Garden Moths VC63 19th April 2019

Garden Moths VC63   19th April 2019

Weather Warm 10 - Day 18 o C. Wind Still. Moon Full

Actinic 20 W

Ran trap from 9.00pm - 12.00 amVery slow but 3 species presented  one of each as follows

44.001 BF1288   Twenty-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla - FP Honeysuckle

73.249 BF2190 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica
73.242 BF2188   Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta

44.001 BF1288 Twenty-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla

73.249 BF2190   Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica.



73.242 BF2188   Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta

Brimstone

J had a very bright yellow butterfly power across the garden here in Copley. Convinced it was a brimstone.

Also had pine beauty and Hebrew character at Ogden today.

Stainland.

Anther mild night last night. It gave me one moth, a Common Plume. Charlie and I went for a stroll down Robber Dodge yesterday, We saw a Common Plume on the step of a house on the main road.

We did find one or two nice things during the day. I don't want to post anything, as I think Charlie may be doing that.

Common Plume - Emmelina monodactyla. 

Cromwell Bottom , 20th April

There will be a moth night at CB on sat night (next to cabin)  ,,temp and weather look perfect for a\ good nights moffing .Light should be on from 8.30 ..all welcome...

Lee Mount

This last week or so with the moth trap on every night. Not a lot to show for it other than a max of 4 Hebrew Characters and Common Quakers.
Clouded Drab x 1 on 8th
Early Grey x 2 again on 8th
The best return was on the 8th April with these two below

 Early Thorn

 Red-green Carpet

and this small moth below to double check, again from 8th ? Pretty sure its a Small Quaker

Male Emperor Moth on Castle Carr Road on 7th April but no photo unfortunately 

Not a lot else this week - just a few Peacocks and a similar number of Small Tortoiseshell's around and about. All being put onto IRecord.

Ogden sightings

Had a few moths at the light over the last week or so.


Hebrew character
Orange swift (I think)


Also first orange tip male butterfly this afternoon and small tortoiseshell. Spring is on the way!!!

Cromwell Bottom

Went down to Barrys Moth night last night and got a few moths to the light including a very Smart
Shoulder Stripe (top pic ) not seen one in Calderdale before..Loads of Comma , Small Tortoiseshell , Peacock and Small White about last week when the sun came out. The very distinctive Stigmella aurella mines are easy to see at the moment.

Shouldere Stipe x 1
Common Quaker x 12
Small Quaker x 1
Hebrew Character x 3
Early Thorn x 1
Red Green Carpet x 1
Early Tooth- Striped x 4
Brindled Pug x 1
Clouded Drab x 4
Agonopterix heralicana x 1

Stainland.

It was a little warmer last night, so I expected to see a moth this morning. I was not disappointed, I have two. A Common Quaker, which I first saw on the 25th of February this year.

The second is a Hebrew Character. I'm certain I had one once before. However, it is not in my 2016-2018 records. I'll have to look into my archived files and see if I am correct.

Common Quaker.

Hebrew Character.

Ground Zero of Amphibian Apocalypse.

I know the following is not really in line with the blog. However, as naturalists I imagine we are interested in most nature related things. This one is pretty serious unfortunately. It makes for grim reading.

Globally, the world has lost 501 species of amphibians due to a deadly fungus.

https://weather.com/news/news/2019-03-29-deadly-frog-fungus-wiped-out-90-species

Lee Mount - 29th March

I could do with some help with this one on the fence last night but not able to find it this morning (30th)
One of the 'Pinion's ??

One of the 'Pinion's ??
Update - Tawny Pinion

Ovenden Moor

We walked up from Ogden towards The Withens then across Ovenden Moor past the wind farm and back towards the top of Ogden.

As we got to the top end of Skirden Cough we had a male Emperor Moth fly right by us heading up towards the wind- farm. It was in a hurry but we got enough on it to be sure, but it wasn't staying around for a photo !

At the top of White Wall End, the clough from Ogden reservoir that heads towards Thornton Moor, we had several micro's flying low over the heather but couldn't get close to any until this one below, landed on a sprig of heather and I managed a couple of shots - hopefully enough for identification.
 It was less than 10mm.

I think maybe Philedonides lunana ??

On the way back down towards the main road we had 3 Peacock and 4 Small Tortoiseshells - and I think we passed Gordon ?? some short distance away just on his way up. But didn't realize it might be him until I saw his post below.

Ogden.

I was at Ogden today. I walked up to the quarry beyond Rock Hollow park. It was a more arduous walk than I had imagined,(owch!) It was worth it, I saw three Peacock Butterflies there. I suppose there will have been more, but I didn't see them.

I've been trying to get a good photo of one of these beauties for many years, they seem to be very skittish and off before I could take a shot. I'm pleased with the first photo of them I've managed to get.

I also saw two small tortoiseshell butterflies, (no photos). Like the last one I saw up there, they were feeding on the now fast-fading daffodils on Ogden Lane.

Peacock.

Little and large

I had what I'm assuming is a Golden Pygmy (Stigmella aurella) on my kitchen window yesterday. They are tiny but worth keeping an eye out for, I get indoors Nepticulids every two or three years.

At the other end of the scale I had my first butterfly of the year nectaring on Dandelion in Bankhouse wood. A suitably tatty individual.

Emperor

Had my first  Emperor flying on the moor at fly flatts today..

Lee Mount - 25th March

A cold night so not much in the trap this morning
Just checking this one out. I think it must be Brindled Pug but the white spots on the fore-wing and one on the under-wing threw me  a bit !

 Brindled Pug

Double-striped Pug I think, looked  a bit unusual with it's wings raised and not flat !

Also

Twin-spotted Quaker x 1

Hebrew Character x 3

Common Quaker x 3

Butterflies

Plenty Comma today on the river at Cromwell Bottom , I counted 6 and 1 Peacock in the sun .4 Small Tortoiseshell at  Northowram.

Lee Mount 23rd and 24th March

Quite a few moths over the weekend

 23rd March - Think this could be Mottled Grey ? though it wasn't easy to get a decent photo as when I disturbed it to get a shot it wouldn't stay still

 Think this is a melanic and a normal Brindle Pug both on 23rd March

A nice selection from some of the moths this morning including 8 Hebrew Character, 3 Common Quaker, 3 Early Grey and a Clouded Drab

Totals this morning 24th March

Hebrew Character x 10

Clouded Drab x 2

Twin-spotted Quaker x 2

Diurnea fagella x 1

Early Grey x 6

Common Plume x 1

Common Quaker x 3

Lee Mount - 22nd Feb

Not a bad start this morning
Common Plume x 1
Hebrew Character x 9
Early Grey x 4
Diurnea fagella x 2 (think that's a new one for here)?
Common Quaker x 1
Twin-Spotted Quaker x 1

No Chestnuts this morning after 3 yesterday along with a single March Moth.

Sent from my iPhone

Tansy Plume

An update from a trapping event at Cromwell Bottom on Aug. 19th last year, here:


http://cromwellbottom.blogspot.com/2018/08/moth-night-pics.html


I've contacted both Harry and Charlie Fletcher and it seems very likely that the small plume caught that night is Tansy Plume. It would be nice if we could find some Tansy nearby to key in with this record.

Bagworm success

Well kind of. On my way up to Norland yesterday I found this lichen covered tube at Hollas Lane. It's 20mm long, silk-lined and although mainly adorned in lichen there's about a 20% frass covering. I'm assuming it has to be Silver-barred Clothes Moth (Infurcitinea argentimaculella).

Much as I like the English names for micros this one's a real stinker as the larva feed on Lepraria lichens and NOT clothes!

Diurnea Fagella

2 pairs of diurnea fagella found tonight of beech trees in Only House Wood and 1 Chestnut..

18th ,,,10 male and 3 females , with 1 pair ' in cop'

Angle Shades Cat Head Only.

The Angle Shades caterpillar is still where it was. It changed it's position, so I was able to get a very nice shot of it's head. I decided to post it, as it's possible that not everyone gets the chance to see this amount of detail. You can clearly see it's eyes. On the left side it's a small black dot, on the right, it looks more of a brown colour.

Angle Shades caterpillar head.

Angle Shades Caterpillar.

First cat of the season for me, an Angle Shades Caterpillar. For some reason, since 2016, I've only seen green Angle Shades cats in the garden. I wonder what the conditions are that create brown ones (as well as green)?

There is a small brown ring with a whitish centre, near it's head. It's visible in the second image. It seems to be diagnostic, but I'm happy to be corrected.

Angle Shades Caterpillar.

Angle Shades Caterpillar.

Counters revisited.

Colin, thank you for the information. I took a look at it, unfortunately, it's not the one I was looking for. My blog has an "sum total of visitors" counter at the bottom.

It's the Day, week, month, year" counter top right of the screen  that stopped working months ago. See below.

I' get the feeling for digging about, that there isn't a way to get it working again. As Andy, said, I'll have to live with it. Still thanks for the help, I hope you are in good health.

Second Dotted Border.

Anne spotted this Dotted Border today, I'd missed it somehow. It's a different form than the one I posted nine days ago. It's always nice to have a few forms of the same moth. I'm hoping for a third form now (Greedy!)

Dotted Border

Orange Underwing

Had my first Orange Underwing today flying around by the Cabin and newt ponds ....and one Dotted Border in the evening,,,

Oak Beauties

A fantastic find by Matt Fawcett and Aziza Mills at Crimsworth Dean on Sunday, A pair of Oak Beauties 'in cop' .Also one Mottled Grey to an outside light...

Question.

Hi, I know this is not the place for this question, sorry. However, I have looked on the net for an answer and spoken to several people  but I still have no answer.

Some months ago, my blog stopped counting page hits. It stuck at 12 for months, then two weeks ago moved to 13 hits. Having had almost 50 hits on the latest post, I know the counter is broken but can't find out how to get it working. Does anyone know please? Thanks in advance.

Ogden & Copley

Had a good few moths at the light at Ogden, just working through ID, but the one below is really giving me issues - was going with Northern Dart or Nut Tree Tussock but not convinced on either, any help appreciated.

Also found this pupa in the garden, it was in the soil at the bottom of a rotting large wooden barrel/pot. As you can see it is rather large (1.5 inches at least). Any ideas what it might be or what to do with it. At the moment it is under some soil in a bucket in my garage. Really would like to know that this is.

Shibden

This afternoon

 Herald

This Small Tortoiseshell (I think) must be well dead as it seemed to be covered in some sort of fungus growth 

Lee Mount

Some from earlier this week...and an i d check !

 Common Quakers with a Small Quaker

 Dotted Border - melanic form but this one still shows the 'dots'

Ypsolopha ustella 

Grey Shoulder Knot.

Just one this morning, a Grey Shoulder knot. As it's the 1st of March, I'm hoping this will be a good sign of plenty moths this year. Nonsense I know, but one can hope.

Grey Shoulder Knot.

28.02.19

Only House Wood

Diurnea Fagella x 2

Cromwell Bottom ...sugared tree

Satellite x 20
Chestnut x 1

Lee Mount - 28th Feb

An interesting catch this morning
Common Quaker x 1
Chestnut x 2
Common Plume x 1
March Moth x 3
Twin-spotted Quaker x 1
Hebrew Character x 1
Dotted Border x 1
Satellite x 1

Twin-spotted Quaker

Not too good a photo - it seemed reluctant to come out of the egg-box so I left it under the shrubbery and it soon disappeared !

Another Phyllo...........

Seem to have been photographing these for ever......


This one's London Midget (Phyllonorycter platani), it emerged this morning from a mine found on London Plane at Spring Hall sports ground last autumn. They appear to be spreading in Calderdale.

Lee Mount - 26th and 27th February

Still up to 4 March Moths about this last few days. Might get around to posting some photo's when I get round to it !!

26th
Common Quaker x 4
Small Quaker x 1
Dotted Border x 1
Agonopterix heracliana x 1
Common Plume x 1

This morning - 27th
Common Quaker x 4
Chestnut x 1
March Moth x 2
Dotted Border x 1
Agonopterix heracliana x 1

Crimsworth Dean

Just 2 Small Tortoiseshells in the dean today though we were on the look-out for more !

Moth Trap Intruders

This might interest all you moth trappers out there. You'll have to join the group to see all the posts, comments etc.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/119091688719071/

Ogden Lane.

My first butterfly of the season; a small tortoiseshell was nectering on a daffodil on Ogden lane. The only butterfly I saw all day.

Only House Wood

Dotted Border x 4
Dotted Border melanic x 3
Dotted Border female x 1
Diurnea fagell x 1
Agonopterix Her x 1

An hour in the wood with torch and net

Ogden Water light

A few moths on the light today at Ogden Water.

1x March moth
1x Dotted border
2x Mottled grey

Also one butterfly taking its life in its wings as it fluttered across the A629 - looked like a red admiral but could not get a clear look.

Garden Moths 25th February 2019

Clear Sky. Temps low . Cooling towards 3-4 o

UV 20W


Two this evening

73.244 BF2187    Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi

70.245 BF1663    March Moth Alsophila aescularia

Lee Mount - 24th February

March Moth x 4
Dotted Border x 1
Tortricodes alternella x 2
Satellite x 1
Common Quaker 3
Agonopterix heracliana x 2
Brindled Pug x 1 - well i'm pretty sure that's what it is - pugs, they are always a challenge but time of year seems right.

Brindled Pug

Butterflys 2019

February 2019 so far...
Brimstone
Painted Lady
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Comma
Red Admiral......