Ringby Lane

Yesterday afternoon I took a walk up Ringby Lane from the top of Ploughcroft. This small area on the left of the track was alive with butterflies. 20+ Ringlets, 20+ Meadow Browns, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Large Skipper, 2 Small Skippers. I think they were not only attracted by the warm sunshine and Willow Herb, Brambles etc as well as very weedy area just behind but also by the large Privet bushes in flower. Privet does attract insects if it's  allowed to flower !

 Ringby Lane



 

Also with the butterflies was this moth 'trying hard to get' though I eventually tracked it down to a stone wall though it stayed only briefly before I could get it in good focus. I think it's a Yellow Shell Moth.

 



Yellow Shell ?

Moth i d (2)

And another one from Lee Mount last night...... about 4 cm across very grey looking against the concrete kerb
Having a stab at Willow Beauty but not sure ...as usual...

Moth i d ?

 

Not sure about these two from Tuesday night !

Top one was very small max 2 cm across - perhaps Double-striped Pug ?

Second one maybe Small Fan-footed Wave ?

Help appreciated as usual !



 

Purple Hairstreak

Purple Hairstreak are now on the wing with 2 on the 29th at Only House Wood Northowram. Any area with Oak is worth looking at. Look at the tops of oaks in bright sunshine . Plenty of Gatekeepers and Ringlets about as well..The invasion of Painted \Ladys is still to happen..??

Langfield Common Moorland Moths Sat 26th July 2015

Its always nice to get up to langfield once every now and again , it was cool up there on sat night with clear skies throughout. Highlight was a Grey Moutain carpet  and 3 Confused . Other species - Small Square Spot 10 , Dark Arches 11 , Purple Clay 3 , Clouded Bordered Brindle 2 , Flame Shoulder 1 , Ingrailed Clay 9 , Lempke.s Gold Spot 2 , Common Wainscot 1 , Angle Shades 1 , Broom Moth 1 , Smoky Wainscot 1 , True Lovers Knot 5 and a Large Yellow Underwing..Not one Antler Moth .??



Weather . Day warm Sunny Temp circa 15 -19 o  Evening generally clear , still no significant breezes Temp dropping 10o

Habitat

Langfield Common is upland Moor Trap located in low lying Bog Area with Marsh and run off Springs with varios Rush and sedges at an Altitude on the OS Contour   m

The Following where imaged with the help of Brian and Andy

Other Entomology

The proximity of boggy habitat attracted Homoptera - froghoppers . Mirids Lepopterna sp

FLIKR ISSUE WILL RESOLVE SHORTLY

1744 Grey Mountain Carpet Entephria caesiata ABH 70.072

This specimen worn

A mountain and moorland species,The larvae feed on a number of low heathland plants such as heather (Calluna) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). variable adults fly from July to August.

2120 Ingrailed Clay Diarsia mendica ABH 73.333 Two Specimens





The caterpillars hibernate and feed in the spring on a variety of shrubs and plants, including bramble (Rubus) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus).
2329 The Confused Apamea furva ABH 73.165 

The larva feed on the roots and stem bases of meadow grass (Poa spp.) and the moths fly mainly in July and August.







2440 Lempke's Gold Spot Plusia putnami ABH 73.023 
Among the foodplants is small-reed (Calamogrostis spp.).










2321 Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha ABH 73.162 

The larvae feed on the bases and stems of various grasses.likes grassy areas, it is on the wing from July to August, with a later second sotherly brood on the wing from July to August,

2306 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa ABH 73.113

The larvae feed on a variety of herbaceous plants.Adults generally fly between May and October, in at least 2 generations, but found in any month

2118 True Lover's Knot Lycophotia porphyrea ABH 73.338

The well-camouflaged larvae feed on heather (Calluna) and heath (Erica).It flies between June and August in a single generation

2122 Purple Clay Diarsia brunnea ABH 73.332

1. 
   

Common Footman

This moth was recorded near Cullingworth Viaduct a couple of specimens where noted one on Dry stone walling and the other feeding sluggishly on Creeping Thistle and should be ubiquitous in Calderdale

There is an excellent Primer on Footman here Footman Comparisions

Buff-tip

What a moth this was - another 'lifer' last night !

 Buff-tip

 Head on Buff-tip

Beautiful Plume 'I think'

Lee Mount

We think we have these identified correctly from Tuesday night - but please put us right if not !!!
2 Burnished Brass
2 Spectacle
1 July High-flyer

Upland burning

An interesting article on RSPB.org.uk media centre.
10 year RSPB lead study reveals the extent of Upland burning across Britain !
Link is
http://t.co/zMrOCTpEd9

Lempke's Gold Spot

 

Think this is probably Lempke's Gold Spot rather than Gold Spot

 

One of some fantastic looking moths recently in our garden with thanks to a great deal of help from friends !





langfield Common Sat night

Gonna try and run the trap at |Langfield common on Sat night. Meet at the Shepards rest at 9.15,its a rough walk there and back(in the dark). All welcome

Butterflies on Hedge top Lane , Northowram

134 Small Tortoiseshell , 17 Ringlet , 20 Meadow Brown , 2 Large Skipper ,1Red Admiral   and 1 Large White .

Veneers

A good time of year for a critical look at these small day fliers given the abundance of tall grasses , unfortunately there is never eniough hours in the day to devote to these moths which look substantially bigger in flight than when resting on blades of grass their principle habitat and food plant. I'll add Records to this thread as found and are open to correction . All VC 63 records except where indicated .

FLIKR PROBLEM IMAGES WILL RESOLVE SHORTLY

63.080 BF1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella Common throughout calderdale

Distinctive features:
Longitudinal streak 1, notchedhalfway along 

2, costal edge fairly  straight 

3. Strong, sharply bent subterminal line with dark inner edge
4. Triangularly shaped and markedapex 

5. Hind wing dark.Male: Streaks between veins greyish
6. Wing speckled with blackish scales.Female: Streaks between veins white
7, fewer dark scales on wings,hence much paler overall appearancethan male.

63.093 BF1304 Agriphila straminella

Distinctive features:

1.Small size. Lack of cross lines Fringe metallic, outer half lighter

Faint longitudinal streak

2.Often speckled with brown 

3.Strongly tapered overall shape

4.Male:Two-tone appearance – dorsal half of wing light, costal half dark

5.Female:More uniform in tone.Streak splitting into faint fngers

63.081 BF1294 Crambus pascuella  VC65 For comparison

Also amongst the Straw slighly bigger than the Veneers

 2474 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis 72.002 

Butterflies on Hedge top lane , Northowram

68 Small Tortoiseshell , 10 Meadow Brown , 4 Ringlet , 1  Small White, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Large Skipper today on Hedge Top Lane. Northowram.

Great Moth - really bad picture

Very fidgetty, so difficult to photograph,  there were three of these continually hovering over the same patch of  Dog's Mercury at Hardcastle Crags this evening about 8.00pm.

Closest I can find is male Gold Swift. It was about 15 to 20 mm.

Am I anywhere near the right one ? Or is the picture not good enough ?

Cromwell Bottom Friday

Planning a trip  to Cromwell Bottom on Friday Night, meet at 9.30, will be running the trap  at lagoon 1.

Query

Insect heaven . . .

Copied form Calderdale-wildlife.blogspot.

These were about as we surveyed meadows and woodland for plants last week.

What is the validity of Northern Eggar as a specific name?

Eggar, Northern or Oak ? Near Mytholmroyd.

Best focus my camera could get as he shivered on  my finger.

Common Blues mating. Luddenden Dean.