Stainland. 19th and 23rd October 2021.

I forgot to post the caterpillar below, from the 19th. October.

It looks a little like a brown Angle Shades cat, it was 4. 5 cm long. Every time I looked at it, over a 15 hour period, it had moved a little. Then it was gone. It's "face" seems odd, flat, or truncated. Along with the off-white patch on the top of it's head and the strange "crease" along its side, suggest it isn't an Angle Shades. It's not in my butterfly book, so must be a moth. Note the brownish bands on it.

I have NO idea what it is. ID please.

Santa is bringing me the "Field Guide to the Caterpillars of Great Britain and Ireland".  Next year it should be a lot eaiser for me to ID caterpillars.

ID please.(I'ts head is on the right).

Detail showing off white patch.

23rd October.

In spite of the rain and wind, two moths arrived during the night. A Silver Y and what I think may be Spruce Moth. If so, it will be yet another first for me, I've been doing well with firsts this year. My second options as a Common Marbled Carpet but I've not seen one in this colour configuration. Not that that means it might not be one. Could someone ID it for certain please?

Silver Y

Spruce Carpet TBC

 LUDDENDEN 

It's been a good October so far in Luddenden with the best ever year for Autumnal Green Carpet, November Moths and Merveille du Jour (5 so far this year - only 2 previous here), also another new species here this Grey-shoulder Knot last night

Grey-shoulder Knot

November Moth agg

Moth night 23rd

 Start about 6.30pm, usual clothing for weather, just need wind to settle.

BArkisland

 Some more great moths from Anthony Arak..

CAlderdale Moths and Butterflies Update

 I am starting to re -write and update ( the last 3 years have been exceptional) the Local Moth report..

If anyone has anything they would like to put in it , drawings , story's , new ideas , things that should be taken out  etc .please email me ..I am hoping it will be finished by March 2022..Thanks

Clock face Quarry

 

Many thanks to Anthony Arak for this information

Sugaring at Clock face Quarry

Brick x 16

Chestnut x 14

Dark Chestnut x 1

Red-line Quaker x 2 

Red Sword-grass x 1

Dark Sword grass x 1

Pearly Underwing x 1

I was running a Robinson trap with portable generator but the catch was extremely low:

Streak x 1

November Moth agg x 1

Rosy Rustic x 1

Yellow-line Quaker x 2

Lee Mount

 Last few days - not  a lot......but enough to keep me going !

Brick x 1

Yellow-line Quaker x 1

Red-line Quaker x 2

Ypsolopha sequella x 1

Silver Y x 2

Red-green Carpet x 1

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 2

Common Marbled Carpet x 2

November Moth agg x 4

Stainland.

 14th October2021 

Post ammened 16th October 2021, Thanks for the ID Andy.

Two moths, one needing an ID please. I'm not going into this but in the last two days, I've had less than six hours sleep in total, it's not good for a chap my age. I'm really struggling to keep going, so please be patient with me.  

1 x Beautiful Plume

1 x Micro Garden Rose Tortrix

 

Beautiful Plume

Garden Rose Tortrix.

October so far

 An excellent week at Northowram has seen 31 species  and 305 moth, which in October is unheard of up here..Highlights have been Dark Sword Grass , Rusty Dot Pearl , Streak Red and Yellow line Quakers , Black Rustic , Autumn Green and Red Green Carpets , Barred Sallow and more Common Marbled Carpets that in August..!!

October ...Flame Shoulders

 If any bodys traps a flame shoulder in the next few days , keep hold of it as it could be the very rare Radfords Flame Shoulder...,,,

Cold Edge dams

This small-ish dragonfly was about this afternoon in the sunshine by the small plantation below the lower dam. Suspect it's female Black Darter (?) though I couldn't get a decent shot of the head / thorax.

Couldn't find any butterflies today !

Lee Mount - 10th October

 Nothing much new this morning at all with mostly left-overs still hanging on from yesterday. A Red-line Quaker was nice as I don't seem to get many here.

The Merveille du Jour from yesterday looked ready to move off and I just managed to get this one head on before it went off high.

Norland Moor

Anthony ran two traps there on Friday night. A good variety moths showed including Red Sword-grass, 2 Autumn Green Carpets, 2 Spruce Carpets and these:

Brindled Ochre

Caloptilia betulicola

Red-line Quaker

Black Rustic and the Streak below

Lee Mount 8th / 9th October

 Milder nights this week has produced - better than for a while..

Common Marbled Carpet x 6 orange blaze and x 4 dark ones

Tachystola acroxantha x 4

Red-green Carpet x 1

Black Rustic x 1 

Copper Underwing agg x 1

November Moth agg x 8

Autumn Green Carpet x 1

Merveille du Jour x 1

Blastobasis adustella x 1

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 1

Light-brown Apple Moth x 5

Autumn Green Carpet

Merveille du Jour

Stainland.

 A disapointing night, inspite of it being a warmer one. 

2 x Light-brown Apple

The Yellow-line Quaker, which arrived three days ago, is still here.

 

Lee Mount - 7th October

Slight improvement this morning ....

Light-brown Apple-moth x 3

Common Marbled Carpet x 6 (all looking pretty worn by now)

Tachystola acroxantha x 1

November Moth agg x 3

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 2

Ypsolopha sequella x 3

Autumn Green Carpet x 1 (it was off before I got a photo - might be back again tonight !)

Blair's Shoulder-knot x 2

Ypsolopha sequella

 LUDDENDEN AUTUMN MOTHS

It's been a funny year for Moths with things being pretty quite all summer with Moth numbers down everywhere even when conditions seemed right. However I've done alright here in Luddenden with a decent number of Moths in September into October including my best year ever for Black Rustic and my first ever Vapourer in Luddenden

these are the highlights

Vapourer 15th September 

Lunar Underwing another good year

Merveille du Jour - 6th October one of two this October

Autumn Green Carpet - 3 so far this autumn

November Moth agg - 6 so far

Dark Sword Grass - 6th October - first record at Luddenden

Lee Mount and Wainstalls

Ahhh - some sunshine today............

Small Tortoiseshell x 2 on the Sedum and Verbena bonariensis late morning but I could only get the one in focus as I was trying to get them together but that didn't work out !

Wainstalls and Castle Carr Road area this afternoon - and the sun was still shining with a light breeze.

Red Admiral x 2

Comma x 1

Peacock x 1

Small Tortoiseshell x 1

Nothing at all doing with the moths the last few nights though the light is on tonight - here's hoping !

Stainland.

 Two more moths today.

1 x Silver Y (Seeing this made me remeber that I had a silver Y a short while ago. I forgot to post it. For the sake of completion, the first Silver Y was on the 6th of September.)

1 x Yellow-line Quaker TBC (If correct, this is yet another first this year, I'm doing well with firsts.)

Silver Y

Yellow-line Quaker TBC

Stainland.

 Three moths today, one is a first for me. It's quite worn but I think I got the ID right.

1 x Light Brown Apple

1 x November agg. (I'd never seen one before I found the one on 30 Sept. Now I've seen two. Moths are like bananas, they come in bunches, at least for me)

1 x Lunar Underwing TBC. (I can't see the crescent that books mention)

ID Lunar Underwing ID needed

Lee Mount - the best of the week !

 Not a lot to shout about with the weather as it's been - wet most nights and much cooler too.

25th September

Large Yellow Underwing x 1, Red-green Carpet x 1, Light-brown Apple-moth x 10, 

Copper Underwing agg x 5,  and below - Acleris emargana x 1.

28th September

Red-green Carpet x 2, Large Yellow Underwing x 1

This morning - 2nd October

Common Marbled Carpet x 1

Pink-barred Sallow x 1 (looking just a bit faded)

The only butterflies this week, various sites, has been 6 Red Admiral and 7 Speckled Woods

Stainland.

A moth flew into our hall today, it must have been on the door and I disturbed it. It settled on the carpet with wings open, I rushed to get a camera. It was an Angle Shades. I have never seen one with its wings open. I felt privileged and very lucky.  It's a little worn, but I'm not complaining!

Angle Shades

 

Stainland,

I was very surprised to find a moth on the fanlight this morning. It wasn't there at 1am but was at 7am. Last night was wet, windy and cold, what a hardy little thing. It's a November moth (TBC).

The books say that it's hard to tell the difference between that and two other species. Photos of the other two that I looked at, look nothing like the specimen below. Please correct me if I got this wrong.

November moth TBC

Stainland.

1 x Common Marbled Carpet - Orange Blaise (I don't think I've seen one in good condition this season, not the orange one anyway.)

1 x Red-Green Carpet (It seems quite fresh, with nice colouration)

Common Marbled Carpet - Orange Blaise

 

Red-Green Carpet

 

There I was at the end of August, thinking the seaon was drawing to a close. I saw the last of the Marbled Beauties here anyway. Obviously the lull in sightings was just poor weather.

Stainland.

 This post is a day ate, it's the record from the 27th. September.

 1 x Feathered Ranunculus (Still here from 26th Sept.) 

1 x Common Marbled Carpet  TBC (It's very damaged, I don't know how it can fly poor thing. I'm not sure that I have the right ID.)

 Common Marbled Carpet  TBC

Stainland.

 26 Sept. 2021.

1 x red-green Carpet (No photo)

1 x Feathered Ranunculus (In much better condition than the one I posted on the 16 Sept. this year)

Feathered Ranunculus

 

Lee Mount - 24th September

 Still pretty quiet here but at least one or two of interest this morning.

One each of.............

Pale Mottled Willow 

Common Marbled Carpet x 4

Lesser Yellow Underwing 

Silver Y 

Snout 

Ypsolopha parenthesella 

Pale Mottled Willow

Snout

Also a surprise just now when I disturbed  what I'm sure was a Vapourer on the side of the garage / pyrecantha. Despite the drizzle it flew around for half a minute and disappeared into the trees at the back of the house.

Stainland.

 It hardly seem worth reporting, however:

1 x Garden Carpet on the door.

Charlestown Road

Red Admiral 4,  Small Tortoiseshell 3,  Peacock 1

Stainland.

19th of September.

1 x LBA

1 x Snout

1 x Common Marbled Carpet - Orange Blaise

1 x Pink Barred Sallow (It looks very fresh, no signs of wear. It's nice to see, after all the worn, faded moths I've had of late).

Pink Barred Sallow

Butterfly Records

 Hi All ,

            Has anyone recorded Meadow Brown , Ringlet or Gatekeeper  in September...

White - letter Hairstreak in  August

LArge and Small Skipper last dates .??

Thanks 

Stainland. Back-dated post...16 SEpt 2021.

 Edited 20 Sept 2021, to give correct name for Feathered Ranunculus, Thanks Andy.

 

 I discovered that I had forgotton to include the entry for 16th Sept 2021, so here it is.

16 Sept 2021
1 x Garden Carpet
1 x Common Marbled Carpet - Orange blaise
1 x Feathered Ranunculus

Feathered Ranunculus

New Bank

 Red Admiral 1