7th July

Map-winged Swift

Swallow-tailed Moth

Beautiful Golden Y

Common Footman

True Lover’s Knot

Buff Arches

Elephant Hawkmoth

61 moths of 30 species in the garden trap on my first night back home from Uni Fan foot, Small fan foot, Brimstone 2, The flame 4, Riband wave, Garden grass veneer 14, Crambus pascuella, Snout, Heart and dart 2, LYU 4, True lovers knot 5, Garden Pebble, Marbled minor 3, Purple clay, Dusky Brocade 3, Smoky wainscot, Beautiful Golden Y, Clouded bordered brindle 2, Marbled orchard tortrix, Brindled Pug, Opostega salaciella, Bryotropha affinis, Map-winged swift, Eudonia lacustrata 2, Common footman, Elephant hawkmoth, Buff Arches, Swallow-tailed Moth, Barred fruit tree tortrix, Double-striped Pug,

Drinker

 A very smart Drinker in Todmorden last night...Thanks AArak and Cath Baker....Also  a Dark Green Fritillary at Cromwell Bottom this morning. and a White letter Hairstreak yesterday at Hebden

Lee Mount 8th July etc....

 This morning in the trap a new one.

Thought at first it was a Hebrew Character by the central mark but on closer checks think it must be Double-Square-spot - a new one for here.

Also rans...

Clouded Silver x 1

Marbled Beauty x 3

Lozotaenia forsterana x 1

Bronze Fruit-tree Tortrix

Bryotropha terrella (maybe) ? (TBC)

Bryotropha terrella (maybe) ? (TBC) 

Had  a few of these lately but still unsure of identification !

Clouded Silver

From last night

Silver Y x 1

Blastobasis adustella

Also from yesterday -several Chimney Sweepers found on Castle Carr Road near Wainstalls and later in the day in Crimsworth Dean alongside the road near Grain Water Bridge.

Stainland.

One moth to report today (3am).  A Diamond-Back. I had to use a telephoto lens and 400 ISO, hence the digital noise.

Diamond-Back

Stainland.

Another first for me this morning. It's one of those "common" ones, so common I've never seen one before. I don't get many Swift moths at all. This one's a female Gost Moth. I thought it was very nicely marked, if battle scarred. However, as the female often flies directly at a male in the lekking display and both fall to the ground, I'm not surprised. I laughed when I read that part, it's very like some of the women in our village, cave woman style. :-)

Appart from 4 Marbled beauties who've taken up a squat here, I had:

1 x Light Brown Apple

1 x Garden carpet.

Ghost Moth (Female)

Stainland.

Just before bedtime, on the 5th July, I looked to see if there were any moths by the door. There were four Marbled Beautie,s left from the five I had the night before. As I was focusing the camera, it began to rain. Two more Marbled Beauties and one snout arrived. Hiding from the rain I suppose, lucky timing for me. There were two Blastobasis lacticollela as well. As the year moves on, I suppose I shall get more Blastobasis sp. (Both Blastobasis lacticollela and Blastobasis adustella). I ususally have more of the latter arriving first, I've not seen one. They seem to be late this year, the poor weather perhaps? I'm hoping they are not another climate change casualty.

So: 

6 x Marbled Beauties

2 x Blastobasis lacticollela 

1 x Snout

Snout

 

 

 

 

Lee Mount - 5th July

I managed to get the trap on for an hour just before dark. With heavy overnight rain forecast, it started here around 11 pm so knocked the light off.

Just two moths

Green Carpet x 1 (only six records here since 2015 so this one was a bonus)

Common Pug x 1

Green Carpet

Also yesterday afternoon, after heavy rain all morning, we went along the canal between Luddenden Foot and Brearley in the sunshine !

Meadow Brown x 20+

Small Tortoiseshell x 10+

Ringlet x 1

Lee Mount - 3rd and 4th July

 Not a lot out of the ordinary

Common White Wave x 1

Common Wave x 1

Brimstone Moth x 2

Rustic Shoulder-knot x 1

Dusky Brocade x 1

Green Pug x 1

Heart and Dart x 1

Green Oak Tortrix x 1

Flame x 1

Large Yellow Underwing x 1

Uncertain x 1

The best was this Mottled Beauty

Stainland. 2nd to 4th July 2021.

This is a catch up post for 2nd & 4th July. I've been too busy to post until now. Ah, the joys of being a house owner. There were no moths on the 3rd.

2nd July:  A busy night, 10 moths.

5 x Marbled Beauties

2 x Brimstone moths

1 x Small Magpie

1 x White Shouldered House moth

1 x Angle Shades Caterpillar TBC (See below)

I thought this was an Angle Shades cat at first, now I'm not sure. Can anyone help with an ID please?

Angle Shades Caterpillar TBC

 

 

 4th July.

5 x Marbled Beauties again. A range is sizes this time. They seem to be gregarious, I often get groups of them each year,

 

1 x Brimstone moth

1x  Garden Carpet

Lee Mount

Varied Coronet last night (2nd July). 

It spent at least an hour around  one of their host plants, Sweet Williams. Not sure if it was a female dropping eggs ?

Pleased I planted some last autumn though I bought them as Wallflowers and realised when I got home they were Sweet Williams. Doh !!!

When I first spotted it buzzing around, just after dark, it looked like a small Silver Y type flight. It was there again last night 3rd July. One of my favourite moths.

Varied Coronet

A few about now

Lots of Chimmney Sweeper moths on just about every road verge and bridleway up here at the moment, a very common species again thankfully.

Most closed up fresh Foxglove flowers contain Foxglove Pug Larvae at the moment

Lots of mines of Mompha raschkiella on most patches of Rosebay Willowherb now

Spotted the first narrow Bordered Five Spot Burnett on 1st July some still on the pupal case

I have to admit I enjoy going out into the field to find moths far more satisfying than running an MV light. I run mine in the garden around once every seven days simply to add to the local records for the area but its not my fav method of recording. I think when you start out its great as you see all the moths that even though they may be common you have only seen in books, but once you have seen several thousand LYW or Common Quaker the thrill wears off :)

I have a Robinson 125 Watt MV which I am will to loan to anyone who does not have a trap and wants to trap their local area. Obviously I would like the trap back every 7/10 days to trap up here but if anyone wants to borrow it feel free to contact me for the address to collect it from

Shark ?

I found this in the trap yesterday and to be honest although I know its one of the Cucullliinae I am not sure which. My initial thoughts were The Shark but then it also has features of several others of this family which is a family I have no experience of so before I record it I seek advice from someone more experienced with this family. The moth is retained in the fridge if needed to check.

Lee Mount (micro's)

 Three here that took some puzzling over if anyone can double check, appreciated.

Argyresthia brockeella (28th June)

Ash Bud Moth - Prays fraxinella (30th June)

Elachista argentella (14th June)

Lee Mount - 1st July

Slight improvement last couple of days.

This morning.

Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix x 1

Common Footman x 1

Chrysoteuchia culmella x 2

Peppered Moth x 1

Elephant Hawkmoth x 1

Garden Carpet x 1

Bordered White x 1

Marbled Minor agg x 1

Purple Clay x 1

Heart and Dart x 1

Common Wave x 1

Ingrailed Clay x 1

Ingrailed Clay ? (I think - not had many of these before)

Bordered White

Elephant Hawkmoth

Peppered Moth

Yesterday - last day of June

Silver Y x 1

Flame x 1

Green Oak Tortrix x 1

Cabbage Moth x 1

Tachystola acroxantha x 4

Agriphila straminella x 2

Common Marbled Carpet x 1

Rustic Shoulder-knot x 1

Lozotaenia forsterana x 1

Ash Bud Moth x 1

Brimstone Moth x 1

Anania coronata x 1

Green Oak Tortrix

Butterflys in June..?/

 A slow year so far , but has anyone see seen Brimstone , Small Skipper , Holly or Common Blue in JUNE ....??? or any HAirstreaks..??

Any thoughts ?

One micro ?? from last night - very small - minute - 5mm 

 

Hunter Hill - 29th and North Dean/ Hollas Bridge this afternoon -30th

 Not  a lot to report on moths but will try to post later  !

We did find a Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, Red Admiral and 2 Small Tortoiseshell's in the garden yesterday. 

Also a few Ringlets on Hunter Hill and still some Small Heaths. Very few 'whites' about last few days.

This afternoon we walked down the fields from North Dean woods towards Hollas Bridge. We came across a really interesting looking field, just up from  a decent sized pond, with a good show of Meadow Brown's, and a Ringlet. 

4 Speckled Woods, 2 Ringlets, Meadow Brown and a Peacock by Hollas Bridge. 

Then we ran out of time !

Cromwell Bottom moth night

 Around 56 species were recorded including the star of the night a pristine Beautiful Hook-tip. Others photographed were White Plume Moth, Spectacle and Flame which didn't look like a Flame to me until it settled with its wings held tightly to its body.

Tawny Marbled Minor and Marbled Minors were taken for dissection.

Stainland.

The first Marbled Beauty of the year, (for me). Two days ago I was thinking that they should be arriving now July is almost here.

Marbled Beauty

Stainland.

 I was lucky enough to find a Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) - caterpillar on a wall, down Carr Hall Lane, this afternoon. It's the first I've seen and a very striking thing it is.

Comma butterfly caterpillar

Rishworth - 13th June - What a scorcher!

 A belated post from the 13th, a really good night with some scarcer moths kicking around.

Moth trap 13th June:

Marbled Minor Agg x4 [NFY]

Coxcomb Prominent x2

Clouded Border x1 [NFY]

Scorched Wing x1 [NFG and rare in Calderdale I think]

Flame Shoulder x5

Small Phoenix x1

White Ermine x1

Common Marbled Carpet x1

Rustic Shoulder Knot x1

Bright Line Brown Eye x1 [NFY]

Pale Tussock x3

Ruby Tiger x1 [NFY]

Clouded Bordered Brindle x1 [NFY]

Miller x1 [NFY]

Small Angle Shades x1 [NFY]

Marbled White Spot x6

Scalloped Hazel x1 [NFY]

Clouded Silver x1 [NFY]

Silver Ground Carpet x7

Green Silver Lines x2

Lesser Swallow Prominent x1

Silky Wainscot x1 [NFG and I think scarce in Calderdale]

Poplar Hawk Moth x1

Elephant Hawk Moth x1 [NFY]

Silky Wainscot

Scorched Wing

Cold Edge

 Just 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 1 Small Heath id'd

Stainland. 24th and 26th June.

 I've not had time to post these, so they are all in this post.There are a couple that I'm not 100% certain of.

 

24th June

2 x Brimstone moths (Anne found them in one of our shrubs at 11pm. She's getting good at this.)

1 x Garden Carpet

1 x Blastobasis lacticolella (Wakley's Dowd)

1 x Eudonia lacustrata

The two I'm unsure about are below:

The Blastobasis l. does not have folded wings, as the books suggest. Also, it's very short on markings, quite a common feature I know. I think I got this one right. (?)

Blastobasis lacticolella TBC

The second one I'm quite sure about is Eudonia lacustrata TBC. Tricky little set of moths. Again, I THINK I got the correct ID.

Eudonia lacustrata TBC

 

26th June:

1 x Small Magpie, a lovely little moth. It's quite a nice photo, so I'm posting it. 

Small Magpie

Busy weekend

 Please see above........Also Barry's moth trapping event at Cromwell sat night