NORWICH: Spitting spider and pick of the moths from July

Late July 2018

A brief catchup of some interesting wildlife seen at home or in Norwich city centre.

I'm not a spider fan, but having noticed a distinctive looking small spider at work, I caught and photographed it in case it was one of the relatively few species that can be identified without examination. As luck had it this one was identifiable and also rather interesting. It is Scytodes thoracica is a 'spitting spider', which can catch prey by shooting out silk at them. Pip Collyer, the Norfolk spider recorder, says that it is seldom seen so a good find. A second new species found at work was a Cream-streaked Ladybird, which was found on the outside of my office window.

I've been running my actinic moth trap fairly regularly at home, and by the end of July had reached about 130 species for the year - relatively modest compared to those with larger gardens or close to green spaces, but pleasing for me given the light pollution and housing estate setting. The highlight in terms of rarity was the Goosefoot Owlet (Scythris limbella), only the second Norfolk record! In terms of looks Small Ranunculus was the pick of the bunch, a Red Data Book species and my first new macro trapped at this house. Wax Moth and Ribwort Slender were also new ones for me.

 Goosefoot Owlet

 Small Ranunculus

 Wax Moth

Ribwort Slender