Caterpillar ??

A strange looking caterpillar found by Steve Blacksmith today at Kebroyd on a beech near the river. Any ideas ??

Update from Steve - he found it on wildlifeinsight.com -  Pale Tussock Moth after a search for 'white hairy caterpillar'.

Ogden - Thursday 20th

Red admiral x1
Speckled Wood x2

But all gone by 1pm!!

Fly Flatts

Red Admiral x 4
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
White sp x 1

stainland.

A brave, solo moth was sheltering from the wind and rain this morning. How it flew here in the wind we had last nigh,t I don't know. It's a rather sad looking Lesser Yellow Underwing.

Lesser Yellow Underwing.

Lee Mount - 17th September

Four really nice moths this morning.

These three are the same moth with a very pink abdomen underneath. I can't figure it out from the 'sallows' or possibly Brick type/Flounced Chestnut. I'm not sure if it's a faded individual or that's it's natural state ? so any help appreciated..!

 Lunar Underwing

 

Pale Mottled Willow

 

Also a Black Rustic but didn't get a decent photo of that one !

Out and about - 17th September

Lee Mount - Red Admiral and Small White
Ringby Lane - Small White
Ogden - Speckled Wood x 2

Stainland.

I'm reasonably sure the moth below is a very worn Common Marbled Carpet. The poor thing looks to be on it's way out.

Common Marbled Carpet. TBC.

Castle Carr Road etc - 16th September

Small Heath on gorse bushes in the afternoon. I wasn't expecting any butterfly's but it was a welcome sight.

 Small Heath

 

Also a query from Lee Mount with this ? Marbled Carpet. Can't decide whether or not it is Common Marbled or Dark Marbled as only limited experience of Dark Marbled ?

Stainland.

Three moths at 3am when I let our cat out. All had gone at 8am. I must miss so many moths by not staying up half the night. (As if!) One of these moths I'm not certain of. Conditions for taking the shots were not good. I won't bore you with an explanation.

Light Brown Apple.

Small Dusty Wave.

I think the moth below is a very worn Small Dusty Wave. It was noticeably bigger than the Wave above. As they don't vary  much in size, I wasn't sure. The lack of markings doesn't help either.

Small Dusty Wave. TBC.

Lee Mount - 15th September

2 'gems' today

 Black Rustic in the trap this morning

 

Later in the morning I looked out of the window and saw this hovering around the Buddleia (in the drizzle) !!! - camera to hand - not often that happens. It didn't stay long around 3 minutes then it just disappeared !

 Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Stainland.

There was a Red-Green Carpet sheltering from the rain at 3am. I tried to take a shot at it with Anne's camera. It's a miserable photo but enough to get a positive ID from. It had gone this morning. Shame I couldn't get a better photo, it's the first one of these I've seen and looks very fresh.

Red-Green Carpet.

Stainland.

A Small Dusty Wave to show this morning.

It must have been fairly cold last night, the Large Yellow Underwing that I posted here on the 10th of this month, is still with me and in the same place. The longest period of time a moth has stayed here was five days. I assume they can put themselves into a sort of suspended animation, as they tend not to change position once they settle. I'd like to sleep like that sometimes, all through the winter, for instance.

Small Dusty Wave.

Stainland.

This little beauty was on the door this morning. It must be fairly fresh, the markings are almost perfect. I think it's a Flounced Rustic. If anyone knows any different, please correct me. Thanks.

Flounced Rustic. TBC.

Northowram today

2 freshly emerged Small Copper today , 2 Speckled Wood , 1 Red Admiral , 1 large and 2 Small Whites............. 1 Small Tortoiseshell Shibden Valley (thanks P.Smith)

Exley Bank Wood

Had a quick wander through the wood yesterday and saw three adult leps:

 

Speckled Wood x 1

Acleris sparsana x 1

Stenolechia gemmella x 1

 

The last one was resting on an oak trunk doing a great impression of a bagworm.

 

 

And the customary indoor shot below.

Mothing on Norland - Wed 12th September

Chris & Robin from the Countryside Service have a public moth trapping event on Norland Moor on Wed 12th September. We will be meeting from 7pm in the car park at the recreation area. Hopefully have a few moths about and the weather will be better than last year!

If anyone wants to join us, call in etc. then feel free to do so.

Saturday 16th and Wednesday 19th September 7pm-9pm Moth trapping

Wednesday 19^th September 7pm-9pm  at Hardcastle Craggs , Gibson Mill with Nat
Saturday   16th Cromwell Bottom 8pm  onwards with Barry

Stainland

Just one Large Yellow Underwing - noctua pronuba, this morning.

Large Yellow Underwing.

Fly Flatts

Blowing a strong westerly wind today up there but it didn't stop a Red Admiral flying through straight past the car heading east though it didn't have much choice in that wind.

Lee Mount - 8th September

Two new ones for me here from overnight. Pretty sure I have the correct identification !

 Small Dusty Wave on the door frame from overnight on 7th and still there on the 8th briefly. I thought at first it was a 'pug'. Quite a small moth.

 

 Pink-barred Sallow

Underside through a container

Mixenden Reservoir

Just 1 Speckled Wood this morning but a lot cooler and breezy.

Update - Speckled Wood at home along with a Large White this afternoon

Hag Lane and Pepper Hill

Above the Shibden Valley this afternoon on the track behind the ski-slope.
1 Red Admiral
4 Speckled Woods (around the holly bushes)

Lee Mount - 6th September

A 'first' for here this morning.

 Turnip Moth (20mm wing length)

Also
Heath Rustic x 1
Lesser Yellow Underwing x 1
Silver Y x 1
Lesser B-b Yellow Underwing x 1
Large Yellow Underwing x 7
Copper Underwing agg x 2
Svensson's Copper Underwing x 2

Fly Flatts

This afternoon along the top road.
3 Green-veined Whites
2 Small Tortoiseshell
2 Red Admirals
1 Small Heath

Sent from my iPhone

Luddenden Dean

We walked both sides of the valley, around 3 hrs, from Jerusalem Farm to Castle Carr Lower Lodge and return this morning. Still a few butterfly's about in the warmth of hazy sunshine
30+ Speckled Wood seen throughout the Dean but the remainder were mainly thanks to a few Buddleia bushes in the gardens
3 Red Admirals
4 Small Tortoiseshell
2 Large White
15+ Small White but no Green-veined to confirm.

Also 2/3 Vapourer Moths suspected as fly-by but not confirmed unfortunately. They are tricky 'so and so's' in flight !!

Lee Mount 4th September querie !

Any thoughts on this moth from this morning ?

Thought at first it was a Shuttle-shaped Dart with the wings folded though it looked longer and darker but I don't think it's that now and I've not seen either of the other possibilities which could be (Heart and Club or Dark Sword-grass) ??? Wing length similar to L Y Underwing.

Turnip Moth

Mixenden and Hunter Hill

This afternoon 10 Speckled Wood butterfly's along the west side of Mixenden Reservoir.

1 Small Tortoiseshell on Hunter Hill.

Also on Hunter Hill I found 2 Fox Moth caterpillars, one footpath casualty and another seemed to be feeding on grass on the short turf.
I also found one moth along a hawthorn hedge by Ogden golf course which I'm pretty sure must be a Rhomboid Tortrix - Acleris rhombana. Photo not that good as it was taken on the phone !

 Rhomboid Tortrix

 

Fox Moth caterpillar

I understand care has to be taken at some stages of the instars as confusion can arise with Oak Egger caterpillars. I'm pretty sure this is Fox Moth but have never seen or found Oak Egger cat's for comparison. Has anyone else ?



Lee Mount

This morning - 2 immaculate looking Autumnal Rustics probably freshly emerged showing a pink tinge on the upper and on the underside.


Sent from my iPhone

 Autumnal Rustic's

September Butterflies

Off to a good start with 6 species so far. Red Admirals and Speckled Woods are about in good numbers as are Large and Small Whites , A Comma in a light trap at Luddenden Foot was a surprise and 1 Peacock at Fly flatts.

Small Autumnal Moth

Another great moth from Luddenden Village. The Epririta moths are impossible to separate without dissection but this early flier is undoubtedly this species .Thanks Martyn
Rosy Rustic seen on Soil Hill last week thanks Nigel Kerwin..

Vapourer

I was pleased to finally pin one of these down on the moor , I have seen a few in recent years but just fly by's and was never confident to claim them in flight..????!!!!!! I am now sure they are quite regular on the moors edge in Calderdale..Love the small antennae of this moth

Shroggs landfill etc

8+ Speckled Wood butterfly's along the tree lines this morning along with a Silver Y.

Flounced Rustic in the trap this morning along with the usuals.

Sent from my iPhone

Stainland.

It was a warm, still night last night, it brought several moths. There must be a lot more flying about in the garden that I never see.

4 x Blastobasis adustella.
1 x  Agriphila tristella.
1 x Double Striped Pug.
1 x Small Phoenix (TBC).

The last in the list above is very worn, I belive it to be a Small Phoenix. As always, I shall be delighted to be disabused on that.

My thanks to Charlie and Andy for correcting my IDs below. I've updated the name of the moths.

Blastobasis adustella.

Agriphila tristella.

Double Striped Pug.

Common Marbled Carpet.

VC63 Garden Moths 01 & 02 September 2018

Sat 01 September 2018

Weather Warm 16-17 o  Humidity Low . Still Preceding days warm with sunshine

MV120

Other Entomology  Large numbers of Het , Caddis and Cranefly


73.325 BF2092    Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta  x3

73.107 BF2300    Old Lady Mormo maura     x5

49.039 BF0998    Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

41.002 BF0873    Blastobasis adustella

73.342 BF2107    Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba  x15
49.062 BF1036    Maple Nutton Acleris forsskaleana

63.018 BF1378    Elder Pearl Anania coronata
73.015 BF2441    Silver Y Autographa gamma

73.107 BF2300    Old Lady Mormo maur





73.325 BF2092    Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta





49.039 BF0998    Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana





Sun  02 September 2018

73.107 BF2300    Old Lady Mormo maura     x3
73.342 BF2107    Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba  x26
73.113 BF2306    Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa  x1

49.039 BF0998    Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x28

September Butterflies

Had a few Red Admirals , Speckled Woods , Small and Large Whites today , any more September records please leave a message below....

Stainland.

Two moths today. The first one, I'm not 100% sure of, but think it is a Dark Arches. If so, it's another first for me.

 Dark Arches. TBC.

The second one is, as far as I can tell, a Common Plume. I've photographed several of these over the last four years. None of them have had the red/brown patches on legs and wings. I know they can vary in marking or colouration, so I've settled on that. 

Common Plume. TBC

Common Plume. (TBC) Detail

showing the red patches.

Lee Mount - 1st September

Centre-barred Sallow this morning but not a lot else the last few nights other than Large Yellow and Lesser Yellow Underwings, Copper Underwing aggs, and Square-spot Rustics.

Painted Lady and Red Admiral yesterday on the Buddleia but the bush is fading now though the Sedum is coming into flower.

Sent from my iPhone

Moth trapping

Moth trapping tonight at Cromwell bottom ....light on from 9.30..............all welcome