Various Late Sightings

Some late moth news from the last month or so - a combination of failing to sort photos and losing my moth notebook has delayed me getting round to posting them!

Way back on the 11th August I had another session trapping at Aston Rowant, again on Linkey Down. The main highlight was following Dave's method of trapping under and netting around Juniper to get a few of the pRDB Argyresthia abdominalis (gen detted by Peter Hall). This seems to be the second Oxfordshire record of this species, which was first recorded in the same place by David Agassiz in the 1970s. Others to light were the lovely Parectopa ononidis, Gypsy Moth, Tree-Lichen Beauty, White Point, and Barred Rivulet. I also found a single Citron Plume and Coleophora saxicolella in the bus stop at Lewknor Turn on the way back, both gen detted by Peter H.

Argyresthia abdominalis

Parectopa ononidis

On the 23rd I had a session at Sydlings Copse, spending a couple of hours trawling through Yellow Loosestrife without any sign of Dentated Pug larvae - a few other species found though including Wormwood, Lime-Speck and Grey Pug as well as Peppered Moth (on Mugwort).

Then on the 29th it was back to Aston Rowant and leaf-mines. I added about 12 species to the site list here, the best of which was Ectoedemia arcuatella mining Wild Strawberry, a new moth for Oxfordshire according to Martin. The mines were on plants growing along Hill Ln as it passes through Linkey Down, growing in deep shade under Hazel by the edge of the path, with several mines to a leaf. When I put the pictures on twitter, there was a bit of discussion that suggested this is a typical situation for the species, as other recorders have had them on shady edges on chalk/limestone. Other interest was provided by some Trifurcula mines on Bird's Foot Trefoil (I've heard that being on downland, these would once have been called eurema, but now need to be bred, as habitat is no longer thought to be good enought to separate them from cryptella), Parectopa ononidis on Red Clover, a few of the apple miners, Stigmella speciosa on Sycamore and Stephensia brunnichella on Wild Basil (a mine that's well worth looking out for - it seems to be very under-recorded).

Ectoedemia arcuatella mines - Aston Rowant

Trifurcula sp. mine - Aston Rowant

On the 13th of September, I headed over to Bucks to try Dancersend for Campanula Pug larvae, searching all the Nettle-Leaved Bellflower I could find (c 80 flowering spikes) without success. This seems like a moth that could be lurking on the Chilterns somewhere, and I think is most often recorded in the larval stage in September. Apart from that, I found some mines of Stigmella tiliae on limes on the way to the site, and the mines of Stephensia brunnichella on Wild Basil once again.

On the 22nd I joined Doug Boyes up at Wytham Woods to do some leaf-mining. We mainly targeted plants/species that have gone un-recorded there for a while, and managed to find 13 species new for the woods, some over-looked and some probably new arrivals (possibly for Berkshire as well as the woods?). The best were Cosmopterix scribaiella on Common Reed in Marley Fen (spotted by Doug, and ID confirmed by Rob Edmunds) and Phyllocnistis xenia on Grey Poplar in the Dell. Other good ones were Stigmella tiliae (on Lime), Bucculatrix bechsteinella (Hawthorn), Parornix fagivora (Beech), Mompha terminella (Enchanter's Nightshade), Parectopa ononidis (Red Clover), Stephensia brunnichella (Wild Basil), and Phyllonorycter comparella (Grey Poplar), as well as a single White-Spotted Pug larva on Wild Angelica.

Mompha terminella mines

Cosmopterix scribaiella mines

Phyllocnistis xenia mines

Finally, Peter H very kindly gen detted a batch of moths for me at the start of the month, and alongside Argyresthia abdominalis, there were a couple of other good ones: Coleophora niveicostella (a pRDB Thyme feeder from Aston Rowant 19/7 - 3rd Oxon rec),  Bucculatrix cristatella (Aston Rowant, 16/7), Monochroa lucidella and Elachista utonella (New Marston Meadows, 21/7), and another new moth for Oxfordshire - Sorhagenia janiszewskae (potted off Buckthorn near Goring on 26/7).

Coleophora niveicostella - Aston Rowant

Sorhagenia janiszewskae