Mystery Visitor

This, last night at the bedroom light. A mystery visitor. Any ideas. Poor pics im afraid. about 5mm WL max

Luddenden Dean

 

 

This Peacock butterfly was a real surprise this morning flying around and sunning itself on the rocks on the rough hillside above 'The Lowe' - it is December !!!

Winter Moths

With the temps dropping and a cold wind the numbers had dropped tonight to about a 1000, still plenty females could be found a couple on fence posts and one on a wall...

More Winter Moths

Well with the cold temps and rain over the last few days I was wondering how many Winter Moths would be left, it has been 6 nights since I was last in the woods. Entering the wood I was amazed to see plenty of moths about and the first wall had about 20 males and a female .As I continued it seemed as though nothing had changed. Winter moths on every tree numbers still in the thousands......................................

                                                      Dead males on the ground

                                                 Female dragging male

Glyphipterix haworthana.

I had a wander up Stoodley Glen and over the tops to Broadhead Clough on Monday (2nd). Whilst crossing Erringden moor I found lots of Cotton Grass seed heads that were still intact, presumably spun together by G.haworthana. I'll try and rear them through so hopefully next April I'll see my first adults.

Is anybody else searching for early stages or leaf mines at the moment as now is a really good time to have a go? 

Winter Moths

Out again at 4.30 - 5.15..and still very large numbers of Winter moths despite the temp dropping dramatically. Many males were seen pumping there wings into shape so still emerging in large numbers.4  males were observed trying to mate with a lone female ..she eventually chose one ,At one point I could see males crawling out of the leaf litter and flying to the nearest tree.
One female Mottled Umber  was seen but no males..Working for the next 5 nights and with the weather on the change that may  be it for this extraordinary occurance.

Winter Moth round Up

3 mild nights in a row with little wind have produced an amazing     abundance  of   winter Moths in the local Woods, I  had 3 / 4 winter moths round the house earlier last week so on my way out on Sat night  I  grabbed the head torch just in case..As I entered the woods a moth flew past me and then another soon after,, within 10 paces I had seen 11. .Every tree was covered in Winter Moths  most around the base and up to 6 feet but on some they went so far up I could not count them. I went round at least 150 trees a mix of  50% Beech, 40% Oak and 5 % Sycamore and 5% other(including Elm, Nettle, rosebay willowherb, Bramble, Elderberry ,Hawthorn and various grasses)   every single  tree/bushwinter moths on it , I estimated about  10,000 moths  .They were erupting from the ground as I walked through the leaf litter and seemed to be

WINTER MOTH SPECTACULAR 2

Back to the wood this evening at 4,45..Again Winter moths on every tree the first 34 trees I counted 1381 males and 34 Females,as I went through the wood every tree was crawling with males,at one point I was watching a female drag a male upwards  quite fast and the male took flight carrying the female up about 10 inc  and landing back on the trunk.(?).As I got to the wall that cuts through the wood there were Winter moths all over the wall and on barbed wire fences ,on the dead nettle stems ,50+ on one small elderberry tree,on the dead brambles and swarms flying around the wood. 10,000 seems a massive number but I think it was an underestimation......

Winter Moth spectacular..............................

A mild night so decided to take the dog for a walk down the woods, I have had 3 / 4 winter moths round the house this week so on my way out I  grabbed the head torch just in case..As I entered the woods a moth flew past me and then another soon after,, within 10 paces I had seen 11.I stopped at the first Beech tree and started to look for females,I counted 46 males but could not locate a female .The next tree 23 males no females the third tree had 75 males and 6 females....wow... by this time, as I walked between the trees the  night was full of Winter moths flying around. .Every tree was covered in Winter Moths  most around the base and up to 6 feet but on some they went so far up I could not count them. I went round at least 45 trees, a mix of  90% Beech, 5% Oak and 5 % Sycamore every single  tree had winter moths on it , I counted at least 2400 +.( I only had time to do a small bit of the wood there must have been over  10,000 if the rest of the woodif it  was the same on each tree .??) I have never seen anything like it before with the most being about 50 at the craggs....

RECORDS for 2013

If anyone has any records for this year, I would be very grateful if you could e-mail me with them
Thanks for all the input onto the blog this year,,,There have been some great records again  Magpie , Tissue , Large Wainscot ,Beautiful  Hook Tip,,and some excellent micros...
Andy

More on Winter Moths

Carrying on from my last post. Now I can see them properly these appear to be Winter Moths and not November Moths etc. This pic is of the male in the bottom pic from the last post and darker than most. WL 13mm

Winter Moths

With some poor weather on the way I thought it was a good night to check for winter moths in some well established local woods full of mature beech and oak. It was a good foray with most trees bearing moths. Over 100 winter moths counted (not sure whether November or Winter) One large birch having about 30. Two females and a scarce umber also recorded.

Grey Shoulder-knot

Every November I spend a weekend north of Pickering in the North Yorks Moors. Last year it was the December Moths and this year only one visitor to the kitchen window, A very nice Grey Shoulder-knot Lithophane ornitopus. A new one to me and apparently not well represented in the North.

Red Sword-grass.

I saw one resting openly on a wall near the shops at Skircoat Green this morning.

Speckled Wood Caterpillar

There is a picture over on calderdale-wildlife.blogspot.com

Spanish Cat for ID( Spurge Hawkmoth..thanks Tom)

Anyone help with this, found on Mallorca recently by a friend of mine.??:>

8 th October Northowram

648	Endrosis sarcitrella	White-shouldered House Moth	1
697	Agonopterix arenella		1
998	Epiphyas postvittana	Light Brown Apple Moth2
1048	Acleris variegana	Garden Rose Tortrix1	1
1728	Xanthorhoe fluctuata	Garden Carpet1	1
1760	Chloroclysta siterata	Red-green Carpet3	3
1761	Chloroclysta miata	Autumn Green Carpet1	1
1764	Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet4	4
1769	Thera britannica	Spruce Carpet1	1
1935	Erannis defoliaria	Mottled Umber1	1
2232	Aporophyla nigra	Black Rustic2	2
2240	Lithophane leautieri hesperica	Blair's Shoulder-knot2	2
2389	Paradrina clavipalpis	Pale Mottled Willow1	1
2441	Autographa gamma	Silver Y4	4

October Wainscots in Luddenden

Two new species of Wainscot in the garden this October

Bulrush Wainscot on the 1st

Large Wainscot on the 8th

Angle Shades

Surely one of the most beautiful of all moths, especially when freshly emerged. Wish my camera could do this one more justice.

Migrants from Suffolk

David crawshaw an x Halifax resident and  all round excellent  naturalist ,sent us these from his patch in Suffolk.........Antigastra catalaunalis and Palpita vitealis..Thanks Dave and David