Itchy Cats

Just time for another post before I hit the road heading south to North Devon.

Yesterday afternoon I managed to get out and enjoy some quality solitude over at Huncote Embankment. I had a good walk around the site, heading all the way along the 'plateau' and then down the steep steps at SP5197296354 and back round along a board walk to the pond at SP5174796795. All the way around I was sweeping and beating and filling pots to keep me busy.

Here's a few shots from my walk around.

I managed to beat and sweep a few larvae, including Green-brindled Crescent, Drinker, Acrobasis advenella and Winter moth, plus a couple that I haven't been able to ID yet. However the best larvae were found all over a small hawthorn bush with a big larval web where they'd accumulated for the winter.

Brown-tail

These larvae are notorious for causing itchy rashes and irritations. Brown-tail was first recorded here in VC55 in around 2005, and though there has been an increase in records since then it is still relatively scarce and as far as I know this is the first larval record. These are not in the final instar yet, so I've potted a couple to try and rear.

Sweeping also produced quite a few hemiptera, with the best being a couple of Blue Shieldbugs that I've only seen once before. Also Stenocranus major, Javesella pellucida, Rhopalus subrufus and loads of macropterous European Cinchbugs. Other interesting inverts included Red-girdled Mining Bee and Ashy Mining Bee. Sadly no time to try and photograph all of these, but I had a quick go this morning at a couple.

Red-girdled Mining Bee

Blue Shieldbug

Rhopalus subrufus

When I got to the pond, I stopped to gaze into the shallows and soon noticed a Smooth Newt. As I tried to get the camera sorted it disappeared. I waited patiently for it or another to appear, and then noticed a toad loafing about on the surface next to a support post for the boardwalk I was on. Eventually the newts started showing themselves, though getting photos through even a few inches of water was a bit hit and miss.

Common Toad

Smooth Newt

I'll round off with a couple from the garden moth trap last night.

Swallow Prominent

Red-green Carpet

Semioscopis steinkellneriana

Garden Moth List Update

Over the summer I collected a few moths from the garden for formal det / confirmation. Some came good, some not so. I've updated the relevant blog posts, but to save you (and me later on) the trouble of trawling through here's a summary.

First up the ones that came good and are duly added to the garden list:

Exotelia dodecella, 19/06/2017
Taken on the same night as garden tick Chimney Sweeper.

Hoary Footman, 21/06/2017
This came on the same night as another garden macro tick, Grass Rivulet.

Common Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella), 06/07/2017
Hand-up - I completely got this one wrong. I thought this was one of the small plain Argyresthia spp. and completely missed that it was a tineid. But have a look at the photo and you can see why! Taken on the same night as garden tick Green Arches.

Remarkably that means that on four separate nights this year so far I've had double-ticks.


One that didn't come good was the x3 individuals that I had hoped were Epinotia cinereana. All turned out to be Epinotia nisella, despite looking nothing like typical E. nisella. This does make me wonder how anyone is supposed to pick out E. cinereana. There are photos of two of the individuals here and here.

And on that first link, there also a photo of the large worn tortrix that was a complete mystery, although I was optimistic that it might be something exciting ..... It wasn't, it turmed out to a knackered Lozotaeniodes formosana.

The garden list has been duly updated, and it means that it now stands at 682 (364 micros, 318 macros). Honestly, if you saw the size and unremarkableness of my garden you'd wonder where all these species some from! Just 18 to go to a massive 700, and I reckon that I could well hit 400 micros before I hit 325 macros.


Now for a few from the last couple of nights. Highlight has been yet another Scarce Bordered Straw - that's three this year - more than I'd taken here in the previous 17 years. This one was a darker form than the two earlier in the week.

Scarce Bordered Straw

And a few fillers ..... though it's hard to find photographable moths in a maelstrom of LYUs!

Turnip Moth

Flounced Rustic

Swallow Prominent

This one is not quite a filler - only five previous records, the last being on 21/06/2010:

Lobesia littoralis

Using bins & photographing moths ....

.... two things that as a moth recorder and supposed birder I should be doing a lot more of than I have been doing lately! So, to buck the trend I headed over to Watermead CP South after work to add a couple of yearticks to the long-ignored City Yearlist. A juv Black Tern was still knocking about from yesterday and showing extremely well - a really smart bird. Also, a nice Little Egret was milling about in the far corner of Birstall Meadows, actually viewable from the weir at Watermead. Thanks to Dave for the heads-up on both of these. I'm a long way behind both Dave and John now, though there are a good few I could still catch up on and I could always resort to competitive stringing ........

When I got home, I promptly set up the old CoolPix and Macro Cool-light and snapped a few from the fridge - nothing too exciting but these are the first adult moths to feature on this blog for nearly two weeks!

Catoptria falsella

Epiblema foenella

Swallow Prominent

Straw Underwing

Single-dotted Wave

From the garden trap - 07/05/2008

A garden tick is always welcome, even when it's a tiny micro. Phyllonorycter corylifoliella appeared for the first time amongst an improved MV catch.

Total catch 28 of 18sp.
(125W MV 17 of 11sp., 80W actinic 11 of 10sp.)

Incurvaria masculella 1
Parornix anglicella 2
Phyllonorycter corylifoliella 1
White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 1
Semioscopis steinkellneriana 1
Agonopterix alstromeriana 1
Mompha subbistrigella 1
Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 6
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata) 1
Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 3
Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 1
Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 3
Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) 1
Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 1
Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 1


Incurvaria masculella - this is a female (male has feathered antennae)


Brimstone Moth


Brindled Beauty


Swallow Prominent