Elm Groundling

Trapped at CB on Aug. 24th. Gen Det (CS)

Elm Groundling (Carpatolechia fugivitella)

Lee Mount

This one is puzzling me... any help appreciated.
It was here 2 nights - 23rd and 24th August.. but can I work it out ? c18 mm wing length and quite a sheen to it , though it fails to show this on the photos.

Cromwell Bottom moths - Aug. 24th

One or two bits of interest but nowt too wonderful:


http://cromwellbottom.blogspot.com/2019/08/moth-night-aug-24th.html

VC 63 Garden Moths Sunday 25th August 2019

Sun 25th August 2019

Weather Hot 16-18 0 pm Still Moon 1/4

Actinic 20 W

ABH  73.219 BF2269  Centre-barred Sallow Atethmia centrago x2

ABH  28.010 BF 647   Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella

ABH  73.169 BF2343  Common /Lesser Com Rustic Mesapamea secalis agg

ABH  73.342 BF2107  Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba
ABH  63.038 BF1405  Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis

ABH  73.107 BF2300  Old Lady Mormo maura
ABH  73.084 BF2293  Marbled Beauty Bryophila domestica
ABH  73.325  BF2092  Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

ABH  49.039 BF0998   Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana
ABH  70.049 BF1728   Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata
ABH  70.061 BF1738   Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata

Sunday 25th/27th , Northowram

Small Copper x 12 /16
Small Tortoiseshell x 3 /10 (
Painted Lady x 15 / 22
Peacock x 3 / 2
Holly Blue x 1 / 0
Gatekeeper x 3 / 1
Small White  x 20
Large White x 4
Speckled Wood x 2 /4
Red Admiral x 1 /1

                                                                     Gatekeeper

                                                               Small Copper  abb blue dots

                                                  Small Tortoiseshell freshly emerged

Ogden Lane / Rocks Lane

1 Wall
2 Small copper

Also, an unidentified moth seen through the window of Morrisons cafe

VC 63 Garden Moths Friday 23rd August 2019

Weather Warm circa 12-15 o

Method Actinic 20 W Robinson

Friday 23rd August 2019

Other Entomology   Tipula maxima ( Cranefly )

The Predominant Moth was the LY  Under Wing Totalling about 40 or more ,. these really meritted closer inspection as there were likely other Underwing Species amongst them. I am pretty certain there was a Least Yellow with the forewings being a bright fulvous-brown colour and yellow flash on release but in haste was released without imaging

Check this LINK for a quick Pictorial overview and Guide to Identification of Underwings

ABH 73.357  2134   Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

ABH 73.107  2300   Old Lady Mormo maura   x2

ABH 49.039  0998   Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

ABH 16.001  0424   Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella

ABH 73.169  2343   Common / Lesser Rustic Mesapamea secalis agg +

ABH 73.062  2297 Copper/Svennson  Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea
ABH 73.342  2107   Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba
ABH 73.345  2109   Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes
ABH 73.348  2111   Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe
ABH 73.346  2112   Least Yellow Underwing Noctua interjecta

ABH 49.091 1011  Pseudargyrotoza conwagana TBC +++

ABH   73.343  2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua fimbriata ++

  + dark form  with almost white stigmata tend to be likely M didyma.
  ++ I 've included below for completion taken at CB LNR a few weeks ago
+++ One Query For Comment last below

ABH 73.345  2109    Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes TBC

• smaller than both Large and Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings.

• Forewing colouration   consistant,    light sandy brown and both oval and kidney-marks are usually quite conspicuous.

• When resting often a horizontal, well-spaced row of black dots near the base of the forewings and the edge of the forewing is characterised by a row of black marks, found on none of the other Underwings.

ABH 73.348  2111   Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe








ABH 73.342  2107   Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

Variable in its form










ABH  73.343  2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua fimbriata

ABH 73.357  2134   Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa






ABH 73.169  2343   Common / Lesser Rustic Mesapamea secalis agg +




ABH 73.062  2297 Copper/Svennson  Copper Underwing agg Amphipyra pyramidea




ABH 73.107  2300   Old Lady Mormo maura







Query  7-9 mm

ABH 49.091 1011  Pseudargyrotoza conwagana TBC

Cold Edge dams

Small heath 2

Butterflies 23.08.19

Painted Lady 10 + (Northowram and Walshaw Dean)
Peacock 10 + (Northowram and Walshaw Dean)
Red Admiral.. 1 (Northowram)
Small Heath...  4 ( Walshaw Dean)
Small Tortoiseshell .. Northowram x 1 Walshaw x 12
Meadow Brown 4 (Northowram and Walshaw Dean)
Small Copper x  3 ( Northowram)
Small Skipper x 2 ( Northowram)
Speckled Wood x 8  ( Northowram )
Small and Large White 20 +  ((Northowram )
Small and Green veined White  Walshaw Dean)

Ogden golf course - 22nd August

Found this in the drizzle yesterday. Unusual to find one out in the open in the conditions so I moved it into the longer vegetation and cover and it crawled away after a few moments so it was ok. They are usually out in the sunshine !

Fox Moth caterpillar

Lee Mount 23rd August

Two of these have been around the Oak the last few days tempting me into thinking maybe Purple Hairstreaks (not easy looking up into the sunlight) - NO - finally, one landed on the Ivy in the garden

Holly Blue

Shibden Valley

A single buddleia with:
   5 Painted ladies
   2 Peacocks
   1 Red admiral
Also, 1 Speckled wood nearby

Lee Mount - 21st August

I came across this very small 'Wave' tonight on the kitchen window. No more than 16mm from wing-tip to wing-tip. Think I have correct i d but not too familiar with this species so a check would be a help.

Small Dusty Wave 

Brussle Sprouts cats

Cabbage Moth

Large White

My wife said to me today , can you please get the caterpillars off my sprouts please..There were 70 + Large Whites , 20 Small Whites and 1 Cabbage moth...

Lee Mount

Still a good show of butterflies today despite the heavy showers at times. During spells of rain at least one Painted Lady and a Red Admiral stayed on the Buddleia and went underneath the flowers for shelter !!
Painted Lady x 4
Red Admiral x 1
Peacock x 2
Holly Blue x 1
Small Copper x 1 (a first for here, I think !)
Speckled Wood x 2 in spectacular flight together for ages
Small White x 6+
Large White x 2 +

Luddenden Dean

10 species of butterfly in the upper dean as we walked up one side of the valley from Jerusalem Farm this afternoon then back down the other side. It was blustery at times, with sunshine, but there was plenty Ragwort, Thistles and some Buddleia in sheltered places.

Wall Brown x 1 - (same spot as I had one earlier in the year)
Painted Lady x 4
Peacock x 1
Red Admiral x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
Meadow Brown x 6
Speckled Wood x 24
Gatekeeper x 1 - scarce up here !
Green-veined White x 4
Small White x 3

Small Copper

Second generation of Small Coppers were out in good force today with 15 + in the fields around Northowram . Painted Ladys , Green Veined Whites , Red Admiral , Meadow Brown ,  Peacock and Comma...

An interesting  Comma larvae photo sent in by Mrs Lomas and an Old Lady seen in the Imperial Crown Hotel ( all info via SB , many thanks Steve)

Common Rustic

Had a female nectaring on the garden Buddleia on Aug. 10th (bits checked).

Lee Mount - 14th August

Pretty quiet from an overnight trap but interesting all the same.
Sallow x 1
Large Yellow Underwing x 2
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing  x 2
Lesser Yellow Underwing x 2
Square-spot Rustic x 1
Common Rustic agg x 2
Flounced Rustic x 1 ---different individula from the 12th - much greyer
White-shouldered house-moth x 1
Blastobasis lacticolella x 1
Acleris forsskaleana x 1
Cydia splendana x 3

Flounced Rustic

Sallow

Out and about !

Ogden - a good show of Painted Lady butterflies turning up all around the site and on Ovenden Moor. probably 25+ or so.
Also several Small Skippers x 4, Small Coppers x 5, Peacock x 4, Red admiral x 1 and several 'whites'. We had a look at a traditional Common Blue site behind the reservoir cottage, but nothing doing.
We also found a very dark looking moth on Ragwort but identification seems unlikely. Some photo's to check later but getting them in focus with the grass in the way was tricky Not a Haworth's Minor, Ear Moth or Antler, slightly bigger and very dark but will probably have to let it go.

Lee Mount
Peacock, Holly Blue, and 5+ Painted Lady still on the Buddleia

HSS meeting tonight at the Imperial Crown Hotel in halifax. Someone found a large moth, caught it in a glass - surprise - it was an Old Lady. Photos very difficult through the glass !

Lee Mount - 12th August

After several nights without the trap-light on due to the heavy rain I finally gave it a go last night.

Not a lot this morning but enough of interest....
Dun-bar x 1
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x 6 (not had so many altogether before)
Large Yellow Underwing x 6 (58 last week on 5th August)
Agriphila tristella x 3
Dark Arches x 2
Common Rustic agg x 1
Brimstone Moth x 1

Also one just for  a double check - pretty sure it's a Flounced Rustic (?) (16mm) Only seen one before, on 10th August 2018 so it's a bit special.

Flounced Rustic

Common Rustic agg

Wall Brown

Watched 2 Wall Browns today in the car park at Walshaw dean ,in courtship display flight and copulation..Also in the area Small Skipper , Green veined White , Painted Lady , Peacock , Small Tortoiseshell , Meadow Brown and Small Heath....
One Wall Brown on Soil Hill this week as well (thanks DB)
And one at Northowram on the 13th..

Luddunden

                                        Scalloped Hook Tip

                                            latticed Heath..

A couple of good local moths in Luddenden Village this week  and a very striking Holly Blue in the village...(thanks Martyn and Carol)

Withens Clough

Yesterday - a very good day for Butterflies in and around Rudd Lane and the top car park as well as around the reservoir!

 Think this is a Red Admiral larva - just 2 of these on nettles

Cinnabar - we found 14 of these but only ones and two's, not clusters, and all on Ragwort

Lots of great habitat - thistles, nettles etc and the sun shone a lot !

Peacock 84 + and counting

Small Copper x 2

Ringlet 21+

Meadow Brown 25+

Small White 50+

Green-veined White x 3

Small Skipper 15+

Large Skipper x 7

Small Heath 12+

Painted Lady 11+

Comma x 1

Small Tortoiseshell 50+

Antler Moth x 4 - all on Ragwort

Common Blue Damselfly 8+ on the small pond 150m past the res'r cottage and a Common Hawker.

Common Blue Damselfly 40+....numerous around the vegetation at the top end and the far side of the of the reservoir where it was in full sunshine and shelter from the breeze. Also 2+ Common Hawkers there.

Hoverfly for ID

No, it's not this one - this is a Campion found nectaring on the Buddleia last night, only my second one ever.

The hoverfly was also on the Buddleia (by day) - it was HUGE, reddish/brown I think, the most distinguishing field mark was a bright yellow stripe down the centre of it's head. Anyone any ideas (Colin)?

Lee Mount

Last night - a moth on the fence that baffled me for a while having a greyish green tinge and around 18mm - thinking Sycamore - but not sure. Still there, but in the trap this morning, very obliging. On looking closely at the photo's I'm now leaning towards Grey Chi seeing the dark central marks on each wing as one of the pointers.

 Grey Chi 

After all the time spent looking for Purple Hairstreaks, I went out this morning to fetch the recycling boxes in. Passing the wet car I came across this. What a surprise, just there on the car window !!! At an awkward angle with the brightness of the glass but after a few contortions I managed this one (orange tipped antennae) . Wondered, has it been there all night in the rain !

Purple Hairstreak

Last few days

Still plenty Painted Lady butterflies about including my best count up to 60+ up Ringby Lane and on Ringby top last Saturday. Mostly on flowering privet bushes and thistles.
They are all over the place, even in town center areas.

Today I finally got to grips with a Purple Hairstreak on the oak at the back of the house. The trees are in Shroggs Park. I have had several possible sightings of up to three together in the tops but could not be 100%. Today I got a poor shot through the long lens as one landed on a leaf. It was good enough to be certain.
Also around the same tree, but lower down, 2 Holly Blue's and 2 Speckled Wood doing their 'twirling' around each other - fascinating.

Wall Brown's on Ringby Top on Saturday and another on Pepper Hill above Claremount yesterday but neither stayed still enough for a decent photo.

I did manage my first Gatekeepers at Cromwell Bottom on Saturday though they seem scarce or non -existent on higher ground. (?) Still a few Small Heaths about on Ovenden Moor and Swales Moor.

Stainland.

Numbers first, then some images.

6 x Blastobasis sp.
4 x Marbled Beauties.

I've just spent two and a half hours trying to ID some of the below. After a while most moths tend to look the same, brown. I have to come clean, I've been struggling with concentration for a little while. It's not very pleasant for Anne or myself. I hope it just a glitch.

Snout.

Small Fan Foot Wave

& Marbled Beauty.

I think I have the correct ID for the next one, these things always trip me up.

Agriphila tristella.

I thought the next was an Udea lutealis, but now, I don't think it is.

ID Needed.

The last moth caused me the most trouble. It's a descent photo and the moth has to be easy to recognise, (for others). I've given up and am off to bed. 9 pm and I am worn out.

ID needed.