VC63 Garden Moths Sun 22nd September 2019

Date       Sun 22 September 2019

Method 20 W Actinic Robinson

Weather Warm , Dry Moon Phase Third Quarter  : 49.7%

It takes around 29.5 days to move through the eight Moon phases.

ABH   73.180 BF2272    Barred Sallow Tiliacea aurago

ABH   73.190 BF2264    Yellow-line Quaker Agrochola macilenta

ABH   70.049 BF1728    Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata

ABH   73.345 BF2109    Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes

ABH   73.342 BF2107    Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba
ABH   73.113 BF2306    Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa

ABH   73.015 BF2441    Silver Y Autographa gamma
ABH   73.064 BF2299    Mouse Moth Amphipyra tragopoginis

ABH   73.190 BF2264    Yellow-line Quaker Agrochola macilenta







ABH   73.180 BF2272    Barred Sallow Tiliacea aurago







ABH   73.015 BF2441    Silver Y Autographa gamma








ABH   73.113 BF2306    Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa

To follow

Castle Carr Road

To add to Edwards sighting, we came across an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar in the middle of the road this afternoon. Definitely not a safe place to be....... so we rescued it and put it back safely away from the road in the vegetation, a small mix of nettles and marsh thistle etc, but mostly grasses. It was a bit of a surprise finding one at this elevation. It grabbed hold of the handkerchief and was very reluctant to let go !

We also found a Silver Y  fluttering around the vegetation.
Butterflies species a bit limited despite the hot sunny conditions but  not a lot of flowering plants up there.
Peacock x 2
Small White x 2
Small Tortoiseshell x 26
Red Admiral x 2

Hollas Bridge 21.09.19

Common Blue x 3

Red Admiral x 54

Comma x 6 

Painted lady x 20

Small Tortoiseshell x 30

Peacock x 5

Small White x 3

Large White x 2

Speckled Wood x 2

Small Copper x 1 (very faded)

Northowram 21.09.19

Since I put the fruit out , it attracted..5 Red Admiral , 2 Speckled Wood ,1 Comma ,1 Painted Lady and 1 Small Tortoiseshell...

Rishworth Elephabt Hawk Moth Cat Himalayan Balsam

Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar on Himalayan Balsam
Whilst clearing a patch of Balsam I found this Elephant Hawk Moth eating the Balsam.

Rishworth +An Interesting ID

Moth Trapping Night 20th September 2019
A very good night last night with some good species coming as the night progressed.

List of Species
Orange Sallow x1
Pink-Barred Sallow x3
Large Yellow Underwing x4
Common Marbled Carpet x1
Copper Underwing Agg. x1
Brown-Spot Pinion x1

                                                  Brown Spot Pinion

                                                             Orange Sallow

                                                        Id above

                                                     ID Above

Rishworth

Just found this micro moth  scurrying around on the living room window. Is anyone up for an ID? Thought it may be a Brown House Moth.HMoth.Hoffmannopheila Pseudospretella.

                                                         Underside of the moth.

                                                        ID???

Byron Edge

Butterflies flying south:-
Red admiral 7
Small white 3

Present:-
Small tortoiseshell 1
Large blue dragonfly, over 2 inches long, most likely I think to be Common hawker, though I didn't get any detail of colour pattern

Male Southern Hawker

Taken in Hebden Bridge this week by Simon Partridge ..many thanks Simon

Cold Edge

I found  2 Black darters today near the top dam (Haighcote) also this one near the lower dam. Wonder if this is a female - not sure ?

I think the extra wing spots in the bright sunlight are from the shadow.

A decent show of butterflies in that area today but generally only where there were some flowers the exception being a few Red Admirals just flying through >W.
Painted Lady x 5
Small Copper x 5
Red Admiral x 11
Peacock x 10
Small Tortoiseshell x 25
Green-veined White x 1
Small White x 1

Antler Moth x 1

Common Hawker x 1
Common Blue Damselfly (I think - only saw it in flight)  x 1
Black Darter x 3 (?)

Hollas Bridge

There were butterflies all over the place yesterday ...
Common Blue x 2
Small Copper x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 38
Red Admiral x 43
Painted Lady x 22
Comma x 5
Peacock x 3
Speckled Wood x 4
Small White x 5
Large White x 2

Rishworth

Saturday 14th September 2019 Moth Trapping Session
Sorry about the post being a little late. Anyway a couple of ID's for the ID experts.

List of Species
Large Yellow Underwing x23
Lesser Yellow Underwing x6
Copper Underwing x8
Angle Striped Sallow  ( NOt Fully Sure)x4
Something Y x1

                                            Everyone sure for Angle-Striped Sallow? Above

                                                One of the  Many copper underwings. Above

                                               ID Y above

Lesser Yellow Underwing

2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes ABH 73.345

Two Specimens ( yellow hind wing seen )

Variable in Form see British Leps

+ There is a  variety known as sagittifer with strong dark cross lines below the anterior stigma  which is a Scilly Isles variant one is recorded on Yorks Moths  

 http://www.yorkshiremoths.info/portal/p/Summary/s/Noctua%20comes

A Couple of Leafminers

The leaf mining season's now in full swing but it's getting pretty difficult to find anything new these days. So, I was well pleased finding this one on Saturday during the Scientific Society walk around Cromwell Bottom. It's Small Alder Midget (Phyllonorycter stettinensis) in Common Alder. It's the only Phyllo that mines the upperside of Alder and you can just make out the central crease in this rather contorted example.

Below is the underside of the mine.

On the Sunday walk by the HSS to Manor Heath park we looked at ferns and I was pleased to find a new foodplant, to myself, for the Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora). The mines were only visible on the upperside but the sporangia covered, brown cases were all located on the underside. Five are shown here on Western Polypody which interestingly is not one of the foodplants shown on the UK leaf mine site - maybe it's a new discovery. I'll find out. Although this leaf contained one larva it won't need rearing through as two adult moths were also seen flying around the ferns.

Lee Mount - 15th - 17th September

It's been a quiet few moth nights recently - though plenty butterflies during the day !

15th
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x 1
Black Rustic x 1

17th
Common Marbled Carpet x 1
Lunar Underwing x 1 (only the 4th record for here)
Brown-spot Pinion x 1 ( only the 3rd record for here)

 Lunar Underwing

Brown-spot Pinion

Hollas Bridge

Went a bit early today before the sun warmed things up -
Red Admiral x 4
Painted LAdy x 4
Speckled Wood x 3
Small Tortoiseshell x 2
Peacock x 1
Comma x 1
Small White x 3

Also a stunning Migrant Hawker catching small insects...

Byron Edge drain

Black darters mating. (Also, a weasel was seen here).

Rishworth Butterflies and Hollas Bridge Butterflies and Dragonflies

Rishworth Butterflies 14/09/2019
I had some old bananas in the garden sliced up for the butterflies. A few came along....

Painted Lady x2
Red Admiral

                                                        Red Admiral + Painted Lady

                                                                      Painted Lady
                                             
                                                Hollas Bridge 14/09/2019

                                                         Common Blue

                                                       ID Dragonfly

Byron Edge drain

Is this a Black Darter? From naked eye views only, I'd say there were about 12 of these here.

Hollas bridge

Had a walk round in the sun today with Charlie....

Common Blue x 2 (a pair in cop)
Red Admiral x 10 +
Painted Lady 10 +
Peacock x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 5
Comma x 3
Small Copper x 3
Small White x 2
Speckled Wood x 2
Large White x 1

Silver Y x 1

Coleophora Mayrella case found on red clove ??

Black  Darter x 1
Common Darter x 2

                                                                  Male Black Darter

Hairy Shieldbug x 4

Lee Mount - recent's

Still getting a few Large Yellow Underwings and Copper Underwing agg and not a lot else. Square-spot Rustic's seem to be fading now after a good show in recent weeks.

 Flounced Rustic - they are such a variable bunch !

 Green-veined White on Verbena bonariensis

Mouse Moth

Still a decent show of butterflies in the garden earlier today.....

Painted Lady x 2

Peacock x 2

Red Admiral x 4

Speckled Wood x 1

Small Tortoiseshell x 3

On Ogden golf course

Udea lutealis on Fleabane

An Immigrant and last year's Plume Moth

Spent a couple of minutes swishing the net in the garden last night, just three moths - Silver Y, Light Brown Apple Moth and this spiffing Rusty-dot Pearl - a first for me (alive anyway). It was feeding on a patch of Heleniums. Maybe it's a sign of things to come this weekend for a big influx of immigrants. Get those traps out!

I had a go at dissecting last year's "Tansy Plume" trapped at CB in August. Turns out it's a very worn and very small Beautiful/Brindled Plume. Not sure which yet but it definitely aint a Tansy Plume.

If in doubt get it dissected!