Merry Christmas.

 A MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO ALL

 

A Partridge in a Pear Tree 

Design by 

Gordon Jackson

Let's hope the coming year

is a good one for everybody.

P.S. I'm sorry for the typo in Christmas, I've corrected it.

Recent Sightings and DECEMBER MOTH merry xmas....

 On the 12th December Anthony Arak recorded a December Moth in Barkisland a first for our area and one everyone has been hoping for , for the last 20 years...well done AA ..

Last night in Northowram there were 58 male  Winter Moths and 1 female winter moth at Barkisland ..thanks to Mark P for the help in counting them,,,,Cheers all...

Lee Mount - 15th December

Checked the trap this morning - nothing doing in it or nearby.

Went to call at the neighbors house and found this nice moth on the wall.

Angle Shades (another shot taken on the phone)

Lee Mount

Not a lot to report for this last week though Winter Moths have turned up most early evenings and normally cleared off by the morning - maximum of 8 last night (12th). They don't go in the trap but just near it or on the white upvc doors. Not had chance to check the local woodlands for them.

3 different Mottled Umber as well (one on 9th Dec and 2 together on 12th).

Mottled Umber (was just trying this phone shot)

Lee Mount - 3rd December

I put the trap on last night more in hope than anticipation. 4 Moths was a nice surprise though none were in the trap but attracted to it no doubt.

Winter moth x 2

Mottled Umber x 1

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 1 (a bit faded and fairly late I suspect (c20mm) but I can't think it was anything else with the black basal streaks and other black markings just about visible) ?

Blair's Shoulder-knot

Mottled Umber

Winter Moth

Bare Head Tunnel

 Checked Bare Head tunnel at Shibden Head this afternoon

15 Herald

1 Peacock butterfly

lots of spiders

Butterfly chart 2021

 A few dates still to fill in , but nearly finished

Lee Mount - 16th November

 This morning

Winter Moth x 1

Scarce Umber x 1

Mottled Umber x 3

Common Marbled Carpet x 1 (seems a bit late but can't turn it into anything else)

Common Marbled Carpet

Mottled Umber

Scarce Umber

Lee Mount - 14th and 15th November

14th November

3 new Mottled Umber this morning but nothing else. 

(keep hoping against hope for a December Moth) !!!

15th November

Mottled Umber x 2 different ones from yesterday

Blastobasis lacticolella x 1

Winter Moth x 1

Lee Mount - 10th November

Just one moth on the pebble-dashing by the trap.

Silver Y x 1

Lee Mount - 2nd and 9th November

2nd November

Just one moth last week

Acleris sparsana x 1

9th November after a much milder and drier night

Feathered Thorn x 1

Mottled Umber x 4

Red-green Carpet x 1

Tachystola acroxantha x 1

Light-brown Applemoth x 2

Four quite different Mottled Umber

Feathered Thorn

Red-green Carpet

Moth night sat 6th

 5.30pm start I think now, only a couple of hours and done these days. I should have some sugaring out for wood walking. Good footwear and warm clothing and torch would be useful. 

See whoever then.

Lee Mount 27th October

A different Feathered Thorn this morning - on the kitchen window.

Feathered Thorn

Also another Red Admiral from yesterday - info from some friends in Wheatley.

Lee Mount

UPDATE - nearly forgot - Red Admiral this morning stayed briefly on the pebble-dash as the sun came out - it didn't stay long and neither did the sunshine !

 Last few days

Several moths seem to be staying around on part of the fence by the trap - including.

Mottled Umber x 3

Red-green Carpet  x 2

Light-brown Apple-moth x 2

November Moth agg x 2

Common Marbled Carpet x 2

Feathered Thorn x 1

Silver Y x 2 arrived new in this morning

Feathered Thorn

 Both shots here from the phone as a trial!

Mottled Umber

September.

Yesterdays Spruce Carpet had found it's way into the hall, it was on the fanlight. Beause it was backlit and at a better angle for photos, the markings showed up very nicely. I thought I'd post this much better photo. The moth is outside in the hedge now.

Spruce Carpet

Stainland. 19th and 23rd October 2021.

I forgot to post the caterpillar below, from the 19th. October.

It looks a little like a brown Angle Shades cat, it was 4. 5 cm long. Every time I looked at it, over a 15 hour period, it had moved a little. Then it was gone. It's "face" seems odd, flat, or truncated. Along with the off-white patch on the top of it's head and the strange "crease" along its side, suggest it isn't an Angle Shades. It's not in my butterfly book, so must be a moth. Note the brownish bands on it.

I have NO idea what it is. ID please.

Santa is bringing me the "Field Guide to the Caterpillars of Great Britain and Ireland".  Next year it should be a lot eaiser for me to ID caterpillars.

ID please.(I'ts head is on the right).

Detail showing off white patch.

23rd October.

In spite of the rain and wind, two moths arrived during the night. A Silver Y and what I think may be Spruce Moth. If so, it will be yet another first for me, I've been doing well with firsts this year. My second options as a Common Marbled Carpet but I've not seen one in this colour configuration. Not that that means it might not be one. Could someone ID it for certain please?

Silver Y

Spruce Carpet TBC

 LUDDENDEN 

It's been a good October so far in Luddenden with the best ever year for Autumnal Green Carpet, November Moths and Merveille du Jour (5 so far this year - only 2 previous here), also another new species here this Grey-shoulder Knot last night

Grey-shoulder Knot

November Moth agg

Moth night 23rd

 Start about 6.30pm, usual clothing for weather, just need wind to settle.

BArkisland

 Some more great moths from Anthony Arak..

CAlderdale Moths and Butterflies Update

 I am starting to re -write and update ( the last 3 years have been exceptional) the Local Moth report..

If anyone has anything they would like to put in it , drawings , story's , new ideas , things that should be taken out  etc .please email me ..I am hoping it will be finished by March 2022..Thanks

Clock face Quarry

 

Many thanks to Anthony Arak for this information

Sugaring at Clock face Quarry

Brick x 16

Chestnut x 14

Dark Chestnut x 1

Red-line Quaker x 2 

Red Sword-grass x 1

Dark Sword grass x 1

Pearly Underwing x 1

I was running a Robinson trap with portable generator but the catch was extremely low:

Streak x 1

November Moth agg x 1

Rosy Rustic x 1

Yellow-line Quaker x 2

Lee Mount

 Last few days - not  a lot......but enough to keep me going !

Brick x 1

Yellow-line Quaker x 1

Red-line Quaker x 2

Ypsolopha sequella x 1

Silver Y x 2

Red-green Carpet x 1

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 2

Common Marbled Carpet x 2

November Moth agg x 4

Stainland.

 14th October2021 

Post ammened 16th October 2021, Thanks for the ID Andy.

Two moths, one needing an ID please. I'm not going into this but in the last two days, I've had less than six hours sleep in total, it's not good for a chap my age. I'm really struggling to keep going, so please be patient with me.  

1 x Beautiful Plume

1 x Micro Garden Rose Tortrix

 

Beautiful Plume

Garden Rose Tortrix.

October so far

 An excellent week at Northowram has seen 31 species  and 305 moth, which in October is unheard of up here..Highlights have been Dark Sword Grass , Rusty Dot Pearl , Streak Red and Yellow line Quakers , Black Rustic , Autumn Green and Red Green Carpets , Barred Sallow and more Common Marbled Carpets that in August..!!

October ...Flame Shoulders

 If any bodys traps a flame shoulder in the next few days , keep hold of it as it could be the very rare Radfords Flame Shoulder...,,,

Cold Edge dams

This small-ish dragonfly was about this afternoon in the sunshine by the small plantation below the lower dam. Suspect it's female Black Darter (?) though I couldn't get a decent shot of the head / thorax.

Couldn't find any butterflies today !

Lee Mount - 10th October

 Nothing much new this morning at all with mostly left-overs still hanging on from yesterday. A Red-line Quaker was nice as I don't seem to get many here.

The Merveille du Jour from yesterday looked ready to move off and I just managed to get this one head on before it went off high.

Norland Moor

Anthony ran two traps there on Friday night. A good variety moths showed including Red Sword-grass, 2 Autumn Green Carpets, 2 Spruce Carpets and these:

Brindled Ochre

Caloptilia betulicola

Red-line Quaker

Black Rustic and the Streak below

Lee Mount 8th / 9th October

 Milder nights this week has produced - better than for a while..

Common Marbled Carpet x 6 orange blaze and x 4 dark ones

Tachystola acroxantha x 4

Red-green Carpet x 1

Black Rustic x 1 

Copper Underwing agg x 1

November Moth agg x 8

Autumn Green Carpet x 1

Merveille du Jour x 1

Blastobasis adustella x 1

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 1

Light-brown Apple Moth x 5

Autumn Green Carpet

Merveille du Jour

Stainland.

 A disapointing night, inspite of it being a warmer one. 

2 x Light-brown Apple

The Yellow-line Quaker, which arrived three days ago, is still here.

 

Lee Mount - 7th October

Slight improvement this morning ....

Light-brown Apple-moth x 3

Common Marbled Carpet x 6 (all looking pretty worn by now)

Tachystola acroxantha x 1

November Moth agg x 3

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 2

Ypsolopha sequella x 3

Autumn Green Carpet x 1 (it was off before I got a photo - might be back again tonight !)

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 2

Ypsolopha sequella

 LUDDENDEN AUTUMN MOTHS

It's been a funny year for Moths with things being pretty quite all summer with Moth numbers down everywhere even when conditions seemed right. However I've done alright here in Luddenden with a decent number of Moths in September into October including my best year ever for Black Rustic and my first ever Vapourer in Luddenden

these are the highlights

Vapourer 15th September 

Lunar Underwing another good year

Merveille du Jour - 6th October one of two this October

Autumn Green Carpet - 3 so far this autumn

November Moth agg - 6 so far

Dark Sword Grass - 6th October - first record at Luddenden