Clean Sweep in Heather

I spent a couple of hours vigorously sweeping the (relatively) abundant heathers and bilberry at Warren Hills yesterday in nice sunshine with with the continual strong breeze that we've had for a week or so. My targets were actually a couple of Coleophora spp.: I hoped to find the distinctive cases of Coleophora pyrrhulipennella amongst the sweepings, and perhaps something that looked in contention for the cases of Coleophora juncicolella. No joy with either, which initially made it seem a bit of a fruitless effort, but there were a few beetles and a couple of small vaguely familiar tortrix moths. Turns out that this initial dismay quickly turned into a major win once I checked out the IDs. I was also left wishing I'd brought some clumps of heather and bilberry home for photographic props.

Firstly the tortrix: not the most spectacular thing, which reminded me of a small Holly Tortrix. I retained one for a photo, and quickly ascertained it was the closely related Rhopobota myrtillana. Brilliant; not only a new moth for me but also effectively new to VC55 (VCH listed, so any records are pre 1907 but there are no specimens so cannot be verified).

The only other Lepidopteran highlights were a Maiden's Blush disturbed from oak and this early leafmine on the same tree ....

Acrocercops brongniardella

I've not seen an adult A. brongniardella for a number of years, so will try to remember to look out for later developed mines to try and rear one through.

As for the beetles, aside from one obvious click beetle which I have seen before (on Cairngorm!) three turned out to be new to me. First up, a weevil from heather that has only x5 prior VC55 records, the most recent of those being 1992. This is Strophosoma sus, subtly smart and boggly eyed ....

Also from heather were a couple of Lochmaea suturalis, and despite me thinking I have seen it before it wasn't on my list.

The click beetle I'd seen before was Ctenicera cuprea, pretty smart as clicks go.

Also from the heather and bilberry area was this Eurygaster testudinaria - confirmed to species and as a female by looking at the undercarriage.

Finally, from the same site but actually beaten from oak of all places was this new to me click beetle ....

Prosternon tessellatum

The inadvertent beetle ticks didn't end there, as in the evening at home I noted a bright green weevil sitting on the edge of a leaf on our small ornamental red Acer sp. Once potted up and checked through Mark Gurney's guides as a starter it soon came out to Polydrusus formosus, very common but new to me and the garden. It started nibbling a birch leaf as I tried to get snaps.

Ivy Muncher plus

Found this larva on a brick wall immediately adjacent to a large ivy bush in the garden. I recognised it straight away as it's one I've found here before on the same ivy bush ....

Old Lady

I've got it feeding up in a tub of ivy leaves and will rear through - with a bit of luck I can get a few shots of a pristine fresh adult.

Over the weekend I had a bit of a half-arsed attempt at recording Emperor Moth with a pheromone lure. I tried three sites on different days and times without success. Either I'm not patient enough, the lure is dead or the moth is genuinely not present (and quite possibly all three at the same time!). One of the sites was Warren Hills, one part of what little heath and billberry scrubby moor we have in the Charnwood area. Green Hairstreak was on the wing but too quick and active for a snap.

The lure is just about visible in a black net wrap on the twiggy bush

Recent bits from the garden traps include:

Least Black Arches

Brindled Beauty

V-Pug

Water Carpet - only fifth for garden and first since 2009

Streamer, first since 2012

Caloptilia rufipennella

Caloptilia stigmatella

Pine Beauty

I also had a great night out in the field with Adrian Russell and Graham Finch last week, at a site right in the north-west of VC55. Grange Wood is a decent sized mixed woodland, which is actually in the county of Derbyshire but just falls within the VC55 recording area (one of the historical quirks that again show how the VC boundaries have nothing to do with current political boundaries). We had a great mix of species, including a couple of full British Ticks for me - a cracking Blossom Underwing that Adrian took to photograph and this tortrix:

Pammene giganteana - third VC55 record

Also a few nice-to-see species for the year including Early-tooth Striped, Lunar Marbled Brown, Purple Thorn and a few Lead-coloured Drabs including this lead-coloured and drab one ..

Lead-coloured Drab

Warren Hills 17/08/2011

Time to catch up on some mothing action. Last Wednesday in less than ideal conditions, I cajoled Adrian into a quick effort at Warren Hills targeting Heath Rustic and Annulet. Warren Hills is part of the Charnwood Lodge reserve, and holds possibly the best area of heather in VC55 (though there is not that much of it). It was good to see the heather in full bloom, and there appeared to be a notable spread since a grazing policy in recent years.

Click for bigger

No success with either of the target scarce site specialities, but we managed a respectable 346 of 51sp in 2.5hrs. We ran a 125W MV light over a sheet, a 125W MV trap, a 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo and a 40W/20W CFL Actinic/CFL combo. Here's the full list:

0015 Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) 2
0018 Map-winged Swift (Hepialus fusconebulosa) 1
0464 Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella) 1
0873 Blastobasis adustella 3
0954 Eupoecilia angustana f. fasciella 3 (NFY subspecies)
0987 Ptycholomoides aeriferanus 1
1093 Apotomis betuletana 2 (NFY)
1134 Epinotia ramella 1 (NFY)
1260 Cydia splendana 2
1304 Agriphila straminella 8
1305 Agriphila tristella 4
1340 Eudonia truncicolella 5 (NFY)
1342 Eudonia angustea 1 (NFY)
1344 Eudonia mercurella 1
1702 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata) 3
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 1
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 1
1740 Galium Carpet (Epirrhoe galiata) 1
1756 Northern Spinach (Eulithis populata) 10
1757 Spinach (Eulithis mellinata) 4 (NFY)
1831 Ling Pug (Eupithecia absinthiata f. goossensiata) 1 (NFY subspecies)
1846 Narrow-winged Pug (Eupithecia nanata) 5 (NFY)
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1914 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria) 1 (NFY)
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
2000 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) 1
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 1
2047 Scarce Footman (Eilema complana) 5
2050 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 3
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 14
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 7
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 4
2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 2
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 35
2118 True Lover's Knot (Lycophotia porphyrea) 8
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 11
2130 Dotted Clay (Xestia baja) 10 (NFY)
2133 Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata) 6
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 7
2145 Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii) 1
2176 Antler Moth (Cerapteryx graminis) 149
2177 Hedge Rustic (Tholera cespitis) 1 (NFY)
2198 Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura) 1
2254 Grey Chi (Antitype chi) 2 (NFY)
2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 1
2297 Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) 1
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 3
2342 Rosy Minor (Mesoligia literosa) 2 (NFY)
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 3
2350 Small Wainscot (Chortodes pygmina) 3 (NFY)

Narrow-winged Pug

True Lover's Knot

Galium Carpet

Dotted Clay

'Ling Pug'

Grey Chi

Hedge Rustic

Flame Shoulder - a really smart individual

Eudonia truncicolella - all in various states of wear and disrepair

Autumnal moths

After a generally crap August, early September mothing kicked off with a great session over at Warren Hills on Saturday night with Adrian Russell. The total catch from a sheet, two traps and a bit of sugaring was a very respectable 368 of 46 species. No sign of the hoped-for Heath Rustic, but a very enjoyable few hours nonetheless. I'll post the last separately with a garden trapping update, but aside from a knackered Galium Carpet, these were the main highlights:

Grey Chi

Autumnal Rustic

Narrow-winged Pug

Hedge Rustic

Antler Moth

Black Rustic

Small Wainscot

Dark Sword-grass

Sallow