth (c4mm total length) is one of a small primitive group with fully developed mandibles for chewing pollen (rather than sucking nectar through a haustellum). It should be widespread and common in VC55 (no specialist foodplants), but there are very few records - in fact this is only about the sixth since I recorded the first post-VCH record in 2004. I have now recorded it from four sites, three of them being around disused quarries. Micropterix aruncella, this individual conforms to f. seppella