Caloptilia semifascia and others

Caloptilia semifascia confusion.

On 1st August I caught what I thought was Caloptilia semifascia Autumn generation and then the following night what looked like Caloptilia semifascia Summer generation.

I can't decide on this. Probably dying when caught but sitting in a strange posture like a Scalloped Hook-tip. Photo of the now dead moth.

Maybe Helcytogramma rufescens. 9mm in length

A very dark individual with no clear markings. 7mm in length.

.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris.

Olive Bushes ( Longwick)

Adam's post encouraged me to look at my Olive Tree ( a little too grand a term for a young bush!). It is only two years old but has flowered for the first time last month. There were no signs of anything resembling the feeding signs of Zelleria Oleastrella but I did find two larval spinnings ( sadly without larvae). In both cases it involved the spinning together of two or three leaves. Looking at literature Prays oleae is listed as having been seen in the UK and there is some resemblance to the pictures I can find - however there may be far more mundane possibilities! Anyone have more experience with Olive Trees?

I attach a photograph of the spinnings after I had "un-hooked " them in search of larvae. There might be a pupal case somewhere but as the flower heads have been turned brown it's quite hard to see!

Last nights trapping was much reduced with only three Diamond Back moths and a Silver Y of migrant interest. Thie pug below has me stumped. At first it was resting like a dwarf pug but doesnt quite look right. It has a wing span of 17mm. Opinions welcome!

Butterflies in Moth Traps

Andy Newbold's mention of a Purple Hairstreak in his garden trap in a recent post and the fact that last night I had a Painted Lady to MV light prompted me to look back over the past 12 years or so to see which butterfly species I've had in moth traps (all actually in the trap rather than found roosting nearby):

Small Skipper (2 Jul 2009 to 125wt)
Large Skipper (26 Jun 2017 to 125wt)
Dingy Skipper (12 May 2007 to 15wt)
Grizzled Skipper (12 May 2007 to 15wt)
Large White (24 Aug 2016 to twin-30wt)
Small White (27 Jul 2018 to twin-30wt)
Green-veined White (31 Jul 2013 to 125wt)
Purple Hairstreak (4 Jul 2011, 31 Jul 2013, 4 Jul 2015, 8 Jul 2017, 8 Aug 2018, 15 Aug 2018 all to 125wt)
Black Hairstreak (21 Jun 2010 to 125wt)
Common Blue (16 Aug 2014 to 125wt)
Red Admiral (13 Sep 2008, 15 Aug 2014, 25 Jul 2017, 20 Sep 2017 all to twin-30wt, 17 Jul 2017 to 125wt)
Marbled White (22 Jul 2013, 4 Jul 2017, 5 Jul 2017 all to 125wt)
Speckled Wood (7 Sep 2009, 27 Aug 2014 both to 125wt)
Gatekeeper (15 Jul 2017 to 125wt)
Meadow Brown (24 Jul 2013, 31 Jul 2013, 6 Aug 2017 all to 125wt)
Ringlet (13 Jul 2008, 1 Jul 2009, 4 Jul 2010, 16 Jul 2013, 1 Aug 2013, 1 Jul 2018 all to 125wt)
Small Heath (16 Jul 2013 to 125wt)

The above records don't include 2019 so the Painted Lady is the 18th different butterfly species I've had to light.  I hadn't realised it was quite so many!

Painted Lady to 125wt MV, Westcott 3rd August

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Westcott, Bucks

Following the Delicate on 30th July I had Athrips mouffetella and Hoary Footman on the 31st but then no further new species for this year's garden list until last night when Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Oak Processionary (two to the house wall next to the actinic and one inside the MV trap) and a rather tired-looking form lutescens of Jersey Tiger turned up.  However, pride of place goes to yet another completely new macro species for the garden (the 440th), a smart Crescent.  Apart from at Weston Turville Reservoir back in 2013 I've never found Crescent an easy moth to see in Bucks even when trapping in the correct wetland habitat so this was a particularly welcome wanderer, I suspect either from the lakes at Wotton Underwood or at Calvert.



Oak Processionary, Westcott 3rd August

Jersey Tiger f. lutescens, Westcott 3rd August

Crescent, Westcott 3rd August

The Jersey Tiger didn't mind being photographed but refused to show its yellow hind-wings unless it was on the glass of my study window, so apologies for the back-lit picture!

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks   

A couple of micro queries

My garden trap here in Cookham is still drawing in more micros than macro moths. On Friday night 2nd August, I managed to count 79 Diamond-back Moths, and there were probably some escapees.
The only macro of interest was a single Gypsy Moth.
I thought this micro below might be Phycitodes binaevella, although it seems rather small with a fw length of only 8mm.

And this small dark moth I really can't identify. It has a noticeable yellowish mark on the edge of the wing, and the fw length is 5mm.

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Carpet World

May I just check that I am right in ID-ing this trio as Beautiful (top), Least (bottom right) and Common Marbled (bottom left).  Many thanks. Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon OX5 1JY

Pediasia contaminella

Pediasia contaminella was a new moth for my garden last night. The inclined head down resting posture was a good pointer when it turned up on the lid of the trap. Lower numbers for me last night in slightly cooler temperatures.

Adam Bassett
Marlow Bottom

Which Plume? ( Longwick)

Migrants were certainly around for the last couple of days but numbers dropped a bit last night. I had 19 Diamond Back on Friday night but only seven last night. A Hummingbird Hawk was feeding on buddleia on Friday evening too. A Silver Y in last nights catch was one of very few I have had this year. Last night also produced a Dark Spinach, a moth I don't see that often.

Pictured below is a plume - I confess I struggle to match plumes to the illustrations and this is no exception. Any thoughts?

Addition: I also trapped this reasonably large red beetle which I hadn't seen before - could it be some form of Flour Beetle?

Processionary Moth?

I was out to the early hours mothing at Barn Field, near Olney last night but arranged for the Robinson trap at home in Newport Pagnell to be switched on.  First moth found this morning in the garden on the fence near the trap was this.  I didn't know what it was and as it was getting late, I potted it and sorted the rest of the catch.  I think it is an Oak Processionary but I am not certain.  In securing the photograph, I lost it.  Are the moths reportable and is there a procedure?

Common Fleabane

Common Fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica is a valuable nectar source of late summer in damp areas and it is just coming into flower now.  It is also the food-plant of an under-recorded micro-moth, Apodia bifractella.  The moths tend not to stray far from the flowers and they are generally quite easy to spot during the daytime, so keep your eyes open if you are out and about.  I completed a butterfly count on Army land at Arncott this afternoon and managed to get records of it there for both VC23 and VC24.

Apodia bifractella, Arncott 3rd August

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Marlow Bottom 2nd August

I had five species new for the garden last night.  Along with the very unexpected Zelleria oleastrella, there were single examples of four species that everyone else around me seems to be getting more and more regularly, so it was nice to catch up: Metalampra italica, Jersey Tiger, Gypsy Moth and Tree Lichen Beauty.

17 Diamond back moths was my tally last night, though the most numerous was 62 Blastobasis adustella.

Adam Bassett

More on the Old Ladies

I rowed up to see Jon's Old Ladies yesterday - and was also very interested by Martin T's explanation of their behaviour. Dave is after numbers and I reckon the smaller roost has 45 (approx) but the larger one was beyond my counting powers, especially when afloat. I took as many pics as I could, a bit better than my previous ones but not much cos the conditions are so gloomy, and am now trying to stitch them together to come up with a rough number for Dave. I'll email them to you too, D, as I am sure that your counting will be more methodical than mine. But there are at least 150 and I think probably more. Jon is right in surmising that they have chosen fissures in the stonework as the centre of each cluster. Thanks again for such an interesting experience, which has been widely shared with intrigues locals.  The single Old Lady below, btw, is one which came to my light trap a couple of years ago.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Zelleria oleastrella

One of these came to my trap last night. We have an olive tree on the patio but it has been there many years. I’ll post a photo later when it calms down a bit - it was more sedentary last night!

Here's a record photo:

Martin - do you need it to be retained?

Adam Bassett
Marlow Bottom

A few from Thursday night

A few from Thursday night.
I really can't make up my mind with this one

I assume Minor agg. but it was much smaller than others I have caught.

Rather tatty. 7.5mm in length.

Next 2 same moth. 8.5mm in length

Finally what I assume is a Coleophora for dissection. 6.5mm in length. Quite distinctive antennae.

Just last night's catch to sort now which I know includes a Purple Hairstreak which I really was not expecting.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris.

Farmyard Firsts

I ran my light in the farmyard at COAM last night for the first time. The trap was absolutely rammed with small brown micros (a lot looked like Blastobasis adustella) and Common Rustic aggs and a high showing of Tree-lichen Beauties.

But also a few NFYs with Tawny-speckled Pug, Small Rivulet, Rusty Dot Pearl, Pretty Chalk Carpet, Least Yellow Underwing and Hypsopygia glaucinalis.

Even better than that was a lifer for me, Jersey Tiger (in fact, two of them...)

Also this rather impressive Tanner Beetle...(photo doesn't really do it justice but it was huge!)

Dave Morris with Rachael Maytum
Chalfont St Giles

Recent migration and expanding residents

Migrants: As Martin reported last night, numbers of Diamond-back Moth were elevated last night though in tens rather than hundreds for me in my Didcot garden - trapping with Berks Moth Group at Wildmoor there were hundreds though. The garden trap also had a few Silver Y but pride of place was a Bedstraw Hawkmoth, Rather worn but beggars can't be choosers and its still a stunning moth. Although considerably less exciting looks wise, an equally if not more interesting record from night of 27th July in Didcot garden was a Saltern Ear (genitalia checked).

Expansion: As Martin also reported, Tree Lichen Beauty seems to be doing well and spreading more with at least two individuals a night for several nights now in garden in Didcot, having only had one or two total last year. And, having watched some odd looking large-ish moths flying round the site at CEH Wallingford in Crowmarsh Gifford I finally caught one and it was Gypsy Moth which also seems to be spreading and having a good year (several at Wildmoor last night as well). I put out an actinic trap over night at work and caught 8 males in an enclosed area where I had seen the males flying round and round some birch trees for three days in a row. I'm not sure of the status of Gypsy moth in the local area but these are the first I've seen or caught there. Marc Botham, Didcot

Oncocera semirubella?

At Linford Lakes Nature Reserve this morning lurking amongst the grass moths in my 40W Skinner type trap which ran over night was this which I think is a worn Oncocera semirubella.  Its new to me and to the site if it is. 

Udea fulvalis

Found this among all the Diamond-backed Moths in the trap down in Burnham last night.  Assuming I have the ID right, just how 'scarce' are they?

Diamond-back influx

Was anyone else invaded by P. xylostella last night? I counted 160 out of a large catch of 568 of 82 species in my single Robinson MV in the garden. Also another Udea fulvalis and 3 Tree-lichen Beauty.

Kidlington's Old Ladies

Thanks so much to Jon for the fascinating post about the roosting Old Ladies. The bridge is only a ten minute bike ride from here, so I wobbled up there this morning. The moths must have something to discuss because they are still there. The gloom is dire for an iPhone, as Jon says, but here are a couple of my efforts. I will try to row up there in a dinghy over the weekend but meanwhile, many thanks to the navigators - right - who gave me a platform; the moths are right on the opposite side to the towpath.  I will go up at dusk tonight, if poss, to see if they stay sleeping or have a flutter around.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon