28th Feb , first butterfly's

 Small Tortoiseshells reported from various sites today.....................

Stainland.

 First moth of the season for me, I'm so pleased.  A Dotted Border.

 

Dotted Border.

 I've seen cocoons weathering out of peat, and collected one at Upper Gorple reservoir on Sunday. It was about 30cm below the present level of peat. I wondered if they would be of interest to any Lepidopterists. 

Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to transfer the images from my desktop to this blog, but if you're interested I've posted them on the Halifax Scientific Society Facebook page.

                                                                       Oak Beauty
 

another good February night in Luddenden 

Oak Beauty   1

Chestnut  1

Pale Brindled Beauty  4  (all pale)

March Moth 3

 

Lee Mount - 20th February

 Not much - just March Moth x 2 

Lee Mount - 18th February

Rain overnight but I left the synergetic light on with  a decent shelter over it ! Always live in hope.

Tortricodes alternella x 1

Dotted Border x 1 (a new one, the one with part of a wing missing had disappeared)

Pale Brindled Beauty x 4 (one new one)

Lee Mount - 16th February

I left the trap on all night even though there was a bit of rain forecast.

Both Pale Brindled Beauty still there on the fence from yesterday with a new one in the trap. Also by the trap a Dotted Border with part of a wing missing. That was it !

Dotted Border

Pale Brindled Beauty x 3 (including  f monacharia x 1)

Dotted Border x 1

 Luddenden 160221

March Moth 

Oak Beauty

another good night in Luddenden for February

March Moth  2

Oak Beauty  1 (earliest ever by 27 days here)

Pale Brindled Beauty  2  (1 melanistic)

Chestnut  1

Lee Mount - 15th February

Just 2 moths of same species. Top one had me double checking but pretty sure they are both Pale Brindled Beauty. Both show pink abdomen though posture looks a bit different depending on their landing !

f. monacharia

Pale Brindle Beauty

 Luddenden 150221

Spring Usher

        

Pale Brindled Beauty

  Spring Usher   1  (plus a different one on the 14th)

  Pale Brindled Beauty  5   all pale

  Chestnut  1

  plus a couple of micros

Fox Moth

 Liz and Phil Dyson found this today up near Rishworth Moor....

Just now in Northowram..

Satellite x 1

Ypsolopha Ustella x 1

March Moth x 1

Pale Brindled Beauty x 1

Stainland. 1st Caterpillar of the Year.

Signs of life in the garden. My first caterpillar this year, it's an Angle Shades. I've never seen such a small, (short) one before, (about 1 inch). It's still growing. Mature Angle Shades cats have a small, upright oval mark on almost every segment. The marks are off-white, with  a red-brown line round them, just above the white line near their feet.This one only has two ovals, one near the tail, the other near the head. A juvenile Angle Shades caterpillar is a first for me. 

It's by the bell push on our gate, I hope it finds shelter and survives the winter.

 

Angle Shades Caterpillar

 

 

 

Rishworth - Overnight Moths - 5th February - First of the year!!!!

 At the trap's first outing of the year, I must have picked a good night. Only one moth, but I'm off the marks now!

Moth Trap 5th Feb

Pale Brindled Beauty f.monocharia x1

Lee Mount - 5th February

Poor conditions tonight, as it's started raining again and the forecast is not good for the weekend but I tried the lamp on from 5 pm. 

Pale Brindled Beauty x 1 - a different one from the one on 29th January. Again on the pebble dashing though this one has paler markings.

Also earlier in the week on 1st Feb, another bonus with a Brown House-moth creeping around in a kitchen cupboard. It disappeared  before I could get the camera on it. Getting a bit desperate - I know.!!

Pale Brindled Beauty

Only House Wood , Northowram

 Had a quick half hour in the local wood  , 1 Dotted Border and 1 Chestnut