Dave Appleton
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applewildlife.bsky.social
Dave Appleton
@applewildlife.bsky.social
1.7K followers 450 following 970 posts
Interested in pretty much any wildlife, especially birds, moths and a host of other insect groups. Norfolk county recorder for lacewings and allied insects.

Based in North Elmham, Norfolk, UK.
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applewildlife.bsky.social
Is it safe to call this Callitula pyrrhogaster or are there any confusion species? I can't find a relevant key but it looks like other photos of this species and it's supposed to be distinctive. It's 1.5mm long and was found by suction in late July in grass at the edge of wet woodland in Norfolk.
Presumed Callitula pyrrhogaster, a tiny wasp with a shiny red gaster and very dark (almost black) green strongly sculptured head and thorax. The legs and antennae are orange. #UKinvert #wasp A view under the microscope of the same presumed Callitula pyrrhogaster, now deceased. #Hymenoptera A side view of the same presumed Callitula pyrrhogaster.
November 21, 2025 at 4:46 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
A good day to come across this account: apparently it’s the 10th anniversary of my Brown Shrike find…
Brown Shrike at Porthgwarra on 20th October 2025.
October 20, 2025 at 7:24 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
In case anyone's interested, here are the faces of each species (yellow except for a dark central keel on signatus, yellow with a pair of thick dark stripes on brevirostris). I had originally doubted my brevirostris ID as the femora had dark patches but comparing each one's epandrium settled it.
Face of one of the Ivy Waspgrabbers (Leopoldius signatus) showing fully yellow below the antennae except for a narrow dark line along the central keel #UKFlies #Diptera Face of the Early Waspgrabber (Leopoldius brevirostris) showing thick dark lines extending down the sides of the frons #Conopidae Epandrium of one of the male Ivy Waspgrabbers (Leopoldius signatus), after clearing in potassium hydroxide solution and viewing from in front Epandrium of the Early Waspgrabber (Leopoldius brevirostris), after clearing in potassium hydroxide solution and viewing from in front
October 12, 2025 at 10:59 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I had fun identifying Conopid flies today including two recent Ivy Waspgrabbers (Leopoldius signatus) and one from last year. Armed with this experience I revisited and confirmed a suspected Early Waspgrabber (Leopoldius brevirostris) from 2020, quite rare apparently. All four had come to light.
Male Leopoldius signatus (Ivy Waspgrabber), dorsal view, a distinctive yellow and black fly that is believed to attack wasps. Male Leopoldius signatus (Ivy Waspgrabber), side view. Male Leopoldius brevirostris (Early Waspgrabber), dorsal view, another distinctive yellow and black fly that seems to be quite rarely recorded. Male Leopoldius brevirostris (Early Waspgrabber), side view. A pair of black lines down the side of the face (not visible in these photos) pointed to this ID but I had been concerned by the dark patches on the femora that are not supposed to be present on this species. However today I was able to compare the epandrium of both species side by side and clinch the identification.
October 12, 2025 at 10:50 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
The number of Harlequin Ladybirds hibernating in my kitchen went up yesterday: 18 late morning, up to at least 54 by evening. I usually get 2- and 7-spot Ladybirds hibernating in my study and Harlequins in the kitchen but this is more than usual.
A clutser of Harlequin #Ladybirds resting between the vent and the ceiling above my kitchen window. The ladybirds show a mixture of colour forms, mostly orange with black spots (some larger spots than others, some with few or faint spots). A few are black forms with two or four red spots. #hibernation A larger group of Harlequin Ladybirds in the same place as in the last photo. They're covering themselves up so it's hard to get an exact count but I reckon there are at least 54 visible (if only just). #UKBeetles #UKInverts
October 7, 2025 at 5:01 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I'm working on my specimens caught over the summer. This from my garden moth trap on 13th June appears to be Deleaster dichrous, although there were some problems keying it (tarsus 4 not simple for starters). Not many records in Norfolk (only one up to the end of 2021, don't know after that).
Deleaster dichrous, a smallish rove beetle, as I found it on an eggbox in my moth trap. A better view of the Deleaster dichrous in a pot. The pronotum, elytra and appendages are reddish and the head and abdomen are mostly blackish. Another view of the Deleaster dichrous in a pot.
October 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable) in mid Norfolk last night. I’ve caught lots of good moths here incl. 3 county firsts but this may be the rarest @migrantmothuk.bsky.social so far.

4th for Norfolk (3rd this year) unless @norfolkmoths.bsky.social has others pending.

#NorfolkMoths #TeamMoth
Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable) taken from the side showing how it sometimes stands with the front of its body raised. The wings are brown with irregular white barring. #MigrantMoths The same Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable) taken from above. It usually rested flatter to the ground as here. The rear edge of the wings aren’t smoothly curved but the jagged-edged effect is exaggerated by the alternating patches of dark brown and white along its cilia. #TeamMoth #MigrantMothsUK
September 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I like it when a #newt shows up at my moth trap. I've had Smooth Newts here a few times now but previously they've always been unspotty juveniles (one was a little spotty).

#Amphibians
Smooth Newt: dorsal view on a white background #Amphibia Smooth Newt side view of head and front of body #Amphibian Smooth Newt side view showing spots on bottom of body Smooth Newt climbing plastic showing underside of front including spots and orange stripe down belly (which continued along tail).
September 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
It would be great to have an up-to-date book on Europe's lacewings etc. but this isn't it. A hefty price for a small book that covers a small % of its too-big scope. The plates are mainly set specimens, too small to be of use. Some useful detail but limited value with so much omitted. More in ALT.
The recently-published Neuropteroids of Europe in my hand, showing the front cover. The superorder Neuroptida includes lacewings, alderflies and snakeflies, and scorpioflies are often treated together with these, but I feel it was a mistake to try and include caddisflies and stoneflies in addition. The book is smaller than I imagined, making it even harder to squeeze in a useful amount of detail. Priced at between £75 and £80 (depending on seller) it's a lot of money for a book that doesn't contain enough detail to allow reliable identification of the majority of species. It does however contain some good stuff. There is information that's not readily available elsewhere and I think the list of references will be very helpful for knowing where to go to find out more. Worth having if you have a special interest in the groups covered, but I don't agree with the advertising: "A true field guide, this book on neuropteroids of Europe is aimed at both beginner entomologists and professionals". If it is aimed at beginners and professionals I fear it won't hit the mark for either. It will be disappointing if you are a beginner hoping to find nice descriptions and pictures of the commoner/more distinctive species (for example most of the photos of green lacewings are pinned specimens that like they have brown bodies and white wings, too small to see any detail) and it will be disappointing if you are a professional hoping to identify tricky species (e.g. only 7 out of 49 species of waxfly mentioned and none with enough information to identify them). It does seem to be better for a few of the most eye-catching groups, for example all 12 species of Libelloides (a genus of owlflies) are covered with sufficient detail to enable identification in most cases.
September 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I caught this Wasp Nest Beetle (Metoecus paradoxus) in my moth trap last night, a new species and family for me. They lay eggs in rotting wood that a wasp might harvest. If one does then the larvae climb on to the wasp, hitch a lift to its nest and then parasitise the wasp larvae. Neat trick.
Wasp Nest Beetle (Metoecus paradoxus) from my garden moth trap (North Elmham, VC28). A reddish brown beetle with a distinctive shape tapering to a point at the rear. The black antennae are feathery and the black legs very long. Another view of the Wasp Nest #Beetle #UKbeetles #UKInverts A side view of the Wasp Nest Beetle. From this angle you can see the body is quite chunky, black on the head and thorax and orange on the abdomen (except at the tip which is black). Another view of the Wasp Nest Beetle. Here it is walking around without its elytra (wing-cases) held apart to reveal the orange abdomen. The membranous wings themselves are extended so these are visible beyond the elytra.
September 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
How many generations do Ruby Tigers have? They're said to have two, one in spring and a larger one in Jul-Sep. But my records show a dip in late Aug, and phenology charts at @norfolkmoths.bsky.social & other county websites reflect this pattern so I wonder if they have 3, spring, Jun-Aug & Sep?
A Ruby Tiger. Not one of the four I caught here last night, but one photographed a few years ago. A reddish-coloured moth with some dark spots on the forewings. You can just see the brigher red abodomen poking out between the wings. #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths A graph showing the distribution through the year of 187 records of 376 Ruby Tigers from my garden moth trap between August 2014 when I moved here and last night. It shows a single record in mid May, futher records from mid June to late August, more-or-less normally distributed and peaking in late July, and then an increase in early September tailing off during the same month. The months, split into third-months, are on the x axis and the number of records (in blue) and number of additional individuals counted (in red) are shown on the y axis (though the y axis isn't labelled for reasons I won't go into now). This pattern, a small peak in spring, a much larger peak in July to August dipping at the end of August before a third peak in September seems to be reflected in the phenology charts at most of the county moth websites I've checked (with a couple of exceptions where the late August dip is not apparent). The marked dip in late August could just be coincidence, but as the pattern is reflected in many of the larger county datasets I suspect it is significant (although the phenology chart in the Atlas of Britain and Ireland's Larger Moths doesn't seem to show any dip in late August). At least some of the moths I've caught in September have been reasonably fresh (though I shall pay more attention to this in future) suggesting that they are recently-emerged and not end-of-season stragglers.
September 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Best thing in the trap this week was the mayfly Heptagenia sulphurea (Common Yellow Dun) which has quite a restricted distribution in East Anglia. See ALT text for notes about its changing eye colour. Also two Clifden Nonpareils were nice, the first time I've caught two in a year. #NorfolkMoths
The mayfly Heptagenia sulphurea (Common Yellow Dun). This was taken when I found it, freshly-arrived in the evening, and the eyes are black. When adults first emerge as sub-imago they have black eyes but judging from the various photos of sub-imagos with blue eyes, they often (usually?) turn blue before they complete their moult to imago. But this is an imago (the wing membrane is clear, except the yellow leading edge), so do they sometimes complete their moult before their eyes change colour, or do they turn black again when they moult to imago? I'm guessing the former is more likely but would love to know. A bright yellow #mayfly with two tails. #riverfly The same mayfly Heptagenia sulphurea (Common Yellow Dun) taken early the following morning, and now the eyes have turned blue. This species is common across much of the UK but much less so in East Anglia. #UKinverts #Mayflies #Riverflies Clifden Nonpareil caught in my garden moth trap on Sunday night. I caught a second with the mayfly on Wednesday night. A huge moth at the bottom of my moth trap. It's forewings and body are brownish-grey with intricate darker markings, some orangey. It's holding its forewings apart so revealing the hindwings which are blue-black with a broad pastel blue curved bar running across them, giving rise to its alternative name Blue Underwing. #TeamMoth
September 6, 2025 at 4:06 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Three more lacebugs Kalama tricornis today, this time in pitfall traps. Two were in the same place as the one I found by suction yesterday. I look forward to encountering more lacebugs - they're rather smart. Platydracus stercorarius was quite striking for a rove beetle, even on its last legs.
The #lacebug Kalama tricornis, seemingly clinging on to a dead stem but I think actually just walking over it. It has lacey wings and pronotum which extend beyond the ege of the body so it seems to be surrounded by a film of lace. #UKbugs Two lacebugs Kalama tricornis, one now on the dead stem it was walking over in the last photo. #UKinverts The large rove beetle Platydracus stercorarius. This is a matt black beetle with hairy red elytra (wing cases), white patches of hairs at the sides of each segment of the abdomen and reddish on the legs and antennal bases. The beetle was just about alive when this photo was taken, but the head is drooped and the legs have begun to retract. #UKbeetles
August 26, 2025 at 7:47 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I enjoyed some productive suction-sampling today. Lots still to identify but among the highlights was my first (long-awaited) lacebug: Kalama tricornis. Also Angle-spotted Scymnus (Scymnus frontalis), one of the commoner inconspicuous ladybirds to have eluded me until now. #UKbugs #UKbeetles
The lacebug Kalama tricornis, a very small #bug with lacy edges to the pronotum and lacy wings. Its antennae - or rather its antenna as one is missing - is thickly hairy. Another view of the same #lacebug, Kalama tricornis. #UKinverts The inconspicuous ladybird Angle-spotted Scymnus (Scymnus frontalis). A small black beetle with a pair of large orangey-red spots on the wing-cases. The appendages (legs, antennae and, not visible here, palps) are orangey-brown. #InconspicuousLadybird A side view of the same Angle-spotted Scymnus (Scymnus frontalis). #UKladybird #ladybird
August 25, 2025 at 8:35 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I've twice caught November Moths where the tegumen was separate from the rest of the genitalia which consisted of a globular structure presumably consisting of malformed valvae and sacculus, with the loose aedeagus emerging through an opening. Here's an Elachista atricomella with similar deformity.
Elachista atricomella (Cock's-foot Miner) caught in my garden in May. At least I'm pretty sure that's what it is - the genitalia being abnormal were of limited help. A dark blackish-brown moth with a broken white fascia at one third and a broad irregular fascia at about three quarters. Malformed genitalia of the Elachista atricomella. The structure at the top is the tegumen and uncus. The aedeagus (with a single large cornutus and more curved than normal) protudes at the bottom. To the sides are rounded structures that were globular in shape and presumably include malformed valvae and probably also the saccus. This is quite similar to two November Moths (Epirrita dilutata) that I have examined previously (although the valvae globes were more united as a single irregular globe in those). A close-up of the same genitalia excluding the tegumen and uncus and taken from the other side after turning the prep over.
August 18, 2025 at 8:39 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Yesterday I found this Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae) in my garden in a pheremone lure trap that hadn't been set. A decade and a day previously I'd found a larva on my garden Buddleia.

It must have been a good day for them as a friend in Sandwich had one for the first time too.
Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae), dorsal view. A black and yellow wasp-like insect. The body is black with neat yellow bars along its abdomen and ytellow sots on the thorax. The antennae and legs are orange, except for black femora. The wings have an orange leading edge and a smoky suffusion near the apex. Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae), side view. #sawflies #sawfly Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae), another dorsal view. #UKinverts Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae) caterpillar. This larva from 6th August 2015 is whitish grey with a grey head and covered in black spots.
August 8, 2025 at 10:41 AM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I've been processing some of my finds from early-mid May and here are four of the highlights from fieldwork. They're not all rare, but were all new to me: Phratora laticollis, Elachista adscitella (Oblique-barred Grass-miner), Gyrohypnus angustatus and Lilioceris lilii (Lily Beetle). #NorfolkMoths
The Chrysomelid leaf beetle Phratora laticollis, potted off poplar. A blackish beetle with a blue-green metallic sheen and rows of punctures along its wing cases. #UKBeetles Elachista adscitella (Oblique-barred Grass-miner), netted in flight while doing a bird survey. The only previous records of this species in Norfolk involved larval leaf-mines at one site in July 2021. A dark grey moth with an off-white bar right across the middle. The frons is also creamy-white as is a line of cilia at the apex of the wing. These characters in combination pointed to adscitella but to be completely sure the genitalia were checked. #TeamMoth The rove beetle Gyrohypnus angustatus, found in a pitfall trap. A long narrow beetle that's very dark-coloured. It looks a lot like some of the Xantholinus species but the rear of the head is more angular. #UKinverts Lilioceris lilii (Lily Beetle, also known as Scarlet Lily Beetle). This was swept from vegetation which as far as I am aware did not include any lilies - indeed I'm not aware of any lilies (other than water lilies) growing at this site. A bright red beetle with black head, black antennae and black legs.
August 8, 2025 at 10:07 AM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Not the moth I was hoping for in my trap last night.

I often find frogs on the ground round my trap and occasionally they jump up on top of the trap, but I think this is the first time I've found one actually in the trap. I wonder how many moths I lose to them?
A frog on an eggbox in my moth trap. #TeamMoth The same Common Frog on an eggbox in my trap. This one is taken from a low angle so shows its throat and chest. #Frog
August 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Here is a final instar Field Damsel Bug (Nabis ferus) nymph photographed yesterday, and some photos of the same insect after moulting today - as a teneral adult with a deformed hind leg stuck in its nymphal exuvia, then freed by me and then 2-3 hours later after acquiring its normal colouration.
Field Damsel Bug (Nabis ferus) nymph. A brown bug with short wings. It has a fine red line running down the centre of its body. Field Damsel Bug (Nabis ferus) teneral adult with exuvia. The moulted adult bug is very pale orangey-brown. The wings are even paler and there is a narrow red line running down its body. It is still attached to the exuvia and is unable to free itself. On close inspection its hind tibia was deformed and stuck to the exuvia. Teneral adult Field Damsel Bug (Nabis ferus). The same as in the previous photo but helped out of its exuvia. It's right hind leg is deformed. Adult Field Damsel Bug (Nabis ferus). This is the same bug but is no longer teneral as it has now acquired its normal colouration. It's still fairly pale but much darker than it was, and the red line running down the body is now dark brown and broader. It also has dark markings down the centre of the head which were not visible when it was teneral.
July 31, 2025 at 9:19 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
They often don’t but when they do sit still there TG7 really comes into its own. These were taken with it and were better than I could get with my Canon 7D + Sigma 105mm f2.8 lens. I don’t really have much experience using it for other things, though I have done some flowers that worked well.
Speckled Bugloss Moth - a tiny grey moth. The TG7 has captured more detail than I could get with me 7D Gorse Knot-horn - not quite so small but I’ve achieved sharper focus across the depth of the moth than I could with the 7D. Hook-winged Lacewing - again an improvement on the images I took with the 7D. Note the slight blurring of the antennae tips - this can look a lot worse (like the insect has multiple antennae) when the movement is greater during focus stacking. The same lacewing head-on - I wouldn’t achieve such a depth of focus using my 7D.
July 26, 2025 at 1:25 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Question for spider folk - I'm thinking this may be Oedothorax apicatus, but am I right? I tentatively got it to retusus or apicatus based on the epigyne and then apicatus based on shorter tibia IV spine, but I'm still new to spider ID so confirmation welcome, or correction if need be.
Live spider which I think may be Oedothorax apicatus, found in a pitfall trap on 12th May. A blackish spider with orangey-red legs. #UKspiders Close-up of epigyne of the tentatively-identified Oedothorax apicatus Another view of the epigyne of the tentatively-identified Oedothorax apicatus tibia IV of the tentatively-identified Oedothorax apicatus - the spine is just under 1.8x the width of the tibia at that point, which I think points to apicatus - should be at least 2x the width on retusus (this of course assumes I correct in thinking it's one or the other).
July 25, 2025 at 10:52 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
Another new moth for the garden last night and one I really wasn’t expecting here (15 miles inland): Aristotelia brizella (Thrift Elder). The NW wind paid dividends! #NorfolkMoths #TeamMoth There have been inland records in Suffolk before but not in Norfolk as far as I can see.
Aristotelia brizella (Thrift Elder). A tiny bronzy-brown moth with two small dark spots along the middle of the wing. There are injustice indistinct white diagonal fascia along the costa and a more obvious and more perpendicular one nearer the apex. The palps are ringed black and white. A Nationally Scarce moth that’s normally found in saltmarsh.
July 24, 2025 at 11:10 AM
applewildlife.bsky.social
And from last Thursday, a superb Oncocera semirubella (Rosy Knot-horn), a new species for me - expected but also much longed-for. Also new for the garden, a Tawny Wave, a species that seems to be turning up away from the Brecks with increasing frequency. #NorfolkMoths #TeamMoth
Oncocera semirubella (Rosy Knot-horn). An elongate moth that's yellow on top, pink in the middle and white at the bottom. A custard, rhubarb and cream sandwich. Oncocera semirubella is an increasing species that has now surely colonised Norfolk, although many records away from the Brecks (and Flitcham) are probably migrants. Tawny Wave A pinkish-brown moth. Tawny Wave is a scarce but increasing moth that seems to be spreading beyond its traditional Breckland hotspot.
July 23, 2025 at 4:27 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
My next two new moths for the garden were both on 14th July: Pempelia genistella (Gorse Knot-horn) and Epinotia solandriana (Variable Birch Roller). The former is increasing and set to colonise if it hasn't already while the latter seems to be very scarce, not quite recorded annually in Norfolk.
Pempelia genistella (Gorse Knot-horn). A pale brownish moth with dark fasciae and indistinct dark longitudinal marks as well as some blotchy pale areas. The dark fascia are bordered on one side by indistinct pinkish brown fasciae. The overall pattern is very similar to Pempelia palumbella (Heather Knot-horn) but that species is much greyer with contrasting reddish-brown edges to the black fasciae. #NorfolkMoths Epinotia solandriana (Variable Birch Roller). An attractive brown tortrix moth with darker and paler areas all transected by wavy dark lines. This is a very variable species - some look very different from this one. Care needs to be taken to eliminate other similar Epinotia species. This one's genitalia were checked. #TeamMoth
July 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM
applewildlife.bsky.social
I've had at least six more new moths for the garden this month, starting with these two: a long-awaited Bordered Straw on 5th and a much less expected Chrysoclista linneella (Lime Flame) on 6th. I'd only seen Bordered Straw abroad before and the Chrysoclista was completely new for me. #NorfolkMoths
Bordered Straw. A pale sandy-brown moth with dark kidney marks and dark patches along the costa near the tip. Bordered Straw is a scarce migrant species. #MigrantMothUK Chrysoclista linneella (Lime Flame). A striking dark-coloured moth with an extensive orange patch covering most of the forewings. Within the orange on each wing are a small number of tufts with metallic silver and black scales. Chrysoclista linneella is a scarce species associated with Lime trees, and more often seen resting on Lime tree trunks during the daytime. #TeamMoth
July 23, 2025 at 4:07 PM