Tuesday, 12 July 2022

Stainland. Updated from 12th July.

 A couple of hours or so after I photographed the 12th of July moths, my life-long health problem surfaced again. It happens without any warning, I was out of action for a few days. 



12th July

Best day this year so far.  3:30 am, we had four swallowtails, I was amazed! List first, one or two images after.

As I was coming round, I tried to ID the moths. Over three days, I spent a lot of hours going through my moth books page by page, and looking online, repeatedly, I have been unable to get an ID for the ones below, it drove me crackers. Could someone please take a look at them and tell me what they are? Thank you

4 x Swallowtails

4 x Eudonia lacustrata

1 x Brimstone

1 x Common footman

1 x Riband Wave


4 to ID yet. One or two are very poor shots and I don't expect any luck with the ginger moth. The first looked a bit like a dark Bee moth, it has two green areas. The Ginger one has off white markings


ID needed

ID needed

ID needed

ID needed



 



Monday, 11 July 2022

Shroggs Road - reclaimed landfill

Alive with butterflies, and a few moths, in the very hot sunshine this morning. Only had time to go through a small area of this large grassland site.


Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Small Skippers abundant throughout (double checked numerous Small Skippers) !!. Only 2 Large Skippers identified, Speckled Wood x 1, Small Tortoiseshell x 2, Comma x 1, Large White x 2. Red Admiral x 2.

Moths included Shaded Broad-bar x 20, Udea lutealis x 1, Smoky Wainscot x 1 and lots of Garden Grass Veneers. Impossible to photograph as they all hid away in the tall grasses.

Sunday, 10 July 2022

Lee Mount - queries !!

 A  couple here a check on i d ...?

Pretty sure this first one from 8th July is Double Square-spot - I didn't manage a photo of under-wing to double check against possibility of Triple-spotted Clay. 

Double Square-spot

(Also I can't find reference to Triple-spotted Clay in Andy's booklet so wonder if it's ever been recorded in Calderdale)??

This one from 6th July I have down for Pine Carpet - but I'm not 100% sure what else it might be ?



Ta for any help.

Saturday, 9 July 2022

Sun 10/072022....Butterflys

 


My first  Purple Hairstreaks today with at least 4 seen in display flight , 3 White letter Hairstreak , 2 Large Skipper , 1 Small Kipper   30 Meadow Brown , 6 Ringlet , 2 Small Tortoiseshell , 3 Speckled Wood , 1 Comma , 2 Red Admiral , Large and Small Whites at Northowram , Hollas Bridge on Saturday  held 4 Small Skipper , 1 Small Heath , 3 Gatekeeper , 4 Ringlet , 20 Meadow Brown , 2 Large White , 2 Small Tortoiseshell , 2 Speckled Wood  and 1 Large Skipper 

Stainland. Catch up from 7th, 8th and 9th July.

 8 moths in total.  There are 2 new to me, both quite striking. Also, one I would like somebody to confirm, or correct my ID please.

Late arrival this afternoon 9th July (below)

7th July.

1 x Brown House Moth (Best photo I've ever manged with this one)

1 x Currant Pug (Badly worn, about 50% of it's scales have gone)

1 x Eudonia lacustrata (First this year for me)

1 x Garden Grass Veneer TBC (Poor photo with digital noise)

1 x Marbled Beauty. (The first of many this year, I hope)


Brown House Moth

Currant Pug

Eudonia lacustrata

Garden Grass Veneer TBC

Marbled Beauty

8th July

Best of the bunch and new to me.

1 x Carcina quercana  (Nice looking, a colourful little thing)

1 x  Vapourer moth caterpillar (Found in our hall, early morning. New to me, I've yet to see the moth)

Carcina quercana

Vapourer moth caterpillar


9th July

1 x Riband Wave - Non banded. (It was in a tricky place, not a great photo)


Riband Wave

Bee Moth




Friday, 8 July 2022

Cold Edge / Ovenden Moor

Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey today. 10 x 200 m sections. Weather started off well with it being hot with full sun but it clouded over and the butterflies tailed off. Probably went to hide in the long dry grasses as the wind increased  too.

Not a bad return though - 81 individuals of only six species.
7 Small Skipper
13 Large Skipper
11 Small Tortoiseshell
20 Meadow Brown
20 Ringlet
10 Small Heath
Large Skipper on bramble


 
Also found a few moths including Brown Silver-lines, Beautiful Golden Y and this True Lover's Knot below nectering on brambles.

One Broad-bodied Chaser on the pond at Skirden Clough

Sunday, 3 July 2022

Stainland.

 1 x Common Footman

Thursday, 30 June 2022

Stainland.

 From 30th June.

5th June 2022.

The Small Fan-footed Wave, has been been correctly identified as a Riband Wave and duly renamed. Thanks Andy.


2 x Brimstone 

1 x Small Fan-footed Wave  Riband Wave


Brimstone

Riband Wave


White letter hairstreak

 First one out today , kept high in the top of local Elm .Next two weeks is prime time so have a look art your local Elm...

Emperor and the Moors





 Nice to find this beautiful Emperor cat  on the moors at Walsahaw Dean , also Grey Scalloped Bar , Oak Eggar and the remains of a  Wood Tiger .....and I also released the Vapourer cats that hatched the other day.I never realised how common Vapourer were on the moors , I found about 4 more newly hatched batches of Vapourer ......maybe 100 + cats in total...!!!!

Wednesday, 29 June 2022

Stainland.

 1 x Beautiful Plume moth.


Beautiful Plume

Monday, 27 June 2022

Ogden - Hebble Brook area

I thought maybe a chance of Beautiful Yellow Underwing this afternoon but that was not to be. The only moth I found was a Brown Silver-line and some Garden Grass Veneers.

Despite the breeze it was warm with lots of sunshine and plenty of butterfly's in sheltered spots down near the golf course. These included good numbers of Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Small Heaths, One each of Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell and 3 Small Whites. A few Large Skippers (mainly on brambles) but no sign of Small Skippers.

The best was this one - a nice surprise ...

Common Blue (female)


Sunday, 26 June 2022

Hummingbird Hawk

Not sure if anyone else has these yet but we have had one feeding in our Garden and Lower Burnt moor for the last two days. Its mainly feeding on Catmint (Nepeta sp) and Red Valarian. I was amazed to see it feeding on Red Valarian in strongs winds 15/20mph this morning and having no trouble in holding position whilst hovering

Hag Lane - Ploughcroft

Painted Lady - two fluttering around a dusty track together - but could only get a photo of one of them this afternoon (26th.)

Just a short walk around, pretty cloudy but very warm. with a >S F3
Ringlet x 6
Meadow Brown x 15
Yellow Shell moths x 2

Painted Lady

Yesterday the two Painted Lady's were in the same spot - hot and sunny late afternoon.
Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Small Tortoiseshells, Speckled Woods and Large Skippers x 2 on brambles.

Saturday, 25 June 2022

Light Emerald

Moorside, Ovenden 25-06-2022




Friday, 24 June 2022

Shibden Valley

 23 June: Red Admiral 1

Stainland..

 Just one Buff Ermine today.

Buff Ermine


Thursday, 23 June 2022

Stainland.

1 x Heart and Dart 

Without looking through passed records, I think this may be my first sight of one. It didn't stay long enough for a photo, but I did get a good look at it.

Wednesday, 22 June 2022

Garden Moths VC63 - Summer Solstice

 Temp Circa 12o   Still. Previous evenings cool. Blue Light Actinic

Images Here 


ABH 70.252 Peppered Moth Biston betularia (x1)

ABH 70.226 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata (x1)

ABH 73.317 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis  (12)

ABH 70.037  Clay Triple-lines Cyclophora linearia  (x1

)

ABH 73.162 Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha (x2)

ABH 73.342 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (x3)

ABH 72.019 Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea (x3)

ABH 72.024 Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa(x1)

ABH 72.045 Common Footman Eilema lurideola (x1)

ABH 73.267 Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea  (x1)

ABH  70.277 Common White Wave Cabera pusaria (x1)

+ 4 others to download



Tuesday, 21 June 2022

Monday, 20 June 2022

Stainland.

 1 x Brimstone Moth

Beacon Hill

Large Skipper 1,  Small Heath 2,  Meadow Brown 4,  Small Skipper 1,  Speckled Wood 2




Sunday, 19 June 2022

Claremount area

Took a walk along Hag Lane this afternoon leading on to Turner Lane and the hillsides above Claremount. Cool and overcast as I arrived and not much doing, but the sun came out and the temperature lifted considerably.  On the hillsides lots of fields still uncut, fantastic looking meadows. Butterflies did not disappoint, with around forty.

Small Heath x 12
Meadow Brown x 10
Speckled Wood x 6
Large Skipper x 6
Small Tortoiseshell x 2
One each of Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Green-veined White, Wall

Moths included Chimney Sweepers x 6, Small Magpie x 1 and a scattering of Nettle-taps on a number of nettle and bramble areas.

Saturday, 18 June 2022

Sunny Bank (Southowram)

 I saw 6 of these. Yellow Shell?



Friday, 17 June 2022

Lee Mount - 17th June

 Best return this year so far - 18 species - 33 moths. Still room for improvement.

Phone shot of a Gold Spot which I found on the wall later on this morning. Don't think it's a Lempke's.

Best of the others...............
Cabbage Moth, Turnip Moth, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Setaceous Hebrew Charter, Middle-barred Minor, Flame, Buff Arches and Cypress Tip Moth (Argyresthia cupressella).
Still sorting through the photos.

Also in the garden this morning - one each of Wall and Meadow Brown butterflies and a Large White.


 

Red Necked Footman



                                                         Pebble Prominent
                                                       Ruby Tiger


 Very pleased to get this cracking Red necked Footman last night , plenty other moths about , Displaying Ghost Moths in the field and 150 + moths in the trap...

This afternoon  i put out the Large Red belted Clearwing lure , checked it a few time with no luck but mid afternoon 1 Large Red belted Clearwing   was flying about the greenhouse , I could see it but was unable to get a photo..will keep trying...

Thursday, 16 June 2022

Vapourer going on.....





So I have been seeing lots of Vapourer egg batches on heather of late 20 +) and  decided I would try and rear them as ,I have never seen a Vapourer adult male flying high up on the moors , I just wanted to be sure. WHen they hatched I was away and the moved from the jam jar onto Julias house plant and started eating the leaves straight away much to Julia's disapproval. .LOL They are all safe now eating sallow and are growing fast...LOL

 

Lee Mount - 16th June

 Struggling with this first one, always do with these till I have a more time! It's so well marked, 18mm, I should know what this is !!!


Also this morning....
Small Phoenix x 1
Tachystola acroxantha x 4
Light-brown Apple-moth x 4
Heart and Dart x 1
Small Phoenix in the Yew



Lee Mount - 15th June

Still, not a lot. 
Clouded-bordered Brindle x 1
Large Yellow Underwing x 1 (first this year)
Heart and Dart x 1
Common Marbled Carpet x 1
Brimstone Moth x 1

Clouded-bordered Brindle


Broadhead Clough 13th June

 Late evening visit 'birding' mainly, but also came across .....midges in abundance..
Chimney Sweeper x 1
Yellow Shell x 1
Silver-ground Carpet x 4
A good number of pale moths in flight, unidentified but no sign of Ghost Moths, where I've had them previously, by 22:30.