Shibden Valley

Small Tortoiseshell flying around today!

Lee Mount - last few days

 Nothing too exciting but enough to keep the interest going....

24th Oct - Red-green Carpet x 4, Silver Y x 3, Feathered Thorn x 3, November Moth agg x 3

25th Oct - November Moth agg x 6, Tachystola acroxantha x 2, Acleris sparsana x 1, 

Light-brown Apple-moth x 1 and a Twenty-plume Moth.

Also a Svennson's Copper Underwing found dead indoors so I was able to check the underside of the hindwing to be certain of the species.

Silver Y

Lee Mount - 22nd October

 A new and  beautiful looking moth for me this morning was a bit special.

Grey Shoulder-knot (NFS)

Also a Spruce Carpet, Light Brown Apple-moth and a November Moth agg

1 Speckled Wood butterfly fluttering around in the sunshine then landed on the neighbours house wall.

Spruce Carpet

Shibden Valley

This Small Tortoiseshell was in our sitting room today. We've nowhere suitable for it to hibernate, and it's a bright day (temp 13 degrees), so I released it outdoors.

Lee Mount - 15th October

Been a quiet few days with no returns then just a few this morning.

November Moth agg x 4, Light-brown Apple-moth x 2. 

One each Ypsolopha sequella, Yellow-line Quaker, Silver Y and a Common Marbled Carpet.

Ypsolopha sequella (always nice to find this micro even though it's looking a little worn)

Lee Mount

 I double checked this late Pug from 5th October with CF.

Just the second record for this site.

Golden-rod Pug (20mm wing-span)

Lee Mount - 6th October

 Beautiful Plume, Orange Sallow, 3 Common Marbled Carpets, November Moth and a Pug (still to check).

Orange Sallow

Lee Mount - 5th October

Quite a surprise to find a Light Emerald on the window last night and in the trap this morning. Fading a little and quite late for this species.

Light Emerald

Yellow-line Quaker (also this morning)

Lee Mount and then Soil Hill etc.

 Nothing doing at all lately even though the trap-light has been on most nights.

Just 2 moths this morning - a Silver Y and a Light-brown Apple-moth. 

One Common Marbled Carpet this evening so far.

2 butterfly's on Soil Hill this morning (thanks to NK for the Red Admiral) and then I had a flypast 'white' with no idea to species level !

Yesterday was a little better for late butterfly's with 2 Speckled Woods in Lee Mount and a Red Admiral and 2 more Speckled Woods at Ogden.

Cold Edge

Common Darter male

Northowram.........

 An excellent few days  at  Northowram with 30 + species 150 + moths . Vines Rustic , Feathered Ranunnculus , Old Lady , Canary Shoulder Thorn , Centre Barred Sallow , Barred Sallow , Brown Spot Pinion , Beaded Chestnut , Set Hebbrew Character 10+ , Rosy Rustic , Black Rustic , Autumnal Rustic 

Shibden Valley

Wall Brown male

Northowram today

 Small Copper x 3

Red Admiral x 2

Speckled Wood x 3

Small White x 7

Purple Hairstreak x 1

Comma x 1 

Cold Edge

Small White 1,  Peacock 4,  Red Admiral 1

WAINSTALLS: Small White 1

Large White butterfly

Don't often get chance to get a decent photo of a Large White but this one did co-operate this afternoon on Verbena bonariensis.

Also at home 4 Red Admirals, 1 Peacock, 1 Small White and 2 Speckled Wood late morning.

Along the canal at Brearley this afternoon we found 6+ Small White. On a Buddleia by the bridge over the River Calder there were 4 Peacock, 2 Red Admiral and a Speckled Wood.

Cold Edge

Peacock 3,  Red Admiral 1

Cold Edge

Common Hawker 1m 1f

Also:  Peacock 5,  Red Admiral 1

Cold Edge

Speckled Wood 1,  Small Tortoiseshell 1,  Red Admiral 1,  Common Hawker 1,  Black Darter 1

Purple Bar

 Pete - this is a Purple Bar from June this year for comparison if that' a help.

Cold Edge

Purple Bar

Horley Green

Peacock 3,  Red Admiral 1,  Small White 1

NEW BANK: Peacock 1,  Small White 1

Bank Top

Red Admiral 1

Lighthazzles

Black Darter 8, including 3 pairs mating!

Also: Common Hawker 2,  Red Admiral 1

Whiteholme

 Meadow Brown 1

Lee Mount - 28th August

 Only the second record here for Dusky Thorn. My first one was on 27th August 2022 so today's is just a day later !

New Bank

Red Admiral 1

Cold Edge

Peacock 1

Shibden Valley

Grasshoppers - a welcome sight

Whiteholme

Green-veined White 1

Shibden Valley

Peacock (my 2nd of 2024!)

Brighouse canal

Speckled Wood 2

Stainland.

 This is a list of the moths by our door, from 26th July to 4th August 2024.

I've been going through what the Chinese call, "interesting times". The phrase is, "May you live in interesting times." It's said as a wish for someone to have a lot of trouble. I'm certainly having that!

A significant section of my studio ceiling collapsed some weeks ago, the amount of dust and lime wash powder was incredible. Fortunately, most of my equipment was covered in plastic sheets. That's the trouble with Victorian houses, you spend a small fortune over many years, making sure the place is in as good a condition as you can. Then something goes badly wrong without warning. I've been trying to do as much as I can to repair it myself. Unfortunately. The dust has got the better of my, in spite of dust masks. Then my health gave up the fight. I've been quite ill for weeks, I'm recovering now if slowly.  

Anne has been a big help with my moth recording. She and I counted what we had and shared the IDing. There are gaps, where she was too busy and I too ill, to record on those days. Still, l here are our efforts. There are a few moths which need confirmation, or an ID, but not many. Some of these photos are not as good as I 'd have liked. At the moment, I don't trust myself to climb ladders.

Now to the stars of the show...

Thanks to Andy for the corrections. Now if anyone can ID the last moth....

24 to 1^st August 2024 Moths By Door

If some kind person, or people, could ID the moths marked below, I'd be grateful, Thanks.

    24 JULY

14 x Marbled Beauties
1 x Eudonia lacustrata
1x Bee Moth - Female
1 x Small Phoenix
1 x Antler Moth (Unable to get a photo.)
1 x Sycamore
1 x Willow Beauty

Sycamore 

Willow Beauty

    26 July

18 x Marbled Beauties
1 x Common Footman
1 x Bee Moth
1 x Blastobasis lacticolella
1 x Eudonia lacustrata
1 x Riband Wave, none banded
1 x Small Magpie
1 x Single Dotted Wave

Bee Moth

    29 JULY

19 x Marbled Beauties
2 x Common Footman
1 x Riband Wave, none banded
1 x Small Magpie
1 x Garden Pebble

Garden Pebble

    30 JULY 2024

1 x 22 Marbled Beauties (22 of them, it's my personal record. The most I've ever had before, was 13.)
2 x Riband Waves, none banded

1 x Swallowtail
1 x Scalloped Oak (I think this is a lovely moth, with a very graphic design.)

Scalloped Oak

    31 July 2024

20 x Marbled Beauty
1 x Eudonia lacustrata

1 x Scalloped Oak (It had a much lighter band than the above one).

    2 August 2024

19 x Marbled Beauties        
1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart - Female (I despaired of ever seeing one of these. I'm very pleased.)

Shuttle-shaped Dart - Female

        3 Aug. 

9 x Marbled Beauties
1 x Blastobasis lacticolella
1x Rustic or Chestnut TBC (best try)

1x Rustic or Chestnut TBC

4 August.

10 x Marbled Beauties (These have been falling off steadily over a few days.)

OK, I’m up to date with my records, (at last!) Have a nice summer, it's going to be warm again by Tuesday next week.

Shibden Valley

Gatekeeper. Only one 'pupil' in the forewing eye-spot is visible. But the butterfly was clearly smaller than Meadow Brown, and the underside of its hindwing is typical Gatekeeper: in particular Thomas and Lewington (2010) point out that on Gatekeeper its tiny spots are white, whereas on M brown they are black.

Whiteholme

Small white 1

Small tortoiseshell 1

Also: Green-veined white 2, Small heath 1, Ringlet 3.

Dragonflies: Black darter 3, Emperor male 1

Lighthazzles

Black Darter female

Butterflies: Small tortoiseshell 1, Large skipper 1, Ringlet 1

Quite a day.....29th July

Moth trap - not much but this one was a bit special.

Sycamore (at 22mm)

Then, a Purple Hairstreak fluttering around in the oaks at the back of the house. Even managed to get a sight of it in the binoculars as it landed on a leaf. No photo though !

An interesting hour or so on the grassy area of Shroggs landfill. with Small Skippers in abundance (44) but just 1 rather worn Large Skipper, 26 Ringlets, 14 Meadow Brown, 1 Speckled Wood, 2 Large White and 4 Green-veined/Small Whites with just one firm i d of a G-V White.

Just about to leave "whats that" ?? Quick snaps taken thinking it was a Purple Hairstreak but not to be. White-letter Hairstreak as below.

It is the same individual - just the light and my rapid camera re-sets !

Later in the day Swales Moor - looking for Wall Browns - no success there.

Lots of Burnet Mots charging around, took some time before I could find any that landed. Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moths - unable to find any Six-spots.

Including this pair 'in cop' with one of them with pale yellow spots

Lighthazzles

2 Common Hawker dragonflies

Pine Hawkmoth

What a beauty , caught in a trap last night in Todmorden by Cath and Jennie..what a great record