Lee Mount 18th May

Puss Moth this morning was a belter - still there this lunchtime. Pretty sure it's a first for here, need to check (?)
Also in the trap..
Cinnabar x 1
Heart and Dart x 1

Puss Moth

Also on Ovenden Moor this morning near the wind-farm, it was a bit dull and overcast but I managed to find 4 Green Hairstreak's hanging on to heather, all very still waiting for the weather to warm up !

Cromwell Moth night

This sat 9 onwards.....weather looks very good .....

Field trip to Cromwell Bottom

Looks like a good year for Mother Shiptons


https://cromwellbottom.blogspot.com/2019/05/mothing-trip-to-tag-meadow-and-north.html

Recent sightings

Scarr & Long Wood
Speckled wood x 5
Orange tip x 5
Cinnibar x 2
Peacock x 1

Ogden Water
Mother shipton x 1
Speckled wood x 4
Peacock x 1
Orange tip x3
Mint moth x1

Jerusalem Farm
Mint moth x2
Peacock x1

Today

Lee Mount - 1 overnight moth on the fence..

 Pale Tussock

Hardcastle Crags

Brown Silver-line

Found 3 of these in bracken on 'The Crag' just beyond Gibson Mill. I guess there would be a few more with more time to look.

Lee Mount

Yesterday 14th May
Holly Blue - on a holly bush at home on and off throughout the day
Bee Moth last night and a.....
Pale Tussock x 1 on the fence

Small Copper at Dean Head yesterday (John M)

Also from HSS meeting last night...
Brimstone Butterfly at Cromwell Bottom yesterday
Holly Blue - Hardcastle Crags..... error... it was in Peoples Park

VC63 Garden Moths Mon 13th May 2019

Still warm circa 10-12 o  Generally Catches down

Actinic 20 W

73.325 BF2092   Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

A dimorphic species ( male female difference) . Two different specs

And yes it did not take long to find a catch with mites

Ogden

I was up on the moor above Ogden today. I saw 6 whites, all too far away for an ID, and two Small Tortoiseshells.

I managed to get a sun tan on my face, which surprised me. It's tingling now. Still, I love the sun.

Gordon.

Butterfly's so far 2019

Good numbers of Green Hairstreaks this year and Orange Tip seem to be everywhere...The first Small Copper reported today from Cold Edge (thanks Pete Smith) A few Holly blues and there were 17 + Small Tortoiseshell at Norhtowram yesterday.....Anyone recorded Large White or Common Blue YET...???

Ogden

I got up there in good time this morning. Perfect conditions at the end of the concrete track that leads from the promenade up towards the golf course. I also checked the open woodland/heath at the top end of the plantation.
Green Hairstreak x 19
Peacock x 6
Small Tortoiseshell x 4
Green-veined White x 32 and counting.
Speckled Wood x 6

Mother Shipton x 8
Common Heath x 22

 Cinnabar (in the trap at home)

 Common Heath's - as far as I can tell

Mother Shipton  - always a blade of grass in the way !

Lee Mount

Very quiet with nothing at all in or around the trap last few days.
Last night - Twenty-plume Moths in numbers (20+) around the shrubbery, mainly honeysuckle, before dusk but none in the trap this morning.

This morning
Cinnabar x 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x 1
Tachystola acroxantha x 1

A Real Treat

Returning to the previous image below , as I thought , the structures associated with the Palps might well be Mites . ( Thanks A Zilla , NH Museum )  I am therefore going to keep an eye out on future imaging , unfortunately , they are at the limit of macro photography  , but can be put under the microscope or x30 Loupe. The following recommended reading in relation to the Mites of Moths & Butterflies has been recommended and there is a review link below  in case anyone is interested

The Mites of Moths & Butterflies Asher E. Treat

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/409538

Withens Clough Reservoir

We did a circuit of the Reservoir this afternoon. Despite the cool wind we managed several butterflies below the embankment and then along the walled track past the Reservoir cottage.
1 Green-veined White
3 Orange-tip
3 Small Tortoiseshell
4 Peacock
Mostly on the abundance of Dandelion flowers.

Sent from my iPhone

Ogden

Around part of the golf course this afternoon, without clubs of course. ! I managed to find just one Green Hairstreak but it was off before I could get a photo.
I see Chris J-B also had one in 20th April near Whiteholme.

Sent from my iPhone

Holly Blue

Manage a record shot of this Holly Blue today in Brighouse , also about Small Tortoiseshell , Loads of Orange tips , Peacock and Small White.....

Lee Mount

Back to it !!
Not a lot doing this week so far other than the ones below

30th April
Hebrew Character x 2
Shuttle-shaped Dart x 1
Twenty-plume Moth x 12
Herald x 1 (think this is only the second record for here - a nice surprise)

 Herald

Shuttle-shaped Dart

1st May
Shuttle-shaped Dart x 2
Common Quaker x 1
Bee Moth x 1
Twenty-plume Moths x 5
Brindled Pug x 1

Copley meadow - Apr. 30th

 

A nice hazy, sunny lunchtime and the star of the show was this Small Yellow Underwing busily flitting around the meadow. It follows on nicely from one Andy found there last June but again it was too flighty for a close-up photo. Keep an eye out for these as they are under recorded and resemble funny looking Mint Moths to the untrained eye - well it had me fooled for while!

Grapholita jungiellas were very common wafting about in the slight breeze but again very flighty and getting close was difficult - as was dodging all the dog cr*p everywhere :-(

So this is a stock photo from this site.

The Mouse-ears are now beginning to blossom and it struck me as to how vulnerable this site is to disturbance and vandalism. A few years ago British Waterways, I presume, (now the Canal and River Trust) fenced off a substantial part of the already small site and dumped countless tons of canal dredgings on it killing off the herb rich meadow beneath. It's now regenerating as willow scrub which, let's face it is not endangered habitat. Makes me wonder what the futures are for Small Yellow Underwings and Marsh Pugs on the site with their foodplant Mouse Ear vanishing rapidly. 

Also in a nearby wood was this Ash Bud Moth larval feeding signs on Ash with a typically drooping shoot where the larva has burrowed inside. You can also see the slight web and frass at the base of the shoot. It's tenanted so I'll see if I can rear it through.

VC63- Garden Moths 30th April 2019

Weather  - Mild circa 8 -10 o Still.

Actinic 20 W

73.250 BF2189  Twin-spotted Quaker Anorthoa munda x1

73.249 BF2190 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica x3

70.183 BF1834  Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata x6

73.250 BF2189  Twin-spotted Quaker Anorthoa munda x1

Worn . Interesting to note the structures near on ??  the labial palps ???  last image

Lepidopteran Feeding All you need to know !! below fig 2

Parornix sp....??

Found this at Cromwell today   on Silver Birch ....any ideas..Parornix betulae or the very common angelicana.....

Stainland,

Two moths today. I found the first at 3:20 am, it's a Bee Moth. I think it 's a very fresh one, the green is a lot richer and darker than any I've seen before. Subtle, but still a nice moth. It wasn't there at 8:30 am. It's worth me taking the photos when I can.

Bee  Moth.

The other moth is a Pug, I can't decide which one, sorry. Wingspan is 2 cm.

Brindled Pug. (Thanks to Andy for the ID).

Micro for ID

I caught this two days ago at Copley, forewing 4mm, flying in the early morning sun.

Absolutely no idea what it is.

Anybody any ideas?

VC 63 Garden Moths Pugs 21st Aptil 2019

VC 63 Garden Moths  21st April 2019

Weather Hot 18 o  to  circa 8- 10 o in evening Moon Phase  near Full. Still
First Moth of the Night a Pug

Actinic 20 W

73.249 BF2190   Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica   x4

70.183 BF1834   Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata ????

Two Pugs the First looks like a Brindled the second a Common
  open to correction  ??????????????????? ( but the brindled looks very similar to the Oak Tree Pug )






Pug Number 2

Mompha subbistrigella Garden Cosmet

Sat 20th April 2019 - Garden Cosmet

This little micro conveniently appeared on one of the windows  likely from work on adjacent garden were there has been a lot of dried Willowherb knocking about
Mompha spp for sure and a possibility of one confusion species - the distinct 4 spots near the base of the wings would point me Mompha subbistrigella as opposed toMompha sturnipennella . Size circa 5 - 7 mm very flighty towards light. Not particularly good imaging given the challenge pictured on window glass. Open to correction , Charlie may recognise it

Butterflies and moths

had a walk to Manor Heath through the woods and back.

Orange tip,
Holly blue (in park and in garden at Copley)
Peacock
Speckled wood

Also the cocoon that I found a few months ago has finally hatched into a "stonking" poplar hawk moth.

Garden Moths VC63 19th April 2019

Garden Moths VC63   19th April 2019

Weather Warm 10 - Day 18 o C. Wind Still. Moon Full

Actinic 20 W

Ran trap from 9.00pm - 12.00 amVery slow but 3 species presented  one of each as follows

44.001 BF1288   Twenty-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla - FP Honeysuckle

73.249 BF2190 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica
73.242 BF2188   Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta

44.001 BF1288 Twenty-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla

73.249 BF2190   Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica.



73.242 BF2188   Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta

Brimstone

J had a very bright yellow butterfly power across the garden here in Copley. Convinced it was a brimstone.

Also had pine beauty and Hebrew character at Ogden today.

Stainland.

Anther mild night last night. It gave me one moth, a Common Plume. Charlie and I went for a stroll down Robber Dodge yesterday, We saw a Common Plume on the step of a house on the main road.

We did find one or two nice things during the day. I don't want to post anything, as I think Charlie may be doing that.

Common Plume - Emmelina monodactyla. 

Cromwell Bottom , 20th April

There will be a moth night at CB on sat night (next to cabin)  ,,temp and weather look perfect for a\ good nights moffing .Light should be on from 8.30 ..all welcome...

Lee Mount

This last week or so with the moth trap on every night. Not a lot to show for it other than a max of 4 Hebrew Characters and Common Quakers.
Clouded Drab x 1 on 8th
Early Grey x 2 again on 8th
The best return was on the 8th April with these two below

 Early Thorn

 Red-green Carpet

and this small moth below to double check, again from 8th ? Pretty sure its a Small Quaker

Male Emperor Moth on Castle Carr Road on 7th April but no photo unfortunately 

Not a lot else this week - just a few Peacocks and a similar number of Small Tortoiseshell's around and about. All being put onto IRecord.

Ogden sightings

Had a few moths at the light over the last week or so.


Hebrew character
Orange swift (I think)


Also first orange tip male butterfly this afternoon and small tortoiseshell. Spring is on the way!!!

Cromwell Bottom

Went down to Barrys Moth night last night and got a few moths to the light including a very Smart
Shoulder Stripe (top pic ) not seen one in Calderdale before..Loads of Comma , Small Tortoiseshell , Peacock and Small White about last week when the sun came out. The very distinctive Stigmella aurella mines are easy to see at the moment.

Shouldere Stipe x 1
Common Quaker x 12
Small Quaker x 1
Hebrew Character x 3
Early Thorn x 1
Red Green Carpet x 1
Early Tooth- Striped x 4
Brindled Pug x 1
Clouded Drab x 4
Agonopterix heralicana x 1

Stainland.

It was a little warmer last night, so I expected to see a moth this morning. I was not disappointed, I have two. A Common Quaker, which I first saw on the 25th of February this year.

The second is a Hebrew Character. I'm certain I had one once before. However, it is not in my 2016-2018 records. I'll have to look into my archived files and see if I am correct.

Common Quaker.

Hebrew Character.