Moth News 2004

With 2003 being such a good year for such large and showy species as Convolvulus Hawkmoth and Hummingbird Hawkmoth it was little surprise that we started paying more attention to the Moths occurring locally.

It also became apparent that if we wanted to build on this interest we would need at least one moth trap. So the winter project was on to build a moth trap. Or to be more precise, my father built it! (Andrew Easton).

MARCH
The trap was wired up on the 13th, but the rather cold night produced no moths whatsoever, not really a surprise though. However the 17th, being a very mild day with the first wave of Spring migrants arriving, and with numerous butterflies and other insects on the wing, seemed an ideal time to try it out again.

Success, two moths soon went into the trap and a Plume Moth sat on the outside before moving to the shed window! As with the Plume Moth the other two also proved to be micro-moths and so were not really covered in most field guides! The Plume Moth was an example of a Common Plume Moth Emmelina monodactyla a common member of its group often active early in the year. Referring to the Collins Guide to Insects of Britain and Western Europe by Michael Chinery, which has a very small selection of micro-moths in, it was clear that one of the others was a Tortrix moth of some sort, and the remaining one looked very similar to a species called Depressaria pastinacella. Using this as a starting point I headed to the invaluable website UK Moths by Ian Kimber. Using the search facility, looking for Tortrix and Depressaria and then clicking through the previous species or next species links it didn't take very long to find matches.

The Tortrix moth proved to be a Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittanus an agricultural pest accidentally introduced from Australia in the 1930's. The other one seems to be an example of Agonopterix heracliana, which apparently has no common name.

Above left: Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittanus : Above right: Agonopterix heracliana

The fourth moth of the month, a Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata didn't require a trap, it was found not very well disguised spending the day on the glass panel of the front door!

Below left : Plume Moth Emmelina monodactyla : Below right Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata

Another example of the Common Plume Moth Emmelina monodactyla was seen at Ashby on the 31st.

APRIL
A second Double-striped Pug of the year was found inside the house on the 2nd. I am still not sure how they are sneaking in as it's barely been warm enough to leave doors and windows open yet this year!

Two moths came to the trap on the evening of the 9th, a Twin-spotted Quaker Orthosia munda and a Small Quaker O. cruda, they are pictured together below.

Small Quaker (left) and Twin-spotted Quaker - Lowestoft - April 2004 - © Andrew Easton

The 13th was a slightly warmer day, and although the evening was still rather cool and clear, three moths ventured into the trap, two Common Quakers Orthosia and a Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta. The evening of the 14th saw a very smart Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica in the trap, and on the 15th another Double-striped Pug came visiting.

Clouded Drab (left) and Hebrew Character - Lowestoft - April 2004 - © Andrew Easton

The evening of the 16th saw six Double-striped Pugs and a Parsnip Moth Depressaria pastinacella attracted to the light, along with numerous flies.

The relatively warm evening of the 22nd saw the best night so far with nine individuals of seven species attracted to the trap. These comprised a Pine Beauty Panolis flammea, Common Quaker, two Light Brown Apple Moths, two Double striped Pugs, Agonopterix alstromeriana, Emmelina monodactyla and (I think) Argyrotaenia ljungiana.

Twenty Plume Moth (left) and Pine Beauty - Lowestoft - April 2004 - © Andrew Easton

On the 23rd a Twenty-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla was attracted to the light from the kitchen door. The 25th saw four moths, a Twenty-plumed Moth, Double-striped Pug, Argyrotaenia ljungiana and an Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa.

The 26th was much better, with eleven individuals of seven species: Parsnip Moth, Twenty-plumed Moth, Hebrew Character, Double-striped Pug (3), Light Brown Apple Moth (3), Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata and an Early Grey Xylocampa areola.

MAY
The 2nd saw nothing new, just single Double-striped Pug and Twenty-plumed Moth, and two Light Brown Apple Moths. Things improved on the 10th when a very smart Lime Hawkmoth Mimas tiliae arrived, accompanied by a very tatty Angle Shades.

JUNE
The very warm night on the 14th proved to be the best so far this year with over 25 species arriving (though I have not managed to identify all of them yet!). A Cream-bordered Green Pea Earias clorana an East Anglian speciality was the highlight (pictured above), although the Green Silver-lines Pseudoips prasinana was rather more striking. A "new" Lime Hawkmoth also put in an appearance. Other species recorded included Bordered White Bupalus piniaria , Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana , Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata , Toadflax Pug Eupithecia linariata, Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum , Flame Axylia putris, Straw Dot Rivula sericealis and a lone Silver Y Autographa gamma.

The 15th proved rather less productive before the rain started, with a third Lime Hawkmoth for the year, two Toadflax Pugs, and a Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata. The best moth though was an emerging Eyed Hawkmoth Smerinthus ocellata. Earlier in the spring when planting a Red Valerian to hopefully help attract moths I unexpectedly dug up a Hawkmoth pupa, fortunately without harming it. I reburied it a few inches away afterwards. It used the Red Valerian to rest on while it pumped its wings up, it is pictured below. Unfortunately the next morning a Blackbird was tucking into this plump delicacy. So much for the effectiveness of the protective "eye" markings!

Hummingbird Hawkmoths Macroglossum stellatarum were noted in gardens at St. Olaves on the 19th and at nearby Herringfleet on the evenings of the 29th and 30th!

JULY
An example of the very colourful Rosy Footman Miltochrista miniata was seen at North Cove on the 6th. A picture of it appears below.

Another Hummingbird Hawkmoth for the year was in a house, (the lounge?), at Kessingland on the 15th.

SEPTEMBER
A Convolvulus Hawkmoth was found in a garden in Jacob's Street, Lowestoft on September 1st (photo below left). On the 11th a caterpillar of the Convolvulus Hawkmoth was found on the cliff face at Kessingland (photo below right). This follows on from an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar found in a garden in Sharon Drive, Lowestoft on August 11th.


Convolvulus Hawkmoths (left) © Kelvin Hill - (right) © Paul Read

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