Calderdale Moths , Butterflies and Dragonflies

Tuesday, 3 August 2021

Moth Breakfast at Todmorden

Had a very enjoyable Saturday morning at Gauxholme at Cath Baker's. The curry "breakfast" laid on by Anthony was great - just needed some strong lagers to go with it 😁 The best moths were the beautiful Gold Spot which was a new one for me, the understated Dot Moth which looked in perfect condition and a nice Orange Swift.

Stainland. 14th July to 3rd of Aug.

I've been suffering from shingles for over two weeks. It attacks the nerves and is incredibly painful, as you would expect. It ruins ones concentration, ability to think clearly, or understand what is being said, it saps all your energy too. It's a very nasty virus. My left shoulder, front and back, pectoral muscles and left side of my body in between, are affected. As a result, moving my left arm is very painful. This is why I have haven't posted. I have 16 days worth of moths to report. I'm recovering slowly, so will type up as many as I can before it becomes unbearable, I may have to post in 2 or three posts, depending how well I do. (Spending 3-5 minutes taking photos is one thing, stretching out to type, is another). Sorry about this.

My list starts from the 14th of July to the 3rd of August. There are a couple if moths I can't ID I have been through all my moth books 6 or 7 times now, page by page. It's been hard work in the condition I'm in. I keep falling asleep are in searching of IDs. SIGH.

14th July

2 x Brown House Moth

3 x Bee Moth

1 x Eudonia lacustrata

1 x Marbled Beauty

Common Marbled Carpet (Thanks Andy)

16th July

2 x Common Footman

6 x Marbled Beauties (3 Grey, 3 Brown)

1 x Current Pug

1 x Snout

1 x Willow Beauty

1 x Riband Wave - Non Banded

1 x Udea prunalis

17th July

1 x Common Carpet

1 x Common Marbled Carpet. - Orange blaze

1 x V Pug

1 x Eudonia lacustrata

1 x Swallowtail

18th July

2 x Willow Beauties (Both in different states of wear to the one on the 16th).

19th July

1 x Bee Moths

1 x Common Wainscot

3 x Small Magpies (I've never seen so many before)

1 x Bird Cherry Ermin

1 x Blastobasis lacticolella

2 x Marbled Beauties - Brown

1 x Straw Dot, very worn

1 x The Fan-foot

1 x V Pug - More intense colour than the one yesterday

20th July

1 x Riband Wave - Banded

1 x Eudonia lacustrata

1 x Swallowtail - Damaged wing

1 x Marbled Beauty - 1 Grey, 1 Grey and Brown

1 x Small Fan-footed Wave

1 x Brown House Moth

Marbled Minor sp. Thanks Andy.

21st July

1 x Common Footman

1 x Double Striped Pug

1 x Marbled Beauty - Brown

1 x Edonia Lacustrata - Not the one from the day before

1 x Snout - Fairly fresh by the look of it

1 x Riband Wave - More damaged the the one the day before

22nd July

2 x Swallowtails

2 x Common Footman

1 x Double Striped Pug - Fairly Fresh

1 x Edonia Lacustrata

3 x Marbled Beauties -1 Grey, 2 Grey Brown

23rd July

1 x Beautiful Plume

4 x Marbled Beauties (Assorted)

1 x Willow Beauty

1 x Common Footman

So far this has been an exceptional year for moths for me. A friend grew us some tobacco plants as moths like them, They are on both sides of the door and have masses of flowers. have to I wonder if they are responsible for all the moths. Also, I have never had multiple moths of one type before other than Marbled Beauties Eudonia and Blastobasis sp. Plus, I've had quite few new to me moths this time. All in all, a good season, hopefully with more to come.

Part two will follow...

Cold Edge 2 August

Green-veined White 44

Small Heath 1

Ringlet 3

Meadow Brown 4

Small Tortoiseshell 6

Peacock 1

Black Darter 1 male

Wednesday, 28 July 2021

Lesser Swallow Prominent - update

Below all from the same batch of eggs last year

27/04/2020 - eggs deposited by the female in an egg box

14/05/2020 - 12 caterpillars hatched (then fed on Silver Birch leaves)

16/06/2020 - they all went underground to pupate in compost

27/07/2020 - 4 adults emerged and left that evening (one more was later found dead in the garden hut)

06/05/2021 - 1 adult emerged

27/07/2021 - 1 adult emerged leaving a hole in the compost but I couldn't find it till this morning when it was resting in the window of the garden hut. Exactly the same date as the emergent's last year !

Lesser Swallow Prominent today (with window reflection)!

I still have 5 pupae in the compost - to wait and see what happens next - or are they dead - we shall see.

Comma

Andrew Sladdin reports 10+ Purple Hairstreaks on Albert Promenade yesterday must be the best place in Calderdale to see this species as you look down on the Oaks not up.... and a great picture of Comma .Thanks for the email Andrew

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Hollas Bridge full list

Cnephasia sp. Cnephasia species

Coleophora sp. Coleophora species

Argyresthia brockeella

Carcina quercana

Bryotropha affinis

Blastobasis adustella

Blastobasis lacticolella

Batrachedra praeangusta

Agapeta hamana

Pandemis cerasana Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix

Pandemis heparana Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix

Syndemis musculana

Aphelia paleana Timothy Tortrix

Tortrix viridana Green Oak Tortrix

Celypha lacunana

Orthotaenia undulana

Apotomis sauciana

Endothenia marginana

Lobesia abscisana

Eudemis profundana

Ancylis badiana

Epinotia immundana

Epinotia tenerana Nut Bud Moth

Epinotia brunnichana

Epiblema uddmanniana Bramble Shoot Moth

Epiblema foenella

Eucosma cana

Cydia nigricana Pea Moth

Cydia splendana

Cydia pomonella Codling Moth

Chrysoteuchia culmella Garden Grass-veneer

Agriphila straminella

Agriphila tristella

Scoparia ambigualis

Dipleurina lacustrata

Eudonia mercurella

Udea lutealis

Pleuroptya ruralis Mother of Pearl

Trachycera advenella

Phycita roborella

Platyptilia pallidactyla

Pterophorus pentadactyla White Plume Moth

Polyommatus icarus Common Blue

Pyronia tithonus Gatekeeper

Maniola jurtina Meadow Brown

Euthrix potatoria Drinker

Habrosyne pyritoides Buff Arches

Idaea biselata Single-dotted Wave

Idaea aversata Riband Wave

Xanthorhoe ferrugata Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet

Scotopteryx chenopodiata Shaded Broad-bar

Epirrhoe alternata Common Carpet

Camptogramma bilineata Yellow Shell

Cosmorhoe ocellata Purple Bar

Eulithis prunata Phoenix

Ecliptopera silaceata Small Phoenix

Chloroclysta truncata Common Marbled Carpet

Colostygia pectinataria Green Carpet

Hydriomena furcata July Highflyer

Perizoma affinitata Rivulet

Perizoma alchemillata Small Rivulet

Eupithecia tenuiata Slender Pug

Eupithecia pulchellata Foxglove Pug

Eupithecia absinthiata Wormwood Pug

Eupithecia subfuscata Grey Pug

Chloroclystis v-ata V-Pug

Pasiphila rectangulata Green Pug

Lomaspilis marginata Clouded Border

Opisthograptis luteolata Brimstone Moth

Selenia dentaria Early Thorn

Ourapteryx sambucaria Swallow-tailed Moth

Biston betularia Peppered Moth

Cabera pusaria Common White Wave

Cabera exanthemata Common Wave

Campaea margaritata Light Emerald

Laothoe populi Poplar Hawk-moth

Deilephila elpenor Elephant Hawk-moth

Deilephila porcellus Small Elephant Hawk-moth

Eilema griseola Dingy Footman

Eilema depressa Buff Footman

Eilema lurideola Common Footman

Tyria jacobaeae Cinnabar

Agrotis exclamationis Heart and Dart

Axylia putris Flame

Ochropleura plecta Flame Shoulder

Noctua pronuba Large Yellow Underwing

Noctua comes Lesser Yellow Underwing

Noctua janthe Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Noctua interjecta Least Yellow Underwing

Lycophotia porphyrea True Lover's Knot

Diarsia mendica Ingrailed Clay

Diarsia brunnea Purple Clay

Xestia triangulum Double Square-spot

Anaplectoides prasina Green Arches

Melanchra persicariae Dot Moth

Mythimna ferrago Clay

Mythimna impura Smoky Wainscot

Mythimna pallens Common Wainscot

Acronicta aceris Sycamore

Cryphia domestica Marbled Beauty

Cosmia trapezina Dun-bar

Apamea monoglypha Dark Arches

Apamea lithoxylaea Light Arches

Oligia strigilis agg. Marbled Minor agg.

Oligia fasciuncula Middle-barred Minor

Mesoligia furuncula Cloaked Minor

Mesapamea secalis agg. Common Rustic agg.

Hoplodrina alsines Uncertain

Diachrysia chrysitis Burnished Brass

Autographa gamma Silver Y

Autographa bractea Gold Spangle

Abrostola triplasia Dark Spectacle

Abrostola tripartita Spectacle

Rivula sericealis Straw Dot

Hypena proboscidalis Snout

Herminia grisealis Small Fan-foot

Monday, 26 July 2021

Ogden & Beacon Hill

Had to do a walk around at Ogden and Beacon Hill today, plenty of sightings.

Ogden
Ringlet
Small Tortoiseshell
Small Copper
Meadow Brown
Small Skipper
Large Skipper
White-letter Hairstreak (Skirden Clough overflow)
Small Heath
Speckled Wood

Large White

Antler Moth (lots of ragwort on dam face)

Cinnabar caterpillars

Common Hawker

Lots of frogs on the paths around the reservior

Beacon Hill

Small Heath

Ringlet

Small Tortoiseshell

Large White

Meadow Brown

Speckled Wood

Gatekeeper

Comma

Hollas Bridge Friday 23 July 2021 (all photos by Charlie )

Drinker

Eudemis profundana

Gold spangle

Phycita roborella

Sycamore

Yarrow plume

Dot Moth

Lobesia abscisana

Saturday, 24 July 2021

Luddenden - this week

a lot better this last few weeks with the warmer weather

highlights have been

Buff Footman

Dingy Footman 2

Beautiful Hooktip 2

and these below

Boxtree Moth - Andy tells me this is a first for Calderdale

Double-square Spot

Rufous Miner - I thought this looked really good for RM

Friday, 23 July 2021

Butterfly Feeder

Spotted a cheap bird feeder set up in Poundstretcher and thought it would make a great addition to my sugering post set up the garden.

First two at the rotting bananas were a Comma and a Red Admiral

The post is "liberated" from a pile of fence posts left by the farmer in the field. I just added a wooden cross piece for the feeder and fastened some old denim on the post to paint on the sugar mix. The empty cross piece I will add some screws to hold wine ropes and sit back and see whcih daytime and night time vistors we get over the seasons.

Wednesday, 21 July 2021

Lee Mount - 22nd July

A decent return from last night with two new ones this morning

Common Carpet

Scalloped Oak

Cold Edge - 21st July

'Buzzing' with butterflies this afternoon.

Impossible to count the number of Ringlets, they were all over the place.

Lots of 'whites' including all three species (many unidentified to species level.)

Also a good number of Meadow Browns along with a 'smattering' of Small Tortoiseshells, Small Heaths and Small Skippers.

Also Antler Moths x 5, Silver-ground Carpet x 1 and a Cinnabar Moth as well as just a few of their caterpillars. on Ragwort.

Ringlets

Small Skipper

Ringlets with 2 Antler Moths

Lee Mount - 21st July

Not a lot new this morning though still quite a good return including singles of Uncertain, Carcina quercana, Spectacle, Common Rustic agg, Bee Moth, Muslin Footman, Dark Arches, Fan-foot, Buff Arches, Green Oak Tortrix, Marbled Orchard Tortrix, Dun-bar, Barred Straw, Angle-striped Sallow and a possible Currant Pug still for consideration

Angle-striped Sallow

Currant Pug possibility

Also ---

Small Fan-footed Wave x 2

Large Yellow Underwing x 4

Tachystola acroxantha x 4

Heart and Dart x 3

Clepsis consimilana x 3

Bird Cherry Ermine x 10

Swallow-tailed Moth x 3

Rishworth

A Muslin Footman turned up last night, I will do a full NFY/G report at some point soon after I have made sure my new blog works.

Decent moths last night, good things to come (and coming)

Tuesday, 20 July 2021

Lee Mount - 20th July

Our first Purple Hairstreak/s late afternoon fluttering around the top of the oaks. Maybe just one, possibly two at the most. Great to see buzzing about and landing on the leaves just for a brief moment, then off again.

Earlier from the overnight trap

One each - Clouded Border, Green Pug, Willow Beauty, Common Wave, Smoky Wainscot, Purple Clay, Double Square-spot, Acleris forsskaleana, Pseudargyrotoza conwagana.

Light Emerald x2

Common Rustic agg x 2

Straw Dot x 1

Plus a few others still here from the day before.!

The Campion (Sideridis rivularis)

Collecting some seedheads of Campion to sow and then plant out in the garden for next year and spotted this Campion larvae with its head stuck in seedpod scoffing the contents :)

Dark Green Fritillary update.

Still not managed a photo but is was on the wing again around 8.30 am when Sue and I took the dog for her morning hike. GR is SE 0277 2186

I have uploaded 2 shots of the location we have seen it at three times now in case anyone else wants to try and photo it

Monday, 19 July 2021

An update

I'm currently on my 3rd round of covid isolation so I thought now would be a good time to update. Okay so, I'm currently isolating for the 3rd time but I'm still finding it hard to drag myself to the PC and write trap reports, so I think it will be more efficient If I just post what is new for garden or year. Like seperating wheat from chaff.

Thanks,

Edward

Luddenden - 19th July

This afternoon

2 Gatekeepers just upstream, first field on the left after the church. (Its a shame parts of the field have been sprayed with selective weedkiller)!!

Also 3 Commas and a good show of all three 'Whites' with a few Ringlets, Meadow Browns. 3 Small Skippers kept coming back to the edges of a muddy pool.

Surprisingly, no Small Tort's or Speckled Woods !

Lee Mount - a very flighty Painted Lady yesterday afternoon on a flowering Hebe and a Comma this afternoon on the Sweet Williams

Comma

17th July - Mytholmroyd - 5th record for Yorkshire!!??

228 moths of 69 species in a crazy night in my trap

1. Phoenix
2. Scalloped Oak
3. Buff arches 3
4. Bee moth
5. Fan foot
6. Straw dot 6
7. Crambus pascuella
8. Clepsis consimilana
9. Knot grass
10. Muslin footman 2
11. Flame 5
12. Garden pebble
13. LYU 15
14. Common Footman 4
15. Eudonia lacustrata 17
16. Water veneer 4
17. Blastobasis adustella 4
18. Marbled minor 22
19. True lovers knot 18
20. Dark arches 4
21. GGV 5
22. Riband wave 8
23. Carcina quercana
24. Common rustic agg
25. Peppered 4
26. Cloaked minor 3
27. Celypha lacunana
28. Narrow winged pug
29. Bird cherry ermine 16
30. Northern Spinach
31. Eudonia truncicolella
32. Eudonia mercurella 3
33. Crambus lathoniellus
34. Large fruit tree tortrix
35. Heart and dart 2
36. Aproaerema anthyllidella 2
37. Swallow tailed 3
38. Brown house
39. Broad bordered yellow underwing
40. Lesser swallow prominent
41. Common wave 2
42. Agraphila straminella 6
43. Celypha striana
44. Purple clay 4
45. Crambus perlella 13
46. Coleophora sp 2
47. Antler 2
48. Bryotropha affinis
49. Snout
50. Green Pug 2
51. Rustic/uncertain
52. Ypsolopha ustella
53. Poplar Hawk
54. Lesser yellow underwing
55. Scarce silver lines
56. Diamondback 2
57. Blastobasis lacticolella
58. Common wainscot
59. Ingrailed clay 3
60. Scrobipalpa acuminatella
61. Epinotia ramella
62. Swammerdamia caesiella 3
63. Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
64. Bud Moth
65. Paraswammerdamia nebulella
66. Apple Fruit moth
67. Elachista albidella???
68. Ancylis achatana
69. Slender Brindle

The Elachista has 3 question marks next to it. This is because it would be a 5th record for Yorkshire, but requires dissection. However, the habitat makes it more likely than the equally rare alternatives!

Scarce silver lines

Lesser swallow prominent

Probable Elachista albidella

Dark Green Fritillary

Spotted on Kennel Lane up above the Alma Inn this morning on thistle, I am 99% certain thats what it was as I have seen them in North Wales. It kept getting buzzed by a Small Tortoiseshell so was not still long enough for a photo, will try again later and tomorrow. Do you want a GR for this Andy ?

Lee Mount - 19th July

Quite a few returners from the last few days I suspect so I have ignored them even though I moved them some distance away !

New ones

Carcina quercana x 1

True Lover's Knot x 3

Buff Arches x 1

Barred Straw x 1

Cinnabar x 1

Bee Moth x 1

Dun-bar x 1

Barred Straw

True Lover's Knot

Sunday, 18 July 2021

Lee Mount 18th July

From the overnight trap this morning.

A 'poser' has taken me (on and off all day) to try sort this first one out. Approx 10mm wing length. Couldn't be sure if it was a micro (Udea type) or a macro.

Finally got it - yippee..... and double checked it on Yorkshire Moths (which included previous photos from Andy -thanks). A first for me.

Muslin Footman - Nudaria mundana

Also (among a good number of others this morning)

Dunbar x 1 first for the year

July Highflyer x 1

Dark Dagger / Grey Dagger

Saturday, 17 July 2021

13th July - Mytholmroyd

Few days late updating here (just sorting a couple of micros from photos, but heres what I trapped on the 13th...116 of 52. Blackneck and Lempke's Gold Spot personal highlights. The gold spot caused a bit of ID debate, but more features pro Lempke's in my opinion, and forewing length only 14mm. Open to further opinions though. Full list below photos. Trapping again tonight!!

Blackneck

Lempke's Gold Spot

1. GGV 13
2. H&D 4
3. True lovers knot 9
4. Ingrailed Clay 2
5. Common footman 7
6. Peppered 6
7. Foxglove pug
8. Purple clay 2
9. Common pug
10. Eudonia lacustrata 2
11. Green arches
12. Brown House moth
13. Snout 2
14. Buff arches 3
15. LYU 6
16. Marbled minor 4
17. Dark arches 6
18. Small angle shades
19. Heart and club
20. Elderberry pearl
21. Flame 4
22. Poplar hawk
23. BLBE
24. Crambus perlella
25. Elephant
26. DS pug
27. Blackneck
28. Dusky brocade
29. Swallow tailed
30. Light arches
31. Fan foot
32. Celypha lacunana
33. Map winged Swift
34. Common Rustic agg
35. Coleophora sp
36. Cloaked minor
37. Paraswammerdamia nebulella
38. Bud Moth
39. Clepsis consimilana
40. Blastobasis lacticolella
41. Riband wave
42. Antler
43. Eudonia mercurella
44. Spilonota laricana
45. Marbled orchard tortrix
46. Celypha lacunana
47. Swammerdamia caesiella
48. Clouded bordered brindle
49. Mottled rustic
50. Phycita roborella
51. Lempke's gold spot
52. Blastobasis adustella