Buff-tip

What a moth this was - another 'lifer' last night !

 Buff-tip

 Head on Buff-tip

Beautiful Plume 'I think'

Lee Mount

We think we have these identified correctly from Tuesday night - but please put us right if not !!!
2 Burnished Brass
2 Spectacle
1 July High-flyer

Upland burning

An interesting article on RSPB.org.uk media centre.
10 year RSPB lead study reveals the extent of Upland burning across Britain !
Link is
http://t.co/zMrOCTpEd9

Lempke's Gold Spot

 

Think this is probably Lempke's Gold Spot rather than Gold Spot

 

One of some fantastic looking moths recently in our garden with thanks to a great deal of help from friends !





langfield Common Sat night

Gonna try and run the trap at |Langfield common on Sat night. Meet at the Shepards rest at 9.15,its a rough walk there and back(in the dark). All welcome

Butterflies on Hedge top Lane , Northowram

134 Small Tortoiseshell , 17 Ringlet , 20 Meadow Brown , 2 Large Skipper ,1Red Admiral   and 1 Large White .

Veneers

A good time of year for a critical look at these small day fliers given the abundance of tall grasses , unfortunately there is never eniough hours in the day to devote to these moths which look substantially bigger in flight than when resting on blades of grass their principle habitat and food plant. I'll add Records to this thread as found and are open to correction . All VC 63 records except where indicated .

FLIKR PROBLEM IMAGES WILL RESOLVE SHORTLY

63.080 BF1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella Common throughout calderdale

Distinctive features:
Longitudinal streak 1, notchedhalfway along 

2, costal edge fairly  straight 

3. Strong, sharply bent subterminal line with dark inner edge
4. Triangularly shaped and markedapex 

5. Hind wing dark.Male: Streaks between veins greyish
6. Wing speckled with blackish scales.Female: Streaks between veins white
7, fewer dark scales on wings,hence much paler overall appearancethan male.

63.093 BF1304 Agriphila straminella

Distinctive features:

1.Small size. Lack of cross lines Fringe metallic, outer half lighter

Faint longitudinal streak

2.Often speckled with brown 

3.Strongly tapered overall shape

4.Male:Two-tone appearance – dorsal half of wing light, costal half dark

5.Female:More uniform in tone.Streak splitting into faint fngers

63.081 BF1294 Crambus pascuella  VC65 For comparison

Also amongst the Straw slighly bigger than the Veneers

 2474 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis 72.002 

Butterflies on Hedge top lane , Northowram

68 Small Tortoiseshell , 10 Meadow Brown , 4 Ringlet , 1  Small White, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Large Skipper today on Hedge Top Lane. Northowram.

Great Moth - really bad picture

Very fidgetty, so difficult to photograph,  there were three of these continually hovering over the same patch of  Dog's Mercury at Hardcastle Crags this evening about 8.00pm.

Closest I can find is male Gold Swift. It was about 15 to 20 mm.

Am I anywhere near the right one ? Or is the picture not good enough ?

Cromwell Bottom Friday

Planning a trip  to Cromwell Bottom on Friday Night, meet at 9.30, will be running the trap  at lagoon 1.

Query

Insect heaven . . .

Copied form Calderdale-wildlife.blogspot.

These were about as we surveyed meadows and woodland for plants last week.

What is the validity of Northern Eggar as a specific name?

Eggar, Northern or Oak ? Near Mytholmroyd.

Best focus my camera could get as he shivered on  my finger.

Common Blues mating. Luddenden Dean.

Ghost Moth..............................

Had a few leking males and a few females at Northowram last night , but it was cool and windy. Tonight in Bradford we saw between 750 and 1000 males a beautiful sight. 10 to 15 pairs in cop and the first time Ive seen a female choose a male in a lek....if any one fancies seeing this site there is a public event there next Saturday night.....

Craggs XCld tonight ..sorry all

Brace yourselves!

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=5062

Day Flyers circa 10th June 2015

The Following where found or Noted recently

2474 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis Cromwell Bottom 12th June 2015

150 Green Longhorn Adela reaumurella

Golden Banded longhorn ( Wellholme Park ) No Image


1738 Common Carpet  Epirrhoe alternata  Cromwell Bottom 11th June 15

Grassland Moth Below TBC  Maybe one of the Epiblema ??????????

Query Moth..........??

Out and About - Mother Shipton

Andy found the following Daying Flying Moths and Finds circa 9th June 2015

Found 3 differnet Mother SHipton this week on near the Kemp Stone in Todmorden ,1 at Soil Hill and one on the bank of Mixenden res, I kicked one up and as if flew a Swift caught it in flight .. Images Andy Cockroft (C) 2015

129 Incurvaria pectinea mines and larvae found on Silver Birch near Ramsden clough reservoir.The small larvae can be seen in the round clear mines,

GLAPTHORN COW PASTURE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

I am planning to go here on Sat 27th June to look for Black Hairstreak and Wood White butterflys.If anyone fancies joining me there should be 3 spaces in the car......... weather permitting and will return same day...Cheers

Moth in Todmorden

I saw this moth early afternoon today at Sunnybank Todmorden. It was flying around and came to rest on an Oak leaf.

Am I right in thinking it is a Garden Tiger--Arctia caja? It was very striking to look at and I don't think I've seen one before. Is the yellow stripe on wing edges part of the underwing?

Craggs Friday 5th June 2015

Weather. Preceding days warm 12 -17 degrees . On the evening breezy but sheltered at Craggs turning cooler with open sky about 7-9 degrees pm . Moon just passed Full ,

Other Entomology . Nicrophorus humator (sexton Beetle) Nebria Canatharids Soldier beetle Cantharis pellucida Cantharis

Thanks To andy , Brian Dave and Lynford with help on photography

0018 Map-winged Swift Korscheltellus fusconebulosa








Wingspan 30-35 mm.The larvae live underground and feed on the roots of Bracken. The adults fly in June and July.


1769 Spruce Carpet Thera britannica









Wingspan 18-25 mm.The larvae feed on spruce (Picea spp.) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii).2 broods, flying from May to July, and then in September and October.

1920 Scalloped Hazel Odontopera bidentata

Feeds on a number of deciduous as well as coniferous trees.

1947 The Engrailed Ectropis crepuscularia

Wingspan 30-40 mm.2 generations, flying in March and April, and then in July and August, but in the north of  range it is single-brooded, flying in April and May.

1992 Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus








The larvae, which are similar to those of D. elpenor, feed mostly on bedstraw (Galium).


2028 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda

 2102 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta

The nocturnal caterpillars live on low plants such as dock (Rumex) and plantain (Plantago)

2061   Buff Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda 

 

2450 The Spectacle Abrostola tripartita

Other Creatures of the Night

Andy examines incoming Brian Examine incoming finds

Brian keeps a macro record



Lynford throws some light

Hardcastle Craggs 5,June

Again the skies were clear and the wind got up making it feel  cold for the time of year.
Highlight again was an Ochreous Pug and our first Small Elephant Hawkmoth at this site.
Map winged Swift    x 2
Common Swift        x 1
Flame Shoulder       x 3
Common Pug          x 5
Ochreous Pug         x  1
Pale Tussock          x   3
Silver Ground Carpet  x 6
Brown Silver Lines      x 8
Spectacle                      x 2
Small Elephant hawkmoth  x 1
Buff Ermine                    x 1
White Ermine                  x 1
Spruce Carpet                 x 1
Engrailed                        x 2
Flame Carpet                  x 1
Scalloped Hazel             x  3

Lee Mount

We planted these pots up earlier this week, nothing out of the ordinary but they turned up a gem this afternoon with a Humming-bird Hawk-moth for around a minute.

 

I dashed inside for the camera but I couldn't get a shot of it - it was just flying around too quickly from one flower to the other then off it went, I couldn't follow it. It's not turned up since but will be checking regularly in the next few days.

This follows on from one we had in the garden last year on 16th September 2014 feeding on Erysimum flowers. The previous one to that in the garden was in autumn 1974 on an Aster 'Michaelmas Daisy'

 



Warm Sun...at last

It was good to be out and about today, managed to see my first Large White , Small Heath and Small Copper today along with Peacock , Small Tortoiseshell , Orange Tip , Green veined and Small White .Also Small Yellow Underwing at Lightcliffe Quarries.

Grass Veneer 1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella

The ubiquitous 1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella appeared today in force on grassland  this gold like moth often appears to the eye large in flight...untill...it settles on grass The larvae feed on the stems of various types of grasses, usually at the base.distinguished with its one or two angled cross-lines and metallic golden fringe to the forewings.

Also Around Plenty of GV Whites