A couple of non-moths in the moth trap yesterday, including a new caddisfly, Limnephilus marmoratus. This caddisfly, distinguishable by its boldly marked wings, lives around ponds and commonly comes to light. The Ophion ichneumon wasp (hard to identify to species level) is also nocturnal and commonly found in moth traps - this family of wasps are parasitoids of noctuid moths.
These are record shots (ie not very good photos) for two new species to add to my garden list. First up a caddisfly Tinodes waeneri (#990) which was caught in the moth trap at the weekend. This caddisfly is fairly uniform brown with dark veins on the wings. It flies throughout the summer from May-Sept, with a peak in May.
Mostly the buttercups in my garden are Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens), but this one growing between the paving stones is Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris, #991). I’m sure I must have over-looked this plant previous years, but the shape of the leaves is quite different.
A couple of caddisflies in the moth trap at the weekend. On the left Limnephilus lunatus is the most frequently caught large caddisfly, named after the crescent moon-shaped pale mark at the tip of its wing. Smaller and less marked, Limnephilus auricula (#968) is a new species for the list. It frequents water edges that dry out in summer, the adults laying eggs in the autumn and the larvae overwintering.
This caddisfly, Stenophylax permistus, was also in the moth trap. Brown speckled with pale patches on the wings, this species has two generations in spring and autumn. Its habitats are seasonal ditches and watercourses, and it is a species that comes to light quite often.
These are two of the caddisflies that are attracted most frequently to my moth trap. They both have a long flying season, from spring right through to autumn and are readily attracted to light. There’s not really any suitable water for them nearby, so they must travel quite far afield during the night.
There was not a lot in the moth trap this morning, so it was a pleasant surprise to get 4 new garden species. The Box Tree Moth is a recent immigrant from South-East Asia that only arrived (presumably from imported plants) in UK in 2007 and is spreading pretty fast across the country - it is bad news if you have a box hedge as its caterpillars will eat all the leaves. Green-brindled Crescent and Canary-shouldered Thorn are both rather attractive native species with a single generation in the Autumn. The large and delicately marked caddisfly Halesus radiatus was also a welcome addition to the list.
This caddis fly with its humongously long antenna was also in the moth trap. It is found on ponds, canals, lakes and slow rivers - none of which are very close to my house, so it looks like having antennae 3 times longer than its body doesn’t impede its ability to fly.
I caught a lot of caddisflies in the moth trap last weekend, including very many Long-horned Caddisfly (Mystacides longicornis), which I didn’t photograph for some reason. The ones I did capture on my phone included a couple of new species: the mottled Hydropsyche contubernalis and the paler Oecetis ochracea with its very long antennae. The fourth one appears to be a Limnephilus type caddisfly, but I’ve no idea which one as I didn’t find a photo yet that quite matches it.
Quite a lot of caddis flies are attracted to light, like this one found lurking in a hole in the wall when I was mothing the other evening. This is quite a big and well marked caddisfly, the males and females looking different (this is a male). Glyphotaelius pellucidus is a woodland pond-dwelling species, it’s larvae making a case of dead leaves. It flies in two generations, one in the spring and another in the late summer.
This large and rather fine caddis fly came to the moth trap on Friday night. I believe it is Stenophylax permistus (#730) as although there are similar species, it seems the most likely of the family to be found this early in the season. Stenophylax permistusm is a fairly common species with 2 generations, one in April-May and a second in July-August. This one must have been out and about a bit early. This species lives in temporary water in ditches and the like, where its nymphs make their shell out of dead leaves and vegetation.
Making up a quite mixed bag in the moth trap this weekend, there were a handful of caddis flies of two different species. On the right the “half-moon” caddis fly (Limnephilus lunatus, #686), with a dark-rimmed pale semicircle at the tip of its wings. This is a species often coming to light at night, which I’ve caught several times from late summer through to now. The darker caddis fly on the left is a new species, Anabolia nervosa (#708), which also flies from August to October. The larvae of this caddis are usually found in streams, where they make a case of sand particles and small twigs.
This delicately marked caddis fly came into the moth trap last night. Limnephilus lunatus is identified from a few similar looking species by the golden half-moon at the end of its wings. This is only the second species of caddisfly I’ve recorded in the garden. It is a common and widespread species in UK, whose larvae can be found in most freshwater and even brackish water habitats. The larvae live for a year in the water in a case constructed from plant or mineral debris and the adults fly from April through to November.
#686 Limnephilus lunatus
This weekend there were a few new bugs about. This rather fine leaf mine on a Nasturtium leaf is from the larva of a fly, probably Pea Leaf-miner, Chromatomyia horticola (#616), though there is another species with an identical mine. Chromatomyia horticola mines leaves of different plants, which include Sow Thistle and Garden Peas, both of which I find in the garden with similar narrow white mines.
The smart-looking black & grey fly appears to be Anthomyia procellaris (#617), due to the placement of the block spots. It is not an uncommon fly, often found sunbathing - in this case on my potato plants. Its larval life-cycle is not really known.
The moth trap was fairly quiet on Sunday morning, with this rather burgundy-tinted Middle-barred Minor (Oligia fasciuncula, #615) the only new species caught. On Saturday night I noted several insects flying around the light turned which I thought were stripey micro moths, but it turns out hey were my fist species of caddisfly, the aptly named Long-horned Caddisfly (Mystacides longicornis, #618). Caddisflies are usually associated with water, where their larvae live in a case made from bits of sand and gravel. My garden is quite far from any stream, so either these insects roam further than you might expect, or maybe they are from one of my small garden ponds.
Found this insect back on 30 June, and thinking it was a moth spent ages trying to find it on www.ukmoths.org.uk and other websites. All no avail. until a I was checking something else and realised it was not a moth at all, but a caddisfly. The problem with caddisflies is that there seems to be very little information on the internet covering the 200 or so species found in the UK. Normally caddisflies live near running water, but this one was resting up in shrubs in the garden during the daytime. Plus, this one doesn't really have much in the way of distinguishing features. Ironically the only one looking similar that I could find on the web was on another blog (http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2010/09/stumped-by-caddis-fly.html), and the blogger there couldn't identify it either, but hopefully one of us will work it out one day...
A MicroEden mystery - caddisfly
Passionate about nature, based in Gloucestershire UK; this site is about creating a wildlife friendly family garden and exploring the diversity of animal & plant species that share it with us.
As a nature lover and wildlife gardener I started wondering about the biodiversity in my backyard and just how many species from plants to insects to birds to mammals might live in or visit it.
Much of the wildlife in my small, village garden has been present right under my nose for years without my really appreciating it, so on the way I am learning a lot about different species and how to make a wildlife-friendly environment for them; also getting engaged more in conservation activities around Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and the Cotswolds.
My garden species tally started from zero on June 1st 2018, the target is 1000 species - let's see where it goes.
I'm very interested in your comments & advice: whether it's about the blog, some help with identification or just how to make my own little Eden better for wildlife. So please leave a comment or drop me a line if you feel like it!
Graham Tompsett
microedenproject@gmail.com
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