Stainland.

After the doom and gloom post here, (sorry) I thought I'd better express myself in the way I generally am:

Some people choose to see the ugliness in this world, the disarray. I choose to see the beauty.

World Wildlife population dropped by ahd 60% since 1970.

I thought some people here may like to see this. If all the insects were wiped out, the human race would die off, never mind ALL wildlife. It's hard to know what to do as individuals. 

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/global-wildlife-has-plummeted-by-staggering-60-since-1970-charitys-worrying-report-reveals-a3975091.html

28th October 2018

Had 9 Small Coppers today still feeding on Ragwort and 1 Silver Y on a wall at Dean Clough Mills...Will the Small Coppers make it till  November............

Ogden moths

Two moths at the door light on Monday morning. Have been scrratching my head to ID them so any help would be grateful - I think it might be becuse I have not looked for moths for a few weeks now.

Gosport Clough - Stainland

One obliging Halifax Scientific Society member found this Barred Sallow for me resting in the leaf litter. My first chance to photograph this species :-)

Three Scarlet Caterpillar Clubs (Cordyceps militaris) were found - I excavated this one to reveal it's host - a moth larva.

Also two Lichen Case-bearers (Dahlica lichenella) were found quite a distance from their usual haunts, is there no end to the colony's size?

Stainland.

One Mottled Umber on the door this morning. It's only the second one I've seen. My first one was banded in brown and cream, this couldn't be more different. I never cease to be surprised by the diversity of markings in the same species. It's really good to have examples different markings of the same moth.

Mottled Umber.

Square Chaple Cafe

Seem to be everywhere
...Thanks for the photo ..Pete Smith

More Small Coppers

In the strong cool wind Small Coppers were hard to find initially.With there wings closed and hiding in the ragwort flower heads, Until I got my eye in and the sun cam out then they seemed to be everywhere and I found 16 and 1 Small White.

Large Midget in Snowberry

I found seven mines of Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella at Cromwell Bottom last Tuesday (16th) feeding in Snowberry. It's not straight forward separating them from the Honeysuckle Midget (P. trifasciella), both of which will use Honeysuckle as well. However, prior to pupating the Large Midget larva spins a rugby ball shaped cocoon which is olive green when fresh (see below) whereas the Honeysuckle Midget doesn't spin a recognisable cocoon.

I also have a couple of mines on my spindly little Honeysuckle bush at home which look more like Trifasciella so I'll have to keep an eye on those. 

Castle Carr Road

We decided to have a walk on Castle Carr Road from Wainstalls to the 'Top Lodge' with a few meanderings on the way.What a lovely afternoon to be out with warm wall to wall sunshine.
Butterfly's to the fore....
Starting off with a Comma landing on the car windscreen as we parked up.
Then we started finding Small Coppers along the roadside verges and then further on in the fields alongside the gravel track past Upper Green Edge Farm. The afternoon got even better as we found more butterfly's on the last remnants of Ragwort and Hawkbit's (?? low growing like dandelions with bright yellow flowers) freshly flowering in the close cropped pasture and then at the end of Castle Carr Road, a clump of Ivy with it's flowers just 'buzzing' with insects.
Totals.....
Comma x 1
Small Copper x 35
Peacock x 1
Red Admiral x 2
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
Green-veined White x 1
Silver Y x 2

 Small Copper

 Peacock

 Red Admiral

Small Copper's on ragwort

A field trip to Cromwell Bottom, Oct 16th

https://cromwellbottom.blogspot.com/2018/10/leaf-mines-from-oct16th.html

Butterfly's

1 Small Copper at Northowram today and 1 Red Admiral in Hebden Bridge

Cromwell Bottom

Black Rustic x 1
Feathered Thorn x 4
Plain Wave x 1
Small -fan footed Wave x 1
LYU x 2
Lesser/Common Rustic agg x 1
Svennsonn's Copper Underwing x 1
Blastobasis   decolorella x 1
Garden Carpet  x 1
Straw Dot x 1
Light -brown apple Moth x 3
Rhomboid Tortrix x 1

Stainland.

I forgot to post a shot of the underside wings of a Comma butterfly. They're very lovely creatures. The "comma" is on lower wing. This photo was taken against the light, so the comma does not show up as well as it could. Once day, I'll get a better shot.

Comma butterfly.

Lee Mount - 12th October

I wasn't expecting anything this morning but this brightened things up !

Barred Sallow

Feathered thorn

The Feathered thorn was still here at Ogden this morning, holding on for grim death in the face of high winds and blowing rain (or as we know it summer weather at Ogden!!)

Stainland.

Following Andy's light-hearted comment about a collection of the underside of butterfly wings, I thought I would show three. The first one is a little soft focus, It would not stay still for me.

Brimstone.

 Red Admiral.

Small Tortoiseshell.

Night Peacock 1889 by V.v.Gogh.

Ogden Water

Only 1 moth on the door today - there when I arrived at 3.15pm!

Feathered thorn

Bare Head Tunnel

This afternoon
11 Heralds, 7 on the roof and 4 in holes on the side walls

Herald

 

Also found 6 Butterfly's in hibernation mode, all on the roof. I thought they were all Small Tortoiseshells but started questioning my identification, especially as only the underwings were visible and some were larger and darker than others. Not always easy in the torchlight but managed to get some photo's hopefully to aid identification though one was in an impossible location for a photo.

 

All different individuals and think the one not photographed was like the last two shots. Top 3 maybe Small tort's and last 2 Peacock ?????

 

 

Something new to learn every day !

 



Butterflys

20 Small Copper today and 1 Small Tortoiseshell at Northowram in the warm southerly wind...

1 Small Copper , Cold edge dams , (thanks Pete Smith )

Stainland.

Things are a little quiet here at the moment. I thought I may as well post the only moth I've seen in a few days. It's so well known that it hardly needs a photo, I simply wanted to wake things up. I imagine after the 13 Oct. moth night there will be interesting things to view.

Light Brown Apple.

Cromwell Bottom Moth Night Sat 13th October

Trap will be going on around 7.00...........

Lee Mount - 9th October

Four very nice moths in or around the  trap this morning along with a November Moth agg.

 Blair's Shoulder-knot

 

 Tachystola acroxantha (numerous of these at times this year and still getting an occasional one)

 

 Merveille du Jour

(a much paler individual than the previous one on 28th September, it's been here all day in the same spot but I moved it well away from the trap tonight)

 

Feathered Thorn

(seems to like the outdoor Cyclamen as it's been here for 2 days now)

Butterfly sightings

Pete Smith reports..
Small Tortoiseshell x 2 in Shibden Valley 6th Oct
Red Admiral x 1 , Small Tortoiseshell x 1 7th Oct Town Centre by Curry's

Thanks Pete

Lee Mount - 4th October

A stunning looking Autumn Green Carpet in the trap earlier this week - a real beauty !

Autumn Green Carpet

Stainland.

Four moths today, five if you count the Angle Shades which has been here for a couple of days.

A Garden Carpet first, it's only the second one I have seen this year.

Garden Carpet.

Light Brown Apple in the hall, I took it outside after taking a photo.

Light Brown Apple.

I'm going to call the next a Strawberry Tortrix, (sorry Charlie). When I was trying to ID it last week, I only found one photo online that looked like this one. Non of my moth books had one in the same colour/pattern. In the absence of a more positive ID, unscientifically, I'm calling it that. At least I will know it in my records later. I've never seen this moth before and I've now had three in a week.

Strawberry Tortrix?

On safer ground, the last one is a Silver Y. It's the first one I've seen this year and always welcome.

 Silver Y.

Lee Mount - 2nd October

Silver Y at night nectering on Verbena bonariensis

Silver Y

Stainland.

A slightly worn Angle Shades has settled on the beading round our door. It provides a somewhat unusual view of it, compared to the one most of us are used to seeing.

Angle Shades.

Angle Shades.

Stainland.

I x Strawberry Tortrix today. It's a different one to the one posted on 28th Sept. It is not as worn but there was no point posting the photo.

Northowram 1st October

Small Copper x 33
Red Admiral x 9
Comma x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 1

Speckled Wood x 1 ( Mixenden , thanks P.Smith)