Cryptic Challenge !

Still working on it Colin. It's been good - Jen has got a lot (I got one or two)!! but we are still struggling with the grid numbers. We are not giving up on it yet though with still a few to do.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas.

Merry X - mas and happy new Year

Many thanks to all who has used this blog this year and many thanks to all who have posted as well. Lets hope for another great year in 2017.....cheers all

Cryptic Challenge

Christmas is coming Nothing Much is moving on the Moth Front -  but here is an opportunity to Brush up on  50 British Species albeit in a Cryptic Way . This is a great opportunity for Calderdales Moth Gurus to show their Skill Prowess and Knowledge !!!!!!!!! 

I wonder if anyone can complete it ( apologies in advance for the Cryptic Clues but be thankful it was'nt a crossword on Craneflies :-)  ) Best of Luck !!

Apologies on quality of grid Please save from image click and print off to complete the Grid . The saved image can be blown up on Windows viewer if you need to make numbers clearer

ACROSS

  2 Something speckled best served with seasoning ?  
  5 Flown to close to the Lamp ?  
  6 A score of Feathers ?  
  8 Not a Brussels Sprout but same Family  
  12 Spick & Span nicely polished  
  13 A seasonal expectation this time of Year ?  
  17 Combustion at the sides of neck ?  
  19 This one is a big green Jewel  
  20 Two Birds in one !!!!!!  
  22 High Flier with the Cartography  
  24 German Folk likely seen around Whitby ?  
  29 Invasive suite plays its cards right this year  & returns
  31 Calderdales flooring dilemma  
  35 Works in the Woodland ?  
  36 Regal Oriental  
  38 Underneath the Bridge on a dimly lit night ?  
  40 This Common moth is no slow coach  
  42 Geometry in sun glasses ?  
  44 Female Geriatric  
  45 Not a newspaper or revealing angel  
  46 something of a nosy creature ?  
  47 Lawn all in a Tangle ?  
  49 Something of a Romany ???  

  50 A quick sweep and clean up

DOWN

  1 Citrus gets chilled on cold winter day  
  3 Weather looking overcast at the edge ?  
  4 Fast Citrus  
  7 Butler with healthy complexion  
  9 One fat ladywell proportioned & not much more?Bingo ?
  10 Dull Stain on the best Crockery ?  
  11 here we go round the planet ?  
  14 Moon beneath the flight structures ???  
  15 Nellie and the Raptor ?  
  16 Lets paint the bridge beige and admire its structure ??  
  18 An obvious Stone ?  
  21 Criss Cross across the Moor ?  
  23 Not quite a Popular Raptor ?  
  25 Hot footed flooring ?  
  26 Just as you thought you have bailed the criminal !!  
  27 Bright one on the sea shore ??  
  28 Not a water carpet but a small stream ?  
  30 A maker of Flour ?  
  32 This moth has things in common with Santa Reindeer  
  33 Beware the ides of March ? Get the Point ?  
  34 A ribbon at Sea  
  37 The answer could be right at the side of your Head ???  
  39 The answer would be on the end of your Nose  
  41 Two pints and a Packet of Crisps please ?  
  43 Spooky Candidate  

  48 What the Farmer works with !!!

Solution

Messages

Sorry all ,  I managed to log myself out of blogger for thew last few week. GORDON  got a message from you but have lost all my emails as well....cheers

Phyllonorycter plantani

For several years each November I've checked the fallen London Plane leaves on the road-side at Salterhebble sewage works for the mines of Phyllonorycter platani in the belief that one day they would turn up and today was my lucky day.

I believe it may be a first for Calderdale but the species is spreading slowly northwards and is expected to become more widespread.

One to look out for!

All photos and information from Charlie Streets today...nice one Charlie

From Yorkshire moth website.....
First found in Britain in the London area in 1990, this plane mining species has since spread at a steady pace. The first Yorkshire county records were from adjacent localities in York (VC62 and 61) in 2007 with further records from Hull (VC61) in 2008 and from Doncaster (VC63) in 2009. Likely to be found more widely in the future, mainly in suburban or parkland areas where the host tree has been planted.

XCl the Bagworms its snowing..........

Pale Mottled Willow, Caradrina clavipalpis.

This post is late. I found it by the door on the 31st of October this year.  I forgot about it until now. As no one else posted it, I thought I'd do it as a record at least. They are not the best photos I have produced, I'm sorry.

BAGWORM SEARCH....Staninland area ( Wednesday 9th at 11 )

I am up for the bagworm search on  Wednesday  9th  November if anyone else can make it. Charlie I will pick you up  at 10.45....

Red Sword Grass

Andy Huyton recorded a Red Sword grass this week at Ovenden a day time observation. Very smart moths so keeps your eyes out

Lee Mount - 2nd November

Just one moth tonight which came early on to the lighted window and stayed all evening - and what a beauty !

Mottled Umber

 

Then just about to turn the lights off and this one turned up on the front door. Looking quite different from the one above but think this too must be a Mottled Umber and looking a bit worn and much darker than the one above.

 

Lee Mount - 31st October

An interesting evening with the light on inside and moths on the windows and window frames.

 Silver Y

 

 Red-green Carpet underside - with the same moth below

 Twenty-plume Moth

 

 2 different moths above and below - wonder if these are both Tachystola acroxantha ? Quite small and only c7mm wing length and similar to the one Charlie identified for me on from 15th October.

Lee Mount - 29th October

Feathered Thorn x 5 last night and all within less than a meter of each other - all five below.

Feathered Thorn x 5 individuals

 

 

Also 2, which I think are November Moth agg, though they looked much paler than those earlier in the month this time showing pale underwing if someone can check them out. Think the wing could be too pointed for Winter Moth types ?

November Moth agg

 

 

Brick



Blair's Shoulder Knot, Lithophane leautieri. Red and Green Carpet, Chloroclysta siterata.

Two moths, Blair's Shoulder Knot today, still sheltering by the door. Plus, a Red and Green Carpet, which arrived on the 24 October stayed 2 days.

 Blair's Shoulder Knot.

Red and Green Carpet.

Detail for the above.

Feathered Thorn - Colotois pennaria

My first moth in several days. I got a few nice shots of it.

Lee Mount - 19th October

Just a few last night
Common Marbled Carpet x 2
November Moth agg x 2
Light-brown Apple-moth x 1
Red-green Carpet x 1

Red-green Carpet

 

Help with micro's....? also 3 micro's from last night struggling with - any help appreciated, though maybe the quality of shots could be better !

 Acleris type c12mm - amended - Acleris sparsana

 

 Above and below same moth and wondered about Ypsolopha sequella (amended)

Amended - Blastobasis adustella

Lee Mount

One micro from last night - a bit worn c10mm and wondered about Carcina quercana  maybe - amended below.

 Tachystola acroxantha

 

Not a lot else this week just one or two Red-green Carpets, November Moth agg, 1 Angle Shades and a few Common Marbled Carpets and a Silver Y

Bagworm Volunteers.

Andy,

I was with Charlie on 14th of October when we spotted all the Bagworms. It was a really good day out.

If you are looking/asking for volunteers for the Bagworm count, I'd be happy to be one. Assuming my health and medical appointments don't clash with it. Oh, sorry, I mean my social life. Ha!

If you would like my email address, ask Charlie. Although, you may have mine in the original contact I made. some time ago.

Bagworms

Last Sunday I was out on a fungi foray with the Halifax Scientific Society - it was national fungi day. We walked from Shaw park at Holywell Green and along Holywell Brook with a drystone wall boundary along much of the path. A casual glance at the wall revealed a bagworm case which I was confident was Lichen Case-bearer as it's around 300 yards from the colony discovered in spring. Straight away other (non moth-ing) members of the group located more cases - they were easy to find! I took two cases home and was surprised to find they contained what appeared to be fully grown larvae.
It must be a widespread and common species in the Holywell Green area and deserves further study of its distribution.

Silver Y Autographa gamma, Pale Form.

A Silver Y today. Sadly, it's been badly burned by an MV lamp. I get so many moths here damaged like that. I wish that some people who were interested in moths would put a shield around the lamp. You wouldn't want to put your finger on it. Actually, I wish it was a legal requirement that all moth traps had to have a guard round the bulb. Oh well, I can dream.

Some of these photos were taken with flash, others with available sunlight.

One of the worst examples 

of damage I've seen.

Painted Lady (migration)

Fantastic programme on BBC 4 last night(10th Oct) - an hour and a half on Painted Lady migration.
If anyone gets chance to watch it on catch-up or another showing it's well worth it especially about the scientific work which has gone on as to why they migrate !

If you missed it you can watch it here.......


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07yqfkq/the-great-butterfly-adventure-africa-to-britain-with-the-painted-lady