Lee Mount and Soil Hill - 11th July

 A micro from this morning. A new one for here.......always a good feeling !

Celypha striana

Soil Hill

Late morning circuit on the top. A bit breezy but still a good few butterflies about.

Ringlet x 44

Meadow Brown x 20

Small Heath x 2

Moths. Couldn't find any Latticed Heath today. Just one Shaded Broad-bar and loads of Garden Grass Veneers.

Stainland.

 10th July

2 x Riband Waves - Unbanded.

Slack Top moth

 Any ideas?

Moth Report ...

 Some great comments from WYES..recieved today

  I think it is a superb and very accessible account of moth diversity and abundance in Calderdale; I especially like the details on food plants & good places to see particular species. Gordon Jackson’s poem made me smile.

It must have taken a great deal of work to compile - and that is before the great number of hours of moth trapping and recording by you and the other contributors are taken into account.

 

It has now been added to the  WYES reference library?

 

Lee Mount - 10th/11th July

Last night out with a torch - 5 Silver Y's nectering on Erysimum, Valerian and Verbena. Seem to be there most evenings recently. They are very wary, as soon as I get the camera on them they scarper and come back 10 mins later !

This morning.

Sycamore x 1 

Gothic x 1

Clouded Border x 1

Dark Arches x 9

Purple Clay x 1

Riband Wave x 4

Common Rustic agg x 2

Dun-bar x 1

Heart and Dart x 2

Brimstone Moth x 1

Flame x 1

Double-striped Pug x1

etc......

Gothic

Sycamore (22mm)

Lunar Hornet Moth

 Lunar Hornet Moth to a lure supplied by AArak at Cromwell Bottom on Sunday Morning...

Shroggs Park - Lee Mount

Managed to find a single White-letter Hairstreak on flowering privet bushes in hot sunshine this afternoon. Around the same spot where a Reed Warbler was heard singing a couple of weeks ago. My visit prompted by other finds of this species in the last few days in Northowram, Savile Park and Cromwell Bottom etc. 

Also in the same area of the park this afternoon at SE084259.

Speckled Wood x 3, Red Admiral x 2, Comma x 3, Meadow Brown x 8, Ringlet x 2, Small Tortoiseshell x 2, Small Skipper x 1 and Large White x 1

Also found one day flying moth down there - a Silver Y

Stainland.

 

2 x Eudonia lacustrata (1from day before - 1 grey. 1 brown)

2 x Marbled Beauties (1from day before)

1 x Swallowtail (from day before)

Eudonia lacustrata 

 

I'm posting the Eudonia simply because it highlights the fact that, as a rule moth and caterpillars rest with their heads in a depression. They are protecting their heads of course. The photo made me wonder how they know their body dimensions. The same is true for moth's ability to find the right place to land and blend into the background. For me, "natural selections" doesn't cut it.

Stainland (Amended).

 A nice surprise for me this morning. My first Swallowtail moth, plus two other moths. The odd shape of the Swallowtail, is a perspective distortion. I took the shot from below, with a telephoto lens.

New addition to this report, see below. 4 pm Sat. 8th July.

1 x Swallowtail

1 x Marbled Beauty

1 x White Shouldered House Moth

Swallowtail

I had a late arrival to the door today.

1 x Double Striped Pug

Double Striped Pug

Luddenden this week

 It's been a lot quieter in Luddenden this week with the only notable Moths being a Double-square spot and two Engrailed on the 1st and this Scarce Footman on the 5th (thanks to Brian for helping to confirm it).

I thought I had one last year but it escaped before I could photograph it. This is another Footman that has been increasing greatly. Also Carol found this Puss Moth caterpillar in a neighbors garden.

Stainland.

 1 x Foxglove Pug - Very worn.

Foxglove Pug

I am not having a good year with moths this year. I have a feeling that it's been poor for many mothers. I hope this picks up late this year, or next year. I know a lot of creatures are dying off in large numbers but surely not to the point when I'm getting no sightings, or just one now and then. The  nights in the village have been cold, possibly it's one reason?

White - letter hairstreaks

 At least two White letter Hairstreaks yesterday at Northowram one was on Elm and one on Oak next to Elm..100's of Meadow Brown , 3 Comma , 1 Red Admiral , Small and Large Skipper , 10 + Ringlet  nd a few freshly emerged Small Tortoiseshells .

   Sycamore , Beautiful Hook Tip , Varied Coronet and about 6 Large Elephant Hawks in the moth trap..

Hardcastle Crags

Pretty breezy for butterfly's today but managed to find one spot which was quite productive. The meadow up the track from Gibson Mill has a good mix of grasses and a couple of groups of thistles so we managed a few butterfly's there. 25+ Meadow Brown, 2 Ringlets, 3 Speckled Wood, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Large Skipper and 2 Small Skippers together. 

The latter I find a bit puzzling after checking the photos.

Small Skippers (one seems to have orange tips and the other dark tips to the antenna)

I can't think Essex Skipper but that's the best I could do in the windy conditions.

Red Admiral

Also managed a couple of moths. Common Carpet in the woodland and a Dark Arches rescued from Gibson Mill cafe.

Purple Clay and a Smoky Wainscot in the trap at home this morning.

Lee Mount and Ogden - 3rd July

Little in the trap after a breezy and cool overnight temperature with one each Uncertain, Riband Wave, Common Footman and Lozotaenia forsterana. Three Dark Arches.

A Silver Y was buzzing around in the Hebble Brook area  (SE066305) in the shelter below the res'r embankment. A few butterflies though.

Meadow Brown x 25

Ringlet x 13

Large Skipper x 3

Small Skipper x 1

Stainland.

 1 x Riband Wave - Not banded.

Shibden Valley

 Yellow Shell moth sitting in the road

Beacon Hill

 Speckled Wood 1

Lee Mount - 29th May

Plenty of the recent regulars....plus 3 nice extras, new for the year

Poplar Grey, Clay and a Clouded Border

Yellow Shell at Ogden Carrs Beck / Hunter Hill in among a lot of Meadow Browns and a few each of Ringlet, Small Heath, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Speckled Wood.

Painted Lady briefly in Lee Mount and a Small White.

Shibden Valley

 Small Skipper 2 - feeding on thyme

Bank Top

 Large Skipper female

Beacon Hill

Small Heath 1

Also: Small Skipper 1, Large Skipper 1, Ringlet +, Meadow Brown +

Lee Mount - 28th June

 Just going through this mornings moths and struggled with this micro for a while !

later confirmed as Aleimma loeflingiana 1032   49.060  (Yellow Oak Button)

I can't find this species in Andy's list of Butterflies and Moths of Calderdale or in Yorkshire Moths for Calderdale.

Also a nice Blood-vein this morning but deleted the photo by mistake.

Small Ranunculus Lee Mount - 27th June

One on the door frame last night puzzling me. I can't get further than a Ranunculus so far ! Seems to have some orange blotches dotted about it...Not very big, about the size of a Lychnis ?

Shroggs reclaimed landfill

Spent just over an hour late morning doing a circuit of the large grass area. Hot sunshine in among some heavy clouds but it stayed dry. Butterfly's a-plenty with 100+ each of Meadow Brown and Ringlets, 27 Large Skippers and 3 Small Skippers, a single Comma and 2 Speckled Woods. 

Failed to find any day flying moths other than plenty Garden Grass Veneers.

Small Skipper

Large Skipper

Comma

Last week

 Had a Blood vein to the garden trap on the 20th , Comma caterpillar in the Garden and a Bufftip locally..

Lee Mount - 26th June

Not a lot this morning, Buff Ermine still from yesterday as was a Mottled Beauty.

.

This mornings selection left to right - Green Silver-lines, Flame, Buff Ermine, Heart and dart, Dark Arches and Bright-line Brown-eye.

 Luddenden 24th June 2023

It's been another decent night in Luddenden with a new species here and one not seen for years

      Sandy Carpet - first record here

                 

Figure of Eighty - first record for 8 years - two last night

Map Winged Swift 1

Green Pug 1

Riband Wave 6

Silver Ground Carpet 1

Green Carpet 5

Clouded Border 1

Sandy Carpet 1

Common Footman 3

Swallow-tailed Moth 2

Barred Red 1

Small Elephant Hawkmoth 1

Elephant Hawkmoth 1

Peppered Moth 3

Ingrailed Clay 2

Heart & Dart 1

Smoky Wainscot 4

Flame 1

LYU 1

Dark Arches 4

Shuttle-shaped Dart 1

Uncertain 1

Figure of Eighty 2

Lee Mount - 25th June

 Managed a new micro for here this morning

Crassa unitella

Also another 19 sp. including this Buff Ermine

Lee Mount - 23rd/24thJune

 Last night - 2 Silver Y's active at dusk, again around Sweet Williams and Erysimum flowers.

This morning - still not getting a lot but no matter.....

Beautiful Snout is always a bit special but it was off before I could get a clear photo of it.

Beautiful Snout

Marbled Beauty - first one for the year

Also singles - Varied Coronet, Uncertain, Clouded Silver and 3 Dark Arches etc.

Yesterday afternoon along Back Lane, Ogden - 30+ Meadow Brown, 2 Speckled Wood and 3 Small Heaths as well as 2 Silver-ground Carpets and loads of Grass Veneers.

Stainland.

23 June 202

1 x Common Footman

1 x  Marbled Beauty

1 x Garden Grass-Veneer (TBC)

1 x Unknown, needing an ID please.

I'm a little puzzled by the Veneer. I was sure of the one I posted a couple of days ago. This one, has a  metallic sheen and there is a strong contrast between the dark stripes and body colour. I photographed the Veneer I posted earlier from a very close position The one in this post, was photographed from below with a telephoto lens. I wonder if the "iridescent" look is caused by the angle. It certainly was when I photographed the Mother of Pearl last August. It just seems very dark. Could someone please check my ID?

Garden Grass-Veneer (TBC)

I've been unable to ID the next moth. I spent an hour and a half on it and have run out of time. We are going away for a week and were packing, when we discovered the 'fridge had stopped working. We rushed to town in a taxi to find a new refrigerator. We came home home to a floor full of water! So, could some kind soul please tell me what the moth below is as well?  From wing tip to wing tip, was about half an inch.Thank you.

There is an old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." It certainly sums up our last two days. I'll not trouble you with yesterdays woes. I just wish I'd stayed in bed that day.

 Needing an ID please.

Stainland.

 20th and 22nd of June.

20th June

1 x Straw Dot

1 x Agyresthia trifasciata TBC

I Struggled with the Agyresthia and I'm still not certain. It was sheltering in a tricky, place I couldn't get a side view of it Would someone be kind enough to give me a definite ID of it please?

Agyresthia trifasciata TBC

22nd June

1 x Bee Moth - Male

1 x Riband Wave - Unbanded

1 x Common Foorman

Lee Mount - Saxifrage Plume

 One from last night on Erysimum. New for here. 

Saxifrage Plume 

Lee Mount etc - 22nd June

Poor return last night 

Elephant Hawkmoth x 1

Large Yellow Underwing x 1

Cydia splendana x 1

Celypha lacunana x 1

Late on last night there was still a Varied Coronet on the Sweet Williams along with two Silver Y's and a Diamond-back Moth on Erysimum.

Varied Coronet

Late morning in Hebble Brook clough, the valley just below Ogden reservoir at SE066303. Thistles are coming out a bit now....

Meadow Brown x 30, Red Admiral x 2, Speckled Wood x 1, Large Skipper x 2, Small Heath x 9, Small Copper x 1, Large Skipper x 2, Small White x 2 along with two unidentified 'whites'.

Possible Small Skipper - but it wouldn't stay still long enough to be sure.

Shibden Valley

 Please identify this attractive moth

Beacon Hill

 1 (female) of 2 Large Skippers

20 June

 Shibden Valley: Meadow Brown 10

Lee Mount - 20th June

Sixteen species overnight but not a lot new at all.

Silver Y on the Sweet Williams last night but no sign of the recent Varied Coronets.

First Dark Arches of the year and two Large Yellow Underwings (first one was 11th June)

Riband Wave x 3 included one banded form.

Silver Y

Lee Mount update

17th June - best night so far with 20 sp including singles of Ruby Tiger, Green Oak Tortrix (4), Light Emerald, Green Carpet, Ingrailed Clay (2), Riband Wave etc. Two Varied Coronets from 15th still being seen each evening on the Sweet Williams.

18th - Clouded Silver x 1 and a Cinnabar.

19th - Shroggs Park SE083260 - Red Admiral, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood x 11 and Meadow Brown x 2

Soil Hill at SE074312 this afternoon (19th) - visit cut short with a thunderstorm threatening.

Latticed Heath x 1, Silver-ground Carpet x 1 and a good number of Grass Veneers.

Butterfly's along the hill's Ned Hill track at SE076313 - Meadow Brown x 6, Small Heath x 10, Large Skipper x 6

Rannoch Looper Luddenden 17th June

This is the second individual. Careful checking by me, Andy & Brian confirms this is the second Rannoch Looper for Calderdale. There is an influx in northern England at the moment so keep your eyes open, there could be more.

 

Stainland.

I had a nice surprise this morning. A Silver Y with its wings open was on the doorstep, it was fluttering them, getting ready for takeoff. I got one photo before it flew. I've never seen one with wings open before, so I was very pleased. (It doesn't take much!)

Also, there was a Garden Grass-veneer on the wall.

Silver Y 

Garden Grass-veneer - Chrysoteuchia culmella