Bagworm Update

Following on from my earlier post about a case found at North Dean wood on May 12th and a second on the 17th I'm now quite confident that they are both Narrow Lichen Bagworms (Dahlica triquetrella).
After a fair bit of head scratching and emailing folk I think I can eliminate the main confusion species Diplodoma laichartingella because:

My cases are smaller measuring 8mm x 2.5mm x 2.5mm.
The emergence of one adult mid-April (worked out from the eggs hatching) is about a month earlier than Diplodoma should emerge.
There is no tough inner case surrounded by a lightly woven outer.

The other Dahlica species have smaller cases without a noticeable amount of insect or plant debris attached.
 
There are four records on the Yorkshire database of Triquetrella but I'm sure this is a very under recorded species as it's both tricky to find and identify.
I hope to go back next February to find a couple of pupae to rear.
Below is one of the newly hatched larva just a few hours old and already it had made a tiny case for itself out of fine grit provided.

Last day in May

                                                    Andrew Sladdin many thanks

A Wall brown was seen in the Skirkot area yesterday ,thanks Andrew. Today a beautiful male Brimstone flew across the road when i was at Morrisons  Illingworth getting cheap petrol(99p).
A Cinnabar  was flying around the horse field and 9 Fox Moths were out on Soil Hill last night.....

Copley garden

Just had a painted lady in the garden. Nice to see!

Rishworth day flyers

Two each of mother Shipton and common heath through the garden today.

Colden Clough

Walked up and down Colden today with a long rest stop at Hebble Hole (before it got silly with people)

Orange top
Green veined white
Large white
Small tortoiseshell
Speckled wood
Brimstone
Peacock

Broad bodied chaser

Keighley Moor

I got an email today from Ian Hargreaves who traps in the keighley area ....

 Keighley Moor keeps throwing up some nice surprises, Grey Scalloped Bar last night and recent counts of 20+ Glaucous Shears and 18 Light Knot Grass. I also got my first True Lover's Knot of the year last night.

 I've also seen more Fox Moth males flying around than usual and three females to the light.

I used an Emperor Moth lure for the first time this year and a few weeks back gave up counting at 50 one afternoon. I tried it again this week and only got three so probably past their best now.

Many thanks Ian

Ned Hill Track 29th May 2020 (red hot sunny day)

Small Heath x 20 + (very common )
Large White x 1
Orange Tip male x 1
Green veined White x 2
Small Tortoiseshell x 2
Fox moth x 7
Clouded Bordered Brindle x 1
Mother Shipton x 1
Latticed Heath  x 3
Holly Tortrix x 15
Grapholita jungiella x 3

Free Hawkmoth Guide.

Someone sent me a link for a free Hawkmoth guide from the Butterfly Conservation site I know most of you will not need the guide (a single sheet pfd). I thought it may be handy for those with children, or even teachers, when you finally get back to work.

This link I was sent is wildly wrong. As soon as I saw it, I knew. (see below) However, I went to the the Butterfly Conservation site and found the real link.

Bogus link first; (look at the link and laugh).

Actual link:

https://butterfly-conservation.org/sites/default/files/2019-06/Hawk-moth%20ID%20guide.pdf

Blood-vein

not a bad week in Luddenden this week with this Blood-vein the pick of the bunch

                                
other Moths last night were

White Ermine 2
Green Carpet 1
Poplar Hawkmoth 1
Pale Tussock 3

Rishworth - Better!

An increased catch compared to the last couple of days, with a couple New For Gardens.


Moth Trap 28th May
Knot grass x1 [NFG]
An absolutely minute pug with 9mm FW flew away before pictures x1
A tortrix evaded camera x1
Pale Prominent x1
Coxcomb Prominent x1
Buff-Tip x2
White Ermine x4
Buff Ermine x1
Iron Prominent x2
Silver Ground Carpet x1
Dark Spectacle x1 [NFG]
Brown Silver Lines x1

Lee Mount 28th / 29th May

Last night (28th)
Just one moth of interest - the bats were busy trying to take some of the others that were flying around ! Only had one of these previously but think I have the correct identification (?)

May Highflyer

A new one for me here this morning (29th) - totally baffled me at first (it doesn't take much)!!

Chocolate-tip

Also this morning

Buff-tip x 1

Brown House-moth x 2 (one in the water but, I pulled it out and it flew straight off - pretty resilient some of these moths !)

Garden Carpet x 1

Elephant Hawkmoth x 1

Heart and Dart x 3

Bee Moth x 3
Cinnabar x 1

Micro to check later - Notocelia cynosbatella (Ithink)

 Buff-tip

Elephant Hawkmoth

Notocelia cynosbatella (TBC)

Today

Mother Shipton and a couple of Small Heaths today on Whiteholme Drain  (Pete Smith)

Hollas Bridge
Common Blue x 1
Large Skipper x 1
Broad Bodied Chaser x 3
Blue tailed Damselfly x 2
Large red Damselfly x 2

Lee Mount - 28th May etc ...

Not a lot around the trap this morning..
Elephant Hawkmoth x 1
Heart and Dart x 1
Common Marbled Carpet x 1
Common Pug x 1
3 other very dark and worn pugs - I will quit on these !
1 Cinnabar

Ogden - clough downstream below the embankment and the side of the golf course and into the plantation
Mother Shipton x 3
Brown Silver-lines x 1
Common Heath x 24 + and counting but they are looking a bit worn

Small Heath x 32 and counting..
Green Hairstreak x 2
Orange-tip x 5
Green-veined White x 1
Peacock x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
Large White x 4
Small White x 10
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and always a few 'whites' that evade identification !

Stainland.

How strage a moth I've not seen before was by the door., I came on the this blog and there was one, a May Highflyer. Not a dark one though. When it saw the camera it flew off.

May Highflyer

Nice very dark variation. Actually from 20 May but forgot to post.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

First Hummingbird Hawkmoth reported today at Krumlin.(near Barkisland) ..many thanks to Christine Potter for the information...

Rishworth the past two days.

With lovely 20c days the trap has been out last night and the night before but unforecast temperature crashes to 6c on thermometer have dessimated catches. In this post there are two catch reports and a butterfly update.

Moth Trap 25th May 2020

Pebble prominent x1
Poplar hawk x1
Bright line brown eye x1

Moth Trap 26th May 2020
Buff Tip x1
Pebble prominent x1
Poplar hawk x2
White Ermine x1
Clouded Border x1
Brown silver lines x2
Glaucous Shears x1

Butterfly update

Still plenty of orange tips, peacock and small torts are around adult and larvae, all the whites (small, large,G V).

Note for AC's Records
I have record White Letter Hairstreak on two consecutive years here, and Elm is the most common tree found here...

                                          Mother Shipton (Chris Jepson Brown) at least 10 on Whiteholme Drain yesterday....thanks Chris

Northowram last night

Gold Spot x 2
Silver Y x 1
Spectacle x 1
Elephant hawkmoth x  1
White Ermine x
Spruce Carpet x 1
Silver Ground Carpet x 1
Small Magpie x 1
Large Yellow Underwing x 1 (!!!!)
Heart and Dart x 2
Clouded Bordered Brindle x 1
Shuttle Shaped Dart x 2
Bright line Brown eye x 1
Scalloped Hazel x 1

My first ever may  LYU  and Silver Y ties in nicely with Diamond Backed Moth and Painted lady..

Large skipper

Photos of a gorgeous male in Mytholmroyd today. A cracking early sighting that wasnt on my radar at all

Butterfly sightings

A great Spring for Butterflies  - 18  Species listed below so far and date first seen ).....its interesting to note that 15 species have been seen in May in 2019 , 2018 and 2017 and before this the average for the previous 5 years was  11 species..

1 . Peacock (6th Feb)
2 . Small Tortoiseshell (16th March)
3.  Comma (16th March)
4. .Brimstone (23rd March)
5 . Orange Tip (27th March)
6 . Small White (8th April)
7 . Green Veined White (9th April)
8.  Speckled Wood (12th April)
9 . Green Hairstreak (16th April)
10  Large White (18th April)
11 .Holly Blue (19th April)
12. Painted lady ( 27th April)
13. Red Admiral ( 27th April)
14 .Small Copper (7th May)
15. Wall Brown (9th May )
16 .Small Heath (9th May)
17. Common Blue (27th May)
18 . Large Skipper (27th May)

Many thanks to Matthew Broadbent , Dave Sutclffe , Chris Sutclffe , Mike and kath , Az Mills , Pete Smith , Bri Lee ,Nigel ,  Philip and  Edward ,

Lee Mount - 27th May

Much quieter than the previous night with slightly cooler temperature and clear sky.
This morning...
Silver-ground Carpet x 1
Iron Prominent x 1
Common Swift x 2
Light-brown Apple-moth x 3
Common Pug x 2
Clouded-bordered Brindle x 1 f combusta (a different one from yesterday)


Still here from yesterday and in exactly the same place on the fence ( Peppered Moth, Pale Tusock and Shuttle-shaped Dart)

Gracillaria syringella

 Clouded-bordered Brindle  f combusta 

Common Swift

 Iron Prominent

Silver- ground Carpet

Lee Mount -25th May

A good night here too... but I've definitely got some queries !
Heart and Dart x 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x 1
Knot Grass x 1
Light-brown Apple-moth x 3
Small Magpie x 1
Brimstone Moth x 1
Flame Shoulder x 1
Pale Tussock x 1
Lime Hawkmoth x 1
Peppered Moth x 2
Small Fan-foot x 1
Clouded-bordered Brindle x 1
Clouded Silver x 2
Small Phoenix x 1
Bee Moth x 2
Elephant Hawkmoth x 1
Tachystola acroxantha x 1
Celypha lacunana x 1
Garden Carpet x 1
White-pinion Spotted x 1
Common Marbled Carpet x 3
White-shouldered House-moth x 1
Diamond-back Moth x 1
Ruby Tiger x 1
Glaucous Shears x 1
Beautiful Golden Y x 1

5 Pugs still to have a good look at ........

 Clouded-bordered Brindle

 Beautiful Golden Y 

 White-pinion Spotted

Pugs ?

 Looked like Clouded Drab but not sure !
Update from comments - Clouded-bordered Brindle f combusta

 (smaller than Knot Grass)
Update from comments - Glaucous Shears

Clouded Silver

Rishworth - A good night!

A productive trap overnight here in Rishworth, with the temperature dropping to 8c at 05:00a.m it was a relatively warm night or the conditions here. Any comments welcome...…….


In the trap there was...….


Heart and Dart x1 [NFG]
Silver Ground Carpet x1 [NFG]
Ingrailed Clay x1 [NFG]
Crambus Lathoniellus x1 [NFG]
Poplar Hawk Moth x1
Pebble Prominent x1
Iron Prominent x2 [1 Northern Form]
Coxcomb Prominent x1
Common White Wave x1
White Ermine x2
Grey Birch x1
Brown Silver Lines x2
Clouded Bordered Brindle x1 [NFG]
Flame Carpet x1
Water Carpet x1
Shuttle Shaped Dart x1
Phoenix x1 [NFG]
Elasticha Atricomella x1

                                                      Normal Iron Prominent

                                               Northern Form Iron Prominent

                                                    Shuttle Shape Dart reading about recycling eggboxes.

                                                      Clouded Bordered Brindle

Ingrailed Clay

 I couldn't resist putting this one on.

Widdop

A stunning day to be out on the moors...
Common Heath very common at least 50 +
Brown Silver lines x 2
Mother Shipton x 2
Emperor male x 1
Small Heath x 20 +
Green Hairstreak x 4
Large White x 1
Green veined White x 5
Orange Tip male x 1
Green tiger Beetle x 11
Common Lizard x 2
1 green form and 1 brown/orange form...

Stainland.

Three Garden Carpet moths today.

Garden Carpet.

Stainland.

Last night, (23rd May). One White Shouldered House moth.

 White Shouldered House moth.

Lee Mount - 23rd May

Just a Pale Tussock. Turned up last night in the wind and the rain. Nothing else other than the 4 Heart and Dart that turned up again this morning (24th).

Pale Tussock

Mixenden plantation etc

I went through there this morning, and on the return, checked quite a number of the older Scots Pines for signs of any moths camouflaged on the fissured bark.

Nothing doing at all other than a good number of large flies hiding there in the blustery cool wind, first thing.

No moths.... then a Treecreeper passed me and shinned up one of the nearby pines. It caught a moth, maybe slightly larger than a Heart and Dart. Scoffed it in one just as the moth opened it's wings and the bird downed the lot, wings and all. No time for identification... it was gone !!!

-----------------------

When I got home I found a couple of insects that I first thought were micros. Turned out they were bugs, later found in  ''Insects of Britain and Ireland'. A species found on Oak, May to June. I suspect they got blown off the nearby oaks in the direction of the house during the strong wind the last couple of days.
I'm pretty sure I have the correct identification - but it's quite a mouthful !

Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus

Stainland.

Two moths thos morning.


1 x Brown House Moth. (Found in the hall). Quite a different colour to last year's find.
1 x Bee Moth.

Brown House Moth. TBC.

 

Bee Moth.

Also, in Robber Dodge yesterday, (22nd May):

In spite of a windy day, several butterflies were about. It's quite shelted in some parts, I assume that's what brought them out. I saw:

11 x White butterflies. 4 large and the rest small. No ID, for a change.
5  x Orange Tip.
3 x Small Tortoisehell.
2 x Speckled Wood.
1 x Holly Blue.

It was the highlight of my day. I was on my way home, when I caught sight of a light, powdery blue flash to my side. I stood very still, it flew round me twice, about 18 inches away. There was no chance of a photo. It's a shame, I've never seen a Holly Blue in Robber Dodge, in all the 36 years I've been walking there. In fact it's only the third time in my life I've ever seen one. Once on the Chiltern Hills, near Aylesbury and once at Cromwell Btm. I hope I get to see more there, and maybe a photo of the summer brood.

Rishworth - CF Update! (Updated twice!)

Hello all,

The Bird Dropping Tortricid from 19th has been confirmed by CF as Notocelia Trimaculana what is the status of this species in Calderdale?

Update 15:05PM:

I forgot to put FW 7.5 mm

          Update 15:20PM: I sent forewing to CF he said : Spot-on for Trimaculana. 

Lee Mount - 22nd May

Just two moths in the evening - very windy conditions yesterday that continued through the night.

Knot Grass x 1 (earliest record  here. Previously in last few years 8 records in June, 5 in July, 2 in August)
Flame Shoulder x 1 (looked badly battered in the wind)

Knot Grass

This morning 23rd May

Heart and Dart x 4 (I think maybe these are the same four that have been turning up each morning in the trap since the 19th despite me moving them further away after each catch). One looked badly battered from yesterdays winds.

Esperia sulphurella

Found, photo , and identified by Phil Dyson at Norland yesterday ..Thanks Phil

Ogden classroom light

Had to open up Ogden today after almost 9 weeks of lockdown - lots of wildlife around in those 9 weeks, but there has been very little if anything at the light on the classroom. However today 4 moths!

1759 Small Phoenix x2

1920 Scalloped Hazel

2060 White Ermine

Ogden golf course - 21st May

Mid-late evening
Not a sign of any Fox Moths in the areas I checked. Perfect conditions and I checked the areas where I have found cat's in autumn. Plenty areas around the area still worth checking.

I found a few interesting micro's but not my strong point...any ideas ?

Nematopogon species - possibly swammerdamella or maybe schwarziellus

Several of these on billberry mainly and some grasses

Also these two - I can only think Crambus lathoniellus ?

Two pictures below of a darker individual

 Loads of these on Common Nettles - all over the place

Peacock butterfly cat's  - I think