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....