Lee Mount - 25th June

An interesting session in and around the trap this morning - 13 species, 28 moths, is the best return so far this year ! Included Green Pug, Buff Arches, Large Yellow Underwing, Green Oak Tortrix and Marbled Mior agg..........The Peppered Moth from yesterday was still present but peering through the trap.

Then a pair of Peppered Moths in 'close contact' with the upper one showing distinct size difference as well as an enlarged abdomen suggesting this was the female full of eggs ? 

Then what I think can only be Thistle Ermine (at 14mm). TBC would be a first for me.

Lee Mount - 24th June

 One Peppered Moth with a Buff Ermine and not alot else other than a couple of Bee Moths and a number of  Chrysoteuchia culmella fluttering about the grass in the sunshine.

Buff Ermine

Peppered Moth

Swales Moor. Later in the day I went looking for day flying moths and butterflies.  A few micro moths that I failed to catch, identify or photograph but 2 Latticed Heath briefly showed in among the vegetation.

Latticed Heaths

Also 1 Red Admiral, 14+ Large Skippers, 2 Meadow Brown and 7 Small Heath.

Byron Edge

 I flushed an Oak Eggar, and had a second fly close past me. At Whiteholme MH had pointed me to about 6 mobile Oak Eggars, but I had failed to get onto any of them.

Whiteholme

 Large Skipper 1, Small Heath 3

Lee Mount

 One new for me here on 22nd June.

Marbled White Spot

Micro querie !

 Any thoughts on this micro at 10mm  - in the trap this morning. ?

With grateful thanks to David C - Ptycholoma lecheana - looks spot on.

Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey and Hollas Lane

Cold Edge and Ovenden Moor.

Butterfly's have certainly been scarce so far this year.

I did my survey track yesterday (WCBS) - certainly the worst return I have ever had. No matter, I did manage 4 butterflies with 1 Wall Brown, 1 Small Heath and 2 Large Skippers. 

1 Oak Egger darting about over Ovenden Moor.

Wall Brown

Small Heath

Large Skipper

The Marsh Thistles up there are fairly prolific and are just about to come into flower.  Hopefully they will attract a few more butterfly's in the next few weeks.

Hollas Lane.This afternoon we just found one around the lagoon area, a Meadow Brown, though its was reluctant to pose for more than a second or so.

 

Bank Top

 Large Skipper. This is the only butterfly I saw in a 2 hour walk.

Beacon Hill

 A dead Cinnabar

Beacon Hill

 Small Heath 2

Shibden Valley

 Unidentified moth (? Garden Carpet)

Bank Top

 Ringlet 1

Stainland.

2 x Brimstone moths by the door today.

Stainland.

 These moths are from the 10th and 11th of June. It's about time I saw a few moths!

1 x Brimstone

1 x Small Phoenix

1 x  Garden Carpet

Anne had a Mint Moth land on her arm, 2 days ago. Sadly, it didn't stay long enough for a photo.

Plus 2 moths that defeated me, (I think). The trouble is, I don't know of many moths which rest with their wings up. I did take a photo of a Brimstone moth resting that way last year. Other than that, I've had to do my best. At least you can have a good laugh at my guesses. I'm not confident I got either right. I'd love someone to enlighten me please.

1'll call them A) and B)

Moth A) Common Carpet, TBC

Moth B) Common Lutestring. TBC

Lee Mount etc.........

 Moth trap still very quiet. Only one or two moths each day -if I'm lucky. The cool and at times damp nights are certainly not helping. Just hoping for some warmer evenings soon then hopefully things will 'buck up'. 

The best ones recently ...........

Buff-tip, Turnip Moth, Clouded Silver, Flame, Common Pug, Heart and Dart and a Silver Y.

A Yellow Shell was flying about in the sunshine on Hunter Hill yesterday

Buff-tip

Clouded Silver

Flame

Butterflies still very scarce though we did manage a Wall Brown at the weekend at Withens Clough along with a Small Copper. Two Small Coppers were also found at Ogden yesterday.

That's about it !!

Elland Gravel Pits

 Broad-bodied Chaser

Beacon Hill

 Small Copper 1, Painted Lady 1

Lee Mount

Still very slow here - lucky if I get more then 2 moths a night..

Ingrailed Clay on 30th May

Clouded- bordered Brindle x 2 on 31st May

Green Silver-lines, Flame Carpet, Brimstone Moth and Pale Tussock also on 31st May

Common Pug on 1st June

Turnip Moth and another Clouded-bordered Brindle on 2nd June

Straw Dot and a Common Marbled Carpet this morning 3rd June.

Ingrailed Clay

Straw Dot

Turnip Moth

Green Silver-lines

Shibden Valley

 1 Silver Y

Shibden Valley

 Unidentified moth

Lee Mount - 27th May

 Still quiet on the moth front here. Just 2 moths this morning.

Garden Carpet x 1

Alder Moth x 1

Alder Moth (only 3rd record for here)

Lee Mount - 20th May

 

Sycamore (at 22mm) on the pebble dashing still there this morning 21st 

Also this Diamond-back Moth

Pale Tussock is still on the fence from the 18th.

At least 20+ Twenty-plume Moths on the flowering honeysuckle in recent evenings

Lee Mount - 19th May

 Orange Footman was a first for here.......

Also one each of a Bee Moth, Common Marbled Carpet, Brindled Pug and a Shuttle-shaped Dart.

Hebden Bridge

Comma 1 

Lee Mount - 18th May

Slight improvement from recent weeks......

Brimstone Moth x 1

Clouded Silver x 1

Oak Hook-tip x 1 (2nd record for here)

Pale Tussock x 1

Tachystola acroxantha x 8

Brown House-moth x 1

Light-brown Apple-moth x 1

Oak Hook-tip

Pale Tussock

Hag Lane - off Bradford Old Road

The 9th May 2020  was my earliest Wall Brown so today's, 12th May was not far behind. I target this area for them each year as they always seem to be very special, to me anyway, in Calderdale. The hilltops in this area seem to be a reliable spot though they are never plentiful and sometimes take a bit of searching for, usually along the dusty tracks and dry stone walls.

Lee Mount - this last week.

Not a lot. !! It's been really slow.... just a few to share but most mornings - an empty trap..

Lots of Twenty-plume Moths have been showing at dusk with 20+ around the honeysuckle. A couple of Brindled Pugs, Satellite, Hebrew Character, Common Quaker and Dyseriocrania subpurpurella.

Clouded-bordered Brindle (12th May)

Flame Carpet (10th May)

Gracillaria syringella (10th May)

Tachystola acroxantha (3 this morning 12th May)

Cold Edge

 ? Latticed Heath. There were about 5 of these moths in a small area of heather.

Stainland.

 1 x Bee Moth (male)

1 x Moth fly (no photo)   

I've tried for 3 years or more to get a photo of one. I manage one shot two years ago, it was ok, not great. Being so small is one problem - 1.5 to 4mm. I'd consider a 4mm one as a giant. The other difficulty is that they don't sit still very long.

Bee Moth - male

Stainland.

1x Garden Carpet.

Garden Carpet.

Cold Edge

Small tortoiseshell 1, Orange Tip male 1. Searched bilberries for Green Hairstreak without success. 

Wainstalls

1 male Orange Tip

Bar Lane, Rishworth

1 male Orange Tip, 1 Peacock, (my first butterflies this year)

Stainland.

Moths over the two days:

Once the wet and cold weather improves, I should see more moths. Actually, I tend not to get many moths here until our garden has a lot more flowers blossoming/

1 X common plume

1 X Beautiful plume

1 x Light Brown Apple

Luddenden and Emperor Moth

It's been quiet down here so far this April with last night one of the better ones with

Brindled Pug 1

Early Thorn 1 

Common Quaker 1

Small Quaker 1

Hebrew Character 3

Chestnut 1

Early Thorn

This female Emperor Moth emerged yesterday. It was reared from a caterpillar found at Whiteholme on 7th July last year. Another female has also emerged today, again from Whiteholme.

Shibden Valley

Caterpillar - ? Fox Moth

Stainland.

I had one Angle Shades moth on the door and one Angle Shades caterpillar sheltering in a bright red, cup-shaped pansy. I suppose the caterpillar was colour blind, as it was visible from a distance. :-) I've never seen both forms at the same time before,.There is no reason why one shouldn't see that however.

 Luddenden - the end of March

It's been quite but steady this last week with small numbers of the usual Moths nightly. The only different Moth was this rather early Grey Birch, only my third here and the first for 13 years