Northowram today

Brindled Pug 

At least 5/6 Small tortoiseshell and 1 Comma at Northowram today...A walk in the woods this evening produced----
4 Male and 4 female Diurnea fagella
1 Common Quaker
1 very smart Brindled Pug on an Oak tree.

25.03.20
Diurnea fagella x 14 (1 female)

Rishworth - Butterflies

There was a Small tortoiseshell and 2 bees in the garden today

Peocock

Beautiful Peacock in the garden this morning

Rishworth - A productive trap!

Moth Trapping Session Monday 23rd March 2020
A productive trapping session with one new for the garden .

List of Species
Yellow Horned x1
Small Quaker x2
Common Quaker x1

I believe  that Yellow Horned is not the commonest species in Calderdale .?

Busy Day

Started off with a quick look round Cromwell Bottom and could only find 1 Orange Underwing flitting around the tops of the Silver Birch next to lagoon 1. Lots of reports today of Comma , Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock , but the star today was the first Brimstone of the year at Brookfoot thanks Mike and Kath. 5 male Diurnea fagella (March Dagger) and 1 female tonight in the woods and a Common Plume flying by the outside light...It feels a lot warmer tonight and good for moth trappers.....

Female Diurnea Fagella

Rishworth - The Anomaly!

Larval Search Sunday 22nd March 2020
More of them!

List of Species
5 Anomalous - All Brown form
1 Square Spot Rustic

22nd March 2020

The National trust  have closed Hardcastle Craggs etc as from today,,so sadly no trapping at the Craggs until they decide otherwise......Brian reports the first Orange Underwing (4 +) flying today near Stoodley Glen..Small Tortoiseshell in Hebden ,,,,keep you posted on next trapping location .....

Rishworth - 3 catch reports! Mottled Grey, Anomalous', Square Spot Rustics.

Been a busy week of mothing so this post has a lot of things in, I hope you find it interesting. I shall start with tonight's larval search list, And then the 3 Moth trapping sessions this week.

Larval Search Saturday  21st March 2020
6 Anomalous - 4 Brown form
                        2 Green form.
5 Square-Spot Rustic
5 Mottled Grey - All adults obviously.

Moth Trapping Sessions

Moth Trapping Session Tuesday 17th March 2020
2 Chestnut
1 Common Quaker

Moth Trapping Session Friday 20th March 2020
Nothing

Moth Trapping Session Saturday 21st March 2020
1 Common Quaker

Broad-bodied Chaser.

I'm posting these images due to me not have seen a single moth yet. Most of them don't come to our house until the flowers are out. Plus, it's a fairly quite time for moths just now.

I took these photos in 2011, at Lothertom Hall, in Leeds. I'd bought my first Panasonic Lumix a few weeks before. I was overjoyed at the results.

I'd spotted this one landing on some plants, by the edge of the pond. As dragonflies tend to have a regular patch they patrol, along with a resting piace. I just stood still and waited for it coming back again. These are the results.

 Broad-bodied Chaser.

Northowram

Found one  Diurnea Fagella last night...was'nt too bad out of the wind in the woods......and Small Tortoiseshell flying in the afternoon...no sign of Orange Underwing at Cromwell this afternoon , but the wind is still very cold...

D.Fagella x 3 tonight the 21st , should see a increase over the next 10 days...

Lee Mount - 20th March

A little better this morning from overnight being a bit milder but it's colder again tonight, and windy so it will be a struggle !
Common Quaker x 3
Small Quaker x 2
Hebrew Character x 1
Clouded Drab x 1

Sorry had to cancel tonight last minute....at Crags..

Rishworth - CF update

I emailed CF some pictures of the larvae and he thinks the highest likely of what they are is Anomalous. Good news though. I believe this is the first Rishworth  Anomalous..

Butterfly sighting

1 peacock butterfly in field above Sun Wood, Coley/Shelf this morning in the sunshine.

Crags friday night

Usual spot tomorrow 7 on-wards......
Small Tortoiseshell in garden today at Northowram and a Peacock reported from Cold Edge Dams..(thanks Pete S)...and 7 Heralds in Bare Head tunnel....

Lee Mount - 18th March

Decent conditions in the evening, still cool but not a lot of activity despite the cloud cover and not a breath of wind late on.
Clouded Drab x 2 (both new ones)
Small Quaker x 1
Tortricodes alternella x 1

Small Quaker

Rishworth - The field Opposite the house.

I went back out into the field again and took a look for caterpillars and ended up with 6 of them, a mottled grey and a square spot/six striped rustic.....

                                                There were 7 of the above, they are up for ID
                                                 again looking like Anomalous, there were 6
                                                  brown form, 1 green form.

                                                       This looks like a Square spot/six striped rustic

Lee Mount - 17th continured

2 so far tonight but the wind is blowing hard so might have to shut down soon.
Agonopterix heracliana x 1
Tortricodes alternella x 1 (revised from incorrect i d Diurnea fagella)

 Agonopterix heracliana including view of curved back palps (below) - not noticed these before !

Revised - see comments to Tortricodes alternella with not a lot to go on other than folded wings and some faint markings and dark spots

Rishworth - A caterpillar and a possible Mottled Grey in the field opposite the house.

I went over to the field opposite the house that is full of moorland grasses looking for any larvae and lo and behold I found this first instar Caterpillar, we thought it was Anoumalous or Neglected Rustic from the new caterpillar guide.... Found at around 300m....

up for ID it is on its side on these two pics

Also while checking for more larva I found what I think is a mottled grey in the grass

Widdop

Found this on the high moors (430m) near Widdop reservoir today ..looks like Neglected Rustic but not 100% with the state of it......

Lee Mount - 17th March

Clouded Drab x 1 in the trap this morning. Only getting one at a time but no matter. One is better than nothing !

 Clouded Drab

16th March

First Comma and  Small Tortoiseshell today and also Peacocks reported as well. Fox Moth cats have been seen and the next two weeks are perfect for Orange Underwing .......Crags this Friday night again if all goes well....

Rishworth - Orthosia No"2

Moth Trapping Session 14th March 2020
The second Orthosia of the year. A sign of things to come!

List of Species
Small Quaker x1

Small Quaker

My sugar for moths recipe

I just thought because I had nothing else to do I would share my variable sugar recipe for painting on trees etc. To attract moths.

A can of Mackesons Stout or west indies porter.
A 1/4 a bottle of cheap rum
A good amount of  black treacle
A lot of brown sugar

And put on a low heat for half an hour.

Anyone got other recipes?

What species

Seen indoors today. Probably very common but interested to know the species.

Crags 13th March 2020

Yellow Horned x 6
Satellite x 2
Chestnut x 3
March Moth x 1
Oak Beauty x 2
Small Quaker x 5
Common Quaker x 1
Agonopterix sp x 1

Rishworth

Nothing tonight. It was absolutely freezing here compared to the Crags....

Lee Mount - 11th March

Hebrew Character x 1 in the trap - nothing else !

Friday 13th (what could go wrong)

We are planning to run a trap at Hardcastle Craggs Car park on Friday 13th 6.30 - finish...all welcome..in recent year this has proved to be a good time for spring species in the craggs///....

Lee Mount - more from 7th

March Moth x 3 then with the forecast as it was I closed the trap down around 11:30 pm.
Last night - the lower one baffled me for a while (it doesn't take much !)

I'm not very familiar with this top one though I see Edward seems to get them fairly regularly.

 Tortricodes alternella

I puzzled over this one for a while, probably because I wasn't expecting these just yet. I finally came to a conclusion - which I hope is right.

Common Quaker

Rishworth - They are back!

Moth Trapping Session 7th March 2020
Had a Chestnut tonight, they are back!

List of Species
Chestnut x1

Lee Mount - 7th March

Nearly knocked the trap light off last night. Pleased I left it on with a nice surprise when I checked it this morning.
Oak Beauty x 1
I think this is a first for here (will check later) though I have seen them at Ogden.

I'm happy with the phone photo, my others on the camera are no better !

Also a small bee on the flowering Rhodanthemum across lunch time, when the sun was shining, was nice to see and a large Bumble Bee flew by as well.

Rishworth - The first proper Spring species of the year!

Moth Trapping Session 6th March 2020
The first spring species of the year tonight. Trap brought in at 21:00.

List of Species
Hebrew Character x1

Only House Wood , Northowram

2 very worn Dotted Border last night...keep an eye out for the first butterflys ...any day now....

Lee Mount - 1st March

Ah at last - a moth - 2 in fact.
March Moth x 2 - both on the fence by the trap despite the frost.

Rishworth - First Satellite of 2020

Moth Trapping Session 28th January 2020
A couple tonight...

List of Species
Satellite ( orange dot) x1
Tortricodes alternella x1

                                                         Tortricodes alternella

Poor February !!!

Nothing at all since the pale Brindled Beauty on 12th Feb despite the trap light on at home whenever the weather conditions allowed. Getting desperate now...........Brown House Moth at Ogden this morning when I met Chris who spotted one in the classroom.

Fame at last......

Last year I was fortunate enough to be contacted by the Natural History Museum about them using one of my photos in an upcoming publication (pictured below). My complimentary copy arrived a couple of days ago. It contains many photos of moths from every corner of the globe and the text covers all aspects of moths, it's generally quite technical which is good and will take quite a while to read through. It should be a reference book to keep going back to and would make a nice birthday/Christmas present at £17.00.

Who knew there were tear-drinking moths....

And don't even get me started on exotic bagworms...…..

Rishworth - A little random!

I found a march moth in the house this evening....

Cromwell Bottom

Dark Chestnut caught by Barry in January and 6 Satellite last night all on sugar....

Rishworth - A very interesting ID! (EArly Early tooth striped maybe...)

Moth Trapping Session 22nd February 2020
A good night with a very interesting ID.

List of Species
March Moth x1
Tortricodes alternella x1
ID x1

                                                           ID Above

                                                           March Moth Above

                                                        Tortricodes Alternella above

Rishworth - A twenty plume

A twenty plume moth in the house this evening ..

Moth night at Cromwell Bottom

There will be a moth night at Cromwell Bottom. See cromwellbottom.blogspot.com

Grey shoulder knot

Afternoon,

Grey shoulder knot, one to keep an eye out for this comin g few weeks (Andy,Gordon)

Only 2 Calderdale records

Netted Carpet Moth Caterpillar videio.

I've just found a nice video of the Netted Carpet moth cat, feeding on Touch-me-not seedheads. After watching it, I think I know why they are decreasing un numbers. The photohgragrapy is stunning.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ5dQ_Pdfac

Rishworth

Moth Trapping Session 17th February 2020
Another March Moth, a much darker individual this time.

List of Species
March Moth x1

Rishworth - It is not March!

Moth Trapping Session 14th February 2020
A march moth, its not march! Trap brought in at 21;00.

List of Species
March Moth x1

Pale Brindled Beauty and Moth Report update

This was on Daves door today when i popped round........
Many thanks for all the emails and letters received about the moth report it has been selling well and i have now broken even on the sales with 10 copy ' s left ....this money will go to Butterfly Conservation. Many thanks to Dave for all his help.....If anyone still needs a copy please get in contact asap...thanks again Andy

Rishworth

Nothing last night

Lee Mount - 31st January

Nothing since my last post on 25th Jan. Last night - one moth, a dark form of Pale Brindled Beauty.