Cromwell Bottom Sat 29th June

                                                                 Double Square -spot

                                                        Rufous Minor

A busy night at barrys moth night at CB...I got 2 new Calderdale species which was great, at last a Blood - vein and a Double - square spot a common species in Yorkshire but pretty rare in Calderdale with only 1 or 2 other records.....Dingy Shears , Pebble Prominent , the first fall of LYU 's , July Highflyers , and this red /green form of a Rufous Minor ?

Recent sightings and trappings

I seem to have been to a few places over the last few days and seen quite a few things.

22.6.19 Trapping at Copley Graden
Lesser Swallow Prominent, Riband Wave, Heart & Dart x5, Dusky Brocade x3, Flame, Bramble Shoot Moth, Tashystola acroxantha

25.6.19 Beechwood Park meadow
Lots of Chimney Sweep moths despite the wet weather when checking the  meadows

27.6.19 Ogden Water - Withen Road
Painted Lady x2, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral

28.6.19 Ogden Water - around the reservoir
Painted Lady x3, Speckled Wood, Small Magpie, Ermine Moth, Green Veined White, Red Admiral

28.6.19 Talbot Bend - north Halifax
Painted Lady x3 feeding on valarian

29.6.19 Trapping at Copley Garden
Dusky Brocade x3, LY Underwing x14, Bee Moth (a first for me), Riband Wave x2, Heart & Dart x 10, Flame x 1, Lozotaeniodes formosanus, Common Marbled Carpet, Elephant Hawkmoth x 2

Three below that I need help with ID and confirmation of ID. Last one I know but it is one of my favourites

Just to check the ID on these please..... 

One of the two hawkmoths that I was targetting since the honeysuckle came out

Stainland.

We're back from a relaxing week in our "town house" in York. This morning I was greeted by a Marbled Beauty, the first this year.

I commented last year on this blog, that the black and white variety of this moth arrived each year in our garden, two or three weeks before the brown/orange marked ones. Strangely, this year it proved to be a slightly coloured variety. It's  something I don't understand. Hmmm...

Marbled Beauty.

Whilst in York, I saw more Painted Lady butterflies that I have ever seen before. The Museum Gardens, off Lendal Bridge and the wonderful Burnby Hall Gardens, were full of them. It seems to be their year. I  assume they prefer warmer weather.

Big Butterfly Count

Next Sunday 7th July there will be a HXSS walk around Cromwell Bottom meet at the cabin 10.30 - 14.00...If the weather stays good we should see , Painted lady , Red Admiral , Ringlet , Meadow Brown , Small Copper , Comma , Small , large and green Veined Whites , Gatekeeper , Large and Small Skipper and if we are very Lucky Essex Skipper  a good selection of day flying moths and a few Dragonflies. We might even see some rare Clearwing moths..!!!!!

Heat Wave

Loads of Painted Lady's and Red Admiral about today , and first Ringlet yesterday in the Crags.
Humming bird photo from Mythomroyd ( thanks Phil D) Oak Eggar form Norland ....


Cromwell Bottom Moth Night tomorrow night should be a very very busy one.................

Shibden Park today

I'm sorry I don't know what this is.

Northowram

Ghost Moths have been showing well at dusk all month peaking at 125 males on the 21st and 10 Five spot Burnet moths today

Lee Mount - 25th June

Best night this year with 22 species overnight total of 48+ moths in and around the trap this morning though some small ones escaped !!!.

One each of these species... ...Burnished Brass, Cabbage Moth, Green Pug, Dark Arches, Knot Grass, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Riband Wave, Common Footman and the first Marbled Beauty for this year.

Dusky Brocade x 1 for double check please. This was smaller than the Dark Arches which was nearby - a nice looking moth.

Painted lady

This is another shot of yesterday's insect.

Fly Flatts

Looks like the Painted Lady invasion is underway with 30 + today ,along with Small Heath , Peacock , Oak Eggar , Diamond Backed moth and Cinnabar.....

Painted Ladys also seen at Shibden Valley, Small Skipper at Barkisland , Red Admiral Greetland  (P Smith) , 10 Cinnabars Shibden  (Annie H), Painted Lady in the Crags (Nat P) and a stunning Oak Eggar at Norland moor and Mint moths at Shibden (Joy Morris) many thanks for all the records..

North Loop - Sunday

1 Six-belted Clearwing to Barry's lure and an Agriphila geniculea netted.

Cold Edge and Ovenden Moor

I did the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey late morning around the usual Tetrad. It was reasonably warm but not really enough sunshine. I ended up with more day-flying moths than butterflies but both were good even if the butt's were in short supply.
Painted Lady x 1
Small Heath x 6
Green-veined White x 2
Small Copper x 1

Timothy Tortrix x 1
Common Carpet x 1
Common Heath x 3
Cinnabar x 1
Chimney Sweeper x 1

Same species Pug x 2 near The Withens former pub - photo's below for scrutiny. 

Very small pugs (second individual not very good photo) - both were flying when the sun shone, both feeding on small white flowers ! Nearest I can get is Marsh Pug.......any thoughts ?

Lee Mount - 21st June

Still poor returns in numbers from the overnight trap but another Elephant Hawkmoth was again, a bit special. I put it on the honeysuckle and it took off like a helicopter on a mission !
Small Magpie x 1
Heart and Dart x 2

Also in the churchyard this morning I found a Yellow Shell

No butterflies yet today so think they might need a few more warmer days to emerge.

Luddenden Dean - Jerusalem Farm

This afternoon we had a walk around the area and Wade Wood. We were prompted by an email from Chris about Ermine Moth caterpillars totally stripping two Bird Cherry trees. Other nearby trees appeared unaffected.

Not  a lot of caterpillars left so I guess they have pupated after eating that lot !! The underneath of the tree was also covered in web - fascinating. Thanks Chris.

Also just a few butterflies about in the meadow area including this one below, several Speckled Woods and Green-veined Whites

Meadow Brown

And another from the same area Nemophora degeerella

Lee Mount - 19th June

Only seen one of these before, on Norland Moor in 2016 if my i d is correct.
One in the trap was a treat.

Shoulder-striped Wainscot

Sunshine and butterflies!!!!!!

Had a look at Hollas Lane NR a couple of days ago. Small numbers of everything, not surprising after the soaking they've had recently.

Highlight was this Blood-vein following on from one last year.

BUTTERFLIES:

Common Blue x 1

Small Heath x 3

Small Tort x 1

Small White x 1

And a few Large Skippers, Meadow Browns and Silver Ys

Nice to see three Chimney Sweeperes at near by Copley meadow including this one which may have just emerged. Not sure if that's an exuvia next to it?

Mint Moth

Never seen this one before. It was in our garden on Catmint flower and I think it may be a Mint Moth--Pyrausta aurata. Can someone confirm? Lovely and daintily coloured.

Lee Mount - 17th June

Red Admiral yesterday in the garden on Erysimum was the first for the year.

Just a few moths overnight in or around the trap this morning
Large Yellow Underwing x 2
Ingrailed Clay x 2
Tachystola acroxantha x 1
Crambus lathoniellus x 1
Common Pug x 1
Garden Carpet x 1
Heart and Dart x 1
Clouded Silver x 1
Clouded Border x 1

Lee Mount - 15th June

Elephant Hawkmoth on the fence by the trap this morning - but nothing else !
Still a great moth to see.

Lee Mount -14th June

I put the lamp on last night despite the rain after a week when it's been wet both day and night ! I was hoping for at least something !
Just two moths in the trap this morning
Ingrailed Clay x 1 (nearly missed it as it flew straight out of the trap and fortunatley landed in a flower pot !)
Common Swift x 1

Ingrailed Clay

Also tonight some micros' about, disturbed in the garden.

Many-plumed Moth x 5

Tachystola acroxantha x 2

Light-brown Apple-moth x 2

It's milder, so if the rain keeps off I might get something in or around the trap later this evening or in the morning. Live in hope !

Stainland.

One Garden Carpet.

Garden Carpet.

Lee Mount - Pug check ?

One from 3rd June - photo's not as clear as I would have liked - think maybe Freyer's Pug ?

Recent Bits

A fine Red Admiral today was the first this year for me and it looks like we might be in for a Painted Lady invasion as there were 100's on the coast yesterday .

                                          I found this  BuffTip on the path in Shelf Park

   A Humming Bird Hawkmoth in Queensbury last week (thanks NK)
  2 Mint Moths in a garden in Shibden (thanks Joy Morris)
 Wall Browns from Wainstalls and Beacon Hill (thanks Pete Smith)

Stainland.

A Silver Ground Carpet, unless I'm mistaken. It arrived before 1 a.m. and is still here, it must have been a cold night.

I can't see many moths flying in the next few days, we are to expect heavy rain.

Silver Ground Carpet,

Stainland.

Two moths sheltering from the pouring rain today. A Brimstone and a White Ermine. Both are attractive moths.

Brimstone.

White Ermine.

White Ermine, antennae detail.

Cromwell Bottom Thursday Morning

It was largely sunny but breezy but even in the sheltered spots there was an a disturbing dearth of moths and just two butterflies seen all morning. Highlights were this female Meadow Longhorn (Cauchas rufimitrella), Mother Shipton and some Hawthorn Moth larvae on one of the newly planted Blackthorn saplings.

Ghost Moth

The first displaying Ghost Moths at Northowram , about 10 males and 2 females were observed at 22.14 ....
On the 6th at 22.15 there were 21 males and 1 female..

Crimsworth Dean

This afternoon along the track from the edge of the woodland in the valley leading to Lumb Falls. Pretty breezy with short spells of warm sunshine
Small Heath butterflies x 3
Green-veined White x 4
Small White x 4
Orange-tip x 1
Several other whites just went by unidentified - as they do !

Hollas Bridge

Had a quick walk round today for the first time , looks excellent with a good selection of plants , hope Common Blues have found it looks perfect.Still a good number of Orange Tips about today male and females , Small and Green -veined Whites and a Peacock . A beautiful Broad bodied Chaser showed very well..

Cromwell Bottom moth night - June 1st

An interesting night with over 60 species recorded:


https://cromwellbottom.blogspot.com/2019/06/moth-night-results-june-1st.html

Stainland.

Several moths to report. It was a mild night last night, I expected one or two.

At 1 am today:-

5 x small, slender moths, pale brown, to flighty to get a photo. No Idea.
2 x Light Brown Apple.
2 x Common Pugs.
1 x Dark Pug (lead coloured?) Wouldn't settle long enough to take a shot.
1 x Triangle Plume.
1 x Bee moth.
Not a bad list. I hope it a sign of things to come.

The only photos I got were the following two. I didn't bother with the Bee Moth.

Common Pug.

Triangle Plume.

Lee Mount - 1st June

MV on last night, which I turned off late on to avoid disturbing neighbours ! I left the Synergetic light on overnight in perfect perfect conditions. Loads of small stuff about late on, most of which I struggle with anyway !! ...but I keep trying. Getting a decent photo is  a start !!!
This morning was rewarding with around 22+ species including these below.
Tachystola acroxantha x 18
Common Swift x 2
Garden Carpet x 2
Small Phoenix x 1
Knot Grass x 1
Clouded Silver x 2
Brown Silver-line x 1
Common Marbled Carpet x 1
Brimstone Moth x 1
Spectacle x 2
Heart and Dart x 2
Clouded-bordered Brindle x 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x 4
Marbled Minor agg x 1
Common Pug x 1
Possible White-spotted Pug x 1 (photo below for checking)?

 ??

 Brown Silver-line

 Clouded-bordered Brindle

 Knot Grass

 Small Phoenix

Spectacle

Churchyard moths ! - 1st June

Cutting the grass in St George's graveyard I was fortunate enough to disturb my first, for the year, Large Yellow Underwing, also a Cinnabar and a Scalloped Hazel. The latter at the bottom of the church tower looking pretty worn and I thought it was dead ? I moved it to the shrubbery and it crawled off to hide in the vegetation. Pretty resilient, some of these moths !

Lee Mount -

Last week in May, pretty quiet with five or six expected species most mornings including several Heart and Dart, Garden Carpet, Common Swift, and Shuttle-shaped Darts etc..... not many moths about on the whole but the best was a Buff-Tip in the trap on Friday morning.

Buff-tip