School run mothing - February 13, 2019
Nature is all around us; all we need to do is learn where to look. I've always had a keen interest in moths but over the last couple of years I have become more serious in the science of recording them, especially the early stages. Indeed, in some cases the early stages are easier to find than the adults which might not visit light traps often. Eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises may be found by examining the food plant or suitable habitat. Sometimes the presence a species can be determined by simply observing the signs left by feeding or pupating.
Last winter I made a half-hearted attempt at finding signs of the Tortrid moth, the Pine Cone Piercer, Cydia conicolana. The moth leaves an exit hole in a pine cone as it emerges. The tiny hole, around 1mm in diameter, can be seen quite easily and so it's just a case of finding a tree where the moths occur and checking cones. Easy! Well, maybe not. With only a few records of this moth in Suffolk, some may have considered it a hopeless task but I decided to have another try this year. Every Wednesday we walk through a cemetery on the way to play group with the kids. It's quiet and peaceful and full of nature. There are also a few Scots Pine trees scattered throughout. Each week I ask the kids to bring me as many pine cones as possible for me to check. Week in, week out. No joy.
This week was no different. The kids asked if I would show them the bagworms again; we'd been looking at the Luffia lapidella cases the week before. Then I asked them to collect some pine cones. I checked dozens without success although I did find some curious holes in a pine stem... hopefully further investigation will identify the culprit.
Later the same day, having failed in my quest to find conicolana at the cemetery, I entered my children's school grounds and as always, picked up a couple of fallen cones from the path. No conicolana. My youngest comes out first and we normally make it to the car before my eldest catches up. Today I bumped into a couple of friends and ended up delayed enough for Nathan to catch up with us before we'd left the playground. Walking up the path beside the Pine trees, while idly chit-chatting about what the kids had done that day (there was much excitement about a visit that day by the local fire brigade), I casually asked Nathan to pick up some cones for me to check to save my knees. He picked up three and handed one to me with a withering look of "what's the point? We've looked at so many". It was at that moment I saw it.... a tiny little hole. Small but perfectly formed. The unmistakable sign left by an adult Cydia conicolana as it exited the cone last year. Proof of breeding and a sign of a possible resident population. And here it is....
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| Exit hole of Cydia conicolana |
So. Success indeed. This isn't the first time I have gone looking for evidence of a moth in an area with few or no previous records. I seriously doubt that the number of Cydia conicolana records give a true representation of its status. They simply have to be more widespread than records show.... Indeed, buoyed by the success of finding one, I carried on searching for more. The result? A new site already! Refusing to give up searching in the local cemetery, we were walking back from the beach this morning (15.2.19) and I targeted 2 different Pine trees. I recently read that they are more likely to be found under lone Pines in full sunshine. These two trees looked perfect and so I began a quick search.
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| The two Pines |
Within minutes I had found a cone with 2 exit holes. Although this cone is older and not as neat, I am confident that I have found evidence that Cydia conicolana is more widespread than previously thought.
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The second cone
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My next objective is to find further cones from these two locations before moving on to, hopefully, find even more sites. Maybe there are suitable looking Pines near you. If so, spend a couple of minutes every time you pass it and you too could find this seldom-seen moth.
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