Cromwell Bottom LNR - 0152 Cauchas rufimitrella ABH 7.010

Sun 27th May 2018

This small micro a Longhorn with rufous head was found nectarring on Garlic Mustard by the Calder . The larvae feed within the seed pods .

It shouldnt be confused with the smaller Micropterix calthella ( also with a red head but shorter antennae  ) usually found on buttercup which has mouth parts capable of taking pollen

Garden Moths VC63 Sat 26th May 2018

Sat 26th May 2018

Weather : Moon Approaching Full Weather Humid Cool and Breezy days preceding rain

20w   ACTINIC

I thought I'd run a basic 20 W Actinic largly due to the breezy conditions


Four Moths Came To Light

73.31 7 BF2089    Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

28.009  BF0648    White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella

70.160  BF1835    White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria

49.028 BF986      Syndemis musculana  TBC

Open to Correction on this one looks like a non typical ( usually grey ) orange brown a bit early  but flying in sufficient numbers on week 22. Any thoughts

Stainland, 2 White Ermine

On Saturday morning, there were two white ermine by the door.

White Ermine moths

The White Ermine that I showed here on the 21st of May, stayed for 3 days. In the early morning, before the sun came up,  it was on the fanlight over the door, or disappeared for a few hours. The nights seem to have been too cold for it to fly. It always returned to the same spot each night. This made me think that the moth must leave a scent marker that it could recognise. I know it was the same one, as it seemed to have had a slight brush with a light trap lamp and it's markings were identical. You can see the mark / burn in the original photo I posted, and the one above. It's the moth on the right of the photo above. I said it stayed for 3 days, in fact, it had stayed in the area for 7 days. I felt that it was worth sharing  my observations.

Moth for identification

I saw this moth amongst grass in Todmorden today. I don't know the species but hoping someone can help.

Swales Moor

Along Ringby Lane this afternoon again with a target of finding Wall Butterflies in the hot sunshine  and trying to find a sheltered area out of the east wind. No luck with the Wall (try again another day!) but a Painted Lady was a surprise, battling it out with 2 Small Tortoiseshells.

Also present in the top field were at least 4 Small Heath's and  9 + Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Green-veined White and 1 female Orange-tip.

Small Tortoiseshell left and the Painted Lady

Lee Mount - 27th May

Cool, clear and quite breezy overnight with just 2 in the trap this morning..

 Cinnabar

 

 Heart and Dart

Hairy noctuid larva update

This emerged overnight from the larva I posted here about 3 weeks ago. I think it may be an Uncertain but as it's not one I've seen before I'm not so sure (pun avoided there :-)

FW length and hindwing are okay, I can't see what else it could be - anyone have any ideas?

A couple from spring larvae on Blackthorn.

Two new ones for me: A Plum Tortrix from Norland and a Green Pug From Park Wood Crematorium. Thought the pug would have been a much richer green with it being freshly emerged but just a few traces. The pug pupa was about the same size as the "bird dropping" micro.

Small Copper

Steve Blacksmith reports a Small Copper today  at Dudwell Lane on his  broad beans. Many thanks Steve. That is the 13th  species so far this year , with the browns , Skipper 's  and more Hairstreaks to come it could be a very good year. had a Holly blue today at Smith house lane brighouse .................

VC 63 Garden Moths 21 May 2018

Habitat  Urban Garden nr Adjacent Beech Oak Woodland

Weather : Warm Intermittent to light Breeze. Moon Half.  Cool 14 o circa

MV120


73.274 BF2154   Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae

73.317 BF2089   Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

73.156 BF2326   Clouded-bordered Brindle Apamea crenata
73.267 BF2160  Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea

73.274 BF2154   Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae

73.317 BF2089   Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

73.156 BF2326   Clouded-bordered Brindle Apamea crenata






73.267 BF2160  Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea

Last One for Comment looks like a worn spec ........

Out and About

A visit to Walden Resevoir,

Some Bilberry on the Northern Stream feed and on the bare ground onto top path Green Tiger Beetle . There was Bilberry where a quick walk through looked to have raised Green Hairstreak but to flighty for an image . Technically Kirklees but a  VC Records nevertheless

Seraphim.......

The Seraphim a rare moth for me here in Northowram and only seen one before . This morning there were 3 in the trap ,,along with Poplar Hawkmoth , Clouded Bordered Brindle , White Ermine , Cabbage Moth ,  Shuttle Shaped Dart , Common Pug and Shuttle Shaped Dart

Stainland, White Ermine.

A nice, male White Ermine today.

White Ermine 

White Ermine 

Last week........

Finally managed a reasonable side on shot of Grapholita compositella from Hollas Lane NR. Also a Mompha locupletella there (Sunday) and plenty of Endothenia marginana by the numerous Thistle plants there.

Thought this was yet another greenfly crawling up my bedroom window but it turned out to be a (probable) Ectoedemia septembrella. Will see what Harry says.

Lee Mount - 20th May

Narrow-winged Pug x 1
Bee Moth x 2
Iron Prominent x 1
Brindled Pug x 3
Small Phoenix x 3
Garden Carpet x 1
Clouded Silver x 1
White-shouldered House Moth x 1

Possible White-spotted Pug ? - photo below as I'm not sure

 

and this one below ?

 

Sowerby Bridge Moths

Back Wakefield Road Sowerby Bridge Saturday 19 May

Pebble Prominent
Lesser Swallow Prominent x 2
Pale Tussock
Bright line Brown Eye
Small Phoenix
Flame Carpet
Sallow Kitten x 2
Spectacle
Shuttle Shaped Dart
Pebble Hook Tip
Pale Shouldered House Moth

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Shuttle Shaped Dart

Pebble Hook-tip

Spectacle

Sallow Kitten

Pebble Prominent

Pale Tussock

Small Phoenix

Stainland.,Brimstone Moth.

Hi

At 2 am today there was a single Brimstone Moth. I wasn't able to climb ladders to photograph it, but I'm recording it here.

Lee Mount - 19th May

A little better last night with warmer conditions
Iron Prominent x 1
Peppered Moth x 1
Clouded Silver x 1
Brindled Pug x 3
Light-brown Apple Moth x 1
Bee Moth x 1
Red-green Carpet (I think) looks pretty worn is probably one that overwintered (?)
And a micro ?? about 10mm long but it was off before I got a better shot - perhaps not enough to go on ?

 Unidentified micro

 

 Clouded Silver

 

 Iron Prominent

 

 Peppered Moth

 

Possibly Red-green Carpet

Swales Moor

Ringby Lane this afternoon. I thought maybe a chance of Wall Brown but not to be. The earliest date I have had them in this area was in 2017 on 25th May so I did have a chance.
2 Small Tortoiseshell together
Several 'whites' maybe 20+ - all on the wing but no firm identification.

Also, this day flying micro which I haven't got to grips with yet... Pretty small, and a poor picture as it settled on a grass stem with the breeze blowing. Maybe enough on the photo to i d ??

Lee Mount - 19th May

Just one moth in the trap this morning which I think must be Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentate f nigra

 

And from the 17th - a nice Angle Shades but very little else this week !

 

Butterfly records (and a moth)

Walks the Calderdale Way from Norwood Green to Brighouse today, I thought there would be more butterflies around but they seemed scarce.

Bailiff Bridge
1 x orange tip
2 x large white

Birkhouse area
1x Speckled Wood

Also a twenty-plume moth on the window at home.

Coleophora lusciniaepennella

A tenanted case from Copley village on Goat Willow.

last nights moths

White Ermine x 1
Pale Shouldered Brocade x 1
Pale Tussock x 1
Bright line Brown Eye x 1
Early Grey  x 1
Common Pug x 1
Double Striped Pug x 1
Currant Pug x 1
Brindled Pug x 1
Light Brown Apple Moth x 2
Scalloped hazel x 1
Common Carpet x 1
Flame Carpet x 1

Lee Mount - 15th May

Just one moth in the trap this morning, with a first for the year - a Garden Carpet.

Hardcastle Crags

We walked from Midgehole to Walshaw via Gibson Mill then back over Shackleton Knoll today. A lovely day to be out.

A lot of Orange-tips throughout the woodland area especially near Midgehole and the open glades towards and beyond Gibson Mill, they were all over the place. One worn looking Peacock at Gibson Mill and quite  a few Green-veined Whites and 1 Large White though we didn't specifically identify any Small Whites though there probably were some in among.

Along the top road above the woodland we only came across Green-veined Whites - mainly on Dandelion flowers, of which there were many.

Hot Hectad in May 15th 2018

A good Hectad today South of RHB  Royds Hall Beck (Calderdale)

The Habitat is riverine will steep sided Clough and Damp Grassland facing South has been consistingly good Habitat for Orange Tip and GV Whites which utilise the Cuckoo Flower and other plants in the family Brassicaceae. such Greater Bittercress abundant at  this locality

Lepidoptera

Male Orange Tip Beck side x 22
Orange Tip Confirmed Female  x3
Green Vein Whites x7
Speckled Wood x9
Peacock x1
0150 Green Longhorn ABH 7.006  Adela reaumurella Colony circa  x30 

Brown Silver-line Petrophora chlorosata circa  x10   

Brown Silver Lines is turmed up when walking over dried Bracken this time of year

The Botany Flowering in and arond this area includes

Bugle
Bluebell
Primrose
Gorse
Lesser Celandine
Cuckoo Flower
Cow Parsely
Field Forget me Knot
Buttercup Creeping
Chickweed
Dandlion
Rowan and Hawthorn ( Flower Buds on the way)

Other Entomology Included

Syrphus Sp (likely ribessi)
Click Beetles X2 sp
St Mark Fly Bibio marci
Limonid Cranefly

Imges To Follow

Last night in Northowram

1 x White Ermine
1 x Pebble Prominent
1 x Bright line Brown Eye

White Butterfly Id guide

https://butterfly-conservation.org/3114-4135/how-to-identify-white-butterflies.html

Golden rules

1. Size is not always a good characteristic to use for identification. As with humans, butterflies vary in size, so although most Large White individuals are bigger than Small Whites, they can occasionally be smaller. Black/grey spots on the wings are also not very helpful, as these vary between males and females as well as between species.

2. You will have to see the underside of the hindwing to be certain of the identification. This means that if you only see the butterfly fly past at a distance, it is very unlikely that you’ll be able to make a definite identification. You have to be patient and accept that it won’t be possible to identify every white butterfly that you encounter!