Lee Mount

Last few days - not a great deal doing other than a continuing stream of Large yellow Underwings and afew Lesser Yellow Underwings, Mouse Moths, Square-spot Rustics etc and last night Copper Underwing agg x 8.

At dusk there has been 2 Silver Y's nectering on Verbena but they 'leg it' as soon as I get the camera on them. They don't seem to come when it's totally dark either.

Otherwise the best of the bunch has been these four........

Purple Bar

Acleris emargana

 

Buff Footman - only 5th record for here

Stenolechia gemmella

New Bank

Painted Lady 1,  Red Admiral 4 

Red Admirals

New Bank 2,  Listers Road 1

Langfield 27 08 23

 Cooler Temperatures ,still did okay though,fresh Small Autumnal Moth,Heath Rustic,Anomalous the picks.ps thought the Small Autumnal Moth was a Grey Mountain Carpet ( a target species ) until it opened its wings,still a nice record though.

Lee Mount etc...-23rd August

 This moth is always a bit special. Just the 4th record for here.

Purple Bar

Most others 'run of the mill' this morning including Mouse Moth x 3 and one each Riband Wave, Shuttle-shapped Dart and a Willow Beauty etc.

Fewer butterfly's the last few days but  a Holly Blue still at home and on Hunter Hill this afternoon (SE058297) just two species -- Wall Brown x 3 and Green-veined Whites x 5

Wall Brown

Lee Mount - 21st August

Another Yellow-barred Brindle - certainly a different one from 17th - lovely moth.

Large Yellow Underwing still in good numbers with 38 this morning

Spectacle x 1

+ a few other bits...

Hummingbird Hawmoth paid us a visit this afternoon - they don't stay long - photo best I could do !

Still got a Holly Blue and Speckled Woods.

Spectacle

Hummingbird Hawkmoth on Verbena bonariensis

Tawny Speckled pug

 First  Tawny Speckled Pug for a while , Flounced Rustics , Campion ,Yellow barred Brindle ,  Orange Swift , first Vines Rustic of the year , and 75 LYU..........

Lee Mount - 20th August

 A scarce one for me this morning with only five previous records here and the first since Sep 2019

Rosy Rustic

Also

Mouse Moth x 1, Small Phoenix x 1 along with several other expected species and still a good turnout of 63 Large Yellow Underwing.

Holly Blue still doing the rounds this afternoon.

Hebden Bridge

 Holly Blue female 1.  Thomas and Lewington say that 2nd brood females have broad black margins on the upperwings. The first photo shows a segment of this margin.

Lee Mount and Hag Lane

Quite a day in the garden late morning into early afternoon. Not many butterflies about in the blustery wind but the sun was hot in the shelter of the tree line.

Purple Hairstreak - just the one, around and resting on a cluster of leaves for several minutes on one of the big oaks at the back. Got the bins on it several times then tried with the scope but that was hopeless not being able to find the spot among the many oak leaves - not a good idea !

1 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Large White, 2 Speckled Wood and 2 Holly Blues. The latter just seem to fly around a circuit, hardly ever landing.

Hag Lane - on the east side of the hill in the shelter from the wind on a flowering heather slope with a background of big holly's produced 2 Holly Blue, 1 Gatekeeper, 3 Small Copper, 2 Speckled Wood and a Peacock.

Not been able to find a Common Blue yet this year !

Bank Top

 Small Copper 1

Cunnery Wood

 Speckled Wood 1  (and Ladybird)

Lee Mount - 17th August

 Best of the last few days has been these two..

Pretty sure this is a Chevron though the markings are well faded

Yellow-barred Brindle (only the 3rd record for here)

Plenty of Yellow Underwings - the five usual sp.

Copper Underwings agg have also started to appear with 3 last night

News from Langfield Common ,

 Brian has been running a small trap on the Cliff face at langfield Common for the last few weeks .

Drinker x 5 , Neglected Rustic (red form below) , Tissue , Lime Speck Pug , Confused , Anomalous 20 + and a few Yellow Underwings...

Stainland.

 In spite of the rain last night, there are a few here this morning;

3 x Marbled Beauties

1 x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

1 x Brimstone (My first this year)

Stainland.

 Here are two days worth of moth reports. Life got in my way, which is why they are late.

Moth Count 10 & 11 Aug 2023 (Combined Count)

4 x Marbled Beauties

4 x Blastobasis lacustrata

5 x Blastobasis adustella

2 Light Brown Apple

1 x Small Fan-footed wave TBC

3 x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

The moth below is quite worn. I can't tell if it originally had two spots on each side, or just one spot each side. Could someone give me an ID for it please.

Small Fan-footed wave TBC

 

Also on the 11th Aug. I had a walk down Carr Hall Lane. It was quite windy, but a few butterflies risked it.

6 x Speckled Wood

5 x Small White

1 x Small Tortoiseshell

1 x Gatekeeper

1 x 1 x Large White - Pieris brassicae

1 x Small blue, spotted by Anne in the village she didn't get a good view. She wasn't able to tell which it type it was.

Cold Edge

Peacock 6

Lee Mount - 10th August

 What a haul......

These Large Yellow Underwings were what was left in the trap after I emptied the egg boxes. I was counting them as I emptied the boxes and of course many escaped. I lost count at 190 so there were in excess of 200. Never had so many of these previously. Perfect warm, muggy night. Quite overwhelming and not easy looking for other species in amongs them !

27 species in total with the best of the rest including one each of ... Six-striped Rustic, Phoenix, Small Phoenix, Yellow Shell, Willow Beauty, Common Carpet, Lesser Yellow Underwing and Small Fan-footed Wave.

Also Mouse Moth x 3, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x 3, Acrobasis advenella x 4.

Stainland.

 Not much today.

1 x Eudonia lacustrata

5  x Marbled Beauties

Cold Edge

Speckled Wood 2

Plenty Butterflies.......

Hard to keep up with them last few days

Cold Edge (Moorlands Farm - SE043304 ) overgrown garden was buzzing yesterday (7th). Despite the rather breezy day the shelter in the garden certainly improved the numbers - especially the blackberry bushes with....Large Skipper x 1, Small Skipper x 7, Ringlet x 2, Gatekeeper x 2, Small Heath x 1, Small Copper x 1, 3 sp. of 'Whites, along with M Browns, Small Torts and a Red Ad.

At home we had 10 species on Sunday 6th including 2 Holly Blue flying together. Later in the afternoon 2 Wall Browns were on the hillside walls on Hag Lane near Bradford Old Road. 

A Small Copper today was a first at home for the year and we found another Small Copper in St George's Church graveyard this morning. 

This really dark Small Skipper had me fooled for a while at The Withens this afternoon thinking maybe 'Essex' - it did have orange underside to the antenna which took some seeing in a windy spot.

Small Skipper on ragwort

Cold Edge

 Small Skipper 1

Peacock 2

Also: Green-veined White 1, Meadow Brown 1, Small Tortoiseshell 3, Red Admiral 1

Stainland.

 A little warmer and  a few moths came out.

1 x Eudonia lacustrata

1 x Marbled Beauty

1 x Small Magpie (Find of the season, so far).

Small Magpie 

Lee Mount - 7th August

Pug giving me a bit of struggle....20mm wingspan

Maybe Slender, Currant (or Wormwood but no black band on abdomen) maybe not any of these??

Golden-rod Pug  (CF)

Cold Edge

 Gatekeeper 1 male

Also, Green-veined White 2

Sunshine after the rain !

 Lots of butterflies about today

Carrs Beck and Stodfold this morning. A lot of Meadow Browns but most looking very worn now. One each Small Skipper and a Ringlet. A few Large and Small Whites though Green-veined Whites were the commoner of the three.

Lee Mount. Holly Blue x 2 flying together, Gatekeeper x 1, Red Admiral x 3, Small Tortoiseshell x 3, Meadow Brown x 1, Comma x 2, Speckled Wood x 1 along with a few Large and Small Whites

Gatekeeper - reluctant to show upper-wing

Baitings

?? Water Veneer

Also: Green-veined White 1, Small Tortoiseshell 1

 

Stainland.

 I didn't expect to find any moths this morning. However, there is one Common Footman on our door.

Stainland.

30 July 2023 Moth Count

Thanks to Andy for correcting me over the Plume moth 

4 x Marbled Beauties

1 x Privet Twist Female - Clepsis consimilana

1 x Blastobasis lacticolella

1 x White Plume moth  (Highlight of the season for me so far, it's only my second record of one.)

White Plume moth 

Stainland.

 29th July 2023

If anyone wonders why I'm 1 or 2 days behind in putting these reports here It's because I struggle with certain moths which I feel should be easy to recognise, but totally defeat me me. One moth here being the case.

3 x Marbled Beauties

2 x Willow Beauties

2 x Double Striped Pugs

1 x To ID  (It's noctuid with tufts on the back or it's head.)

Most likely a Common Rustic agg. Thanks Andy.

Cold Edge

Small Heath 3, Ringlet 1, Meadow Brown 5, Small White 5, Small Tortoiseshell 7, Peacock 1 

Lee Mount - 28th cont'd

Plenty butterfly's showing in the garden again today.Included a Purple Hairstreak - again on the damp grass but it was off as soon as I got the camera near. Third time I've seen it on the wet grass !

Holly Blue fly-past several times, Red Admiral, Comma, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Large White. Several Small Tortoiseshells and Small Whites.

 

Stainland.

27th July

A second Scalloped Oak. They are very pretty things.

Scalloped Oak

28th July

Andy supplied me with an ID for the one in the image below. I hope I understood what he said.

1 x Silver Y

1 x White shouldered House moth

1 x Unknown ID Needed

I;m not very good with ones like the following moth. Again, could some kind person ID for me please?

Satin Grass-veneer - Crambus perlella

Stainland.

 25th July 2023

1 x Scalloped Oak

1 x Scalloped Oak

It was on the doorstop as I opened it. I tried not to disturb it as I took photos. I couldn't disturb it, the poor thing was dead. It's only the second I've ever seen.

Stainland.

From 24th July 2023 

ID corrected by David. Thanks for putting me on the right track.

Ok, I feel a little silly. I've been struggling to ID the first moth below since 24 July. I can't tell you how many times I've gone through my books. However I've settled on it being a Rustic. I not sure at all. Please will someone put me out of my misery? I'd like to know ,"Yes it is or, "No, its a ..." Thknk you.

?

Udea prunalis

I'm on safe ground with the next one. It's only the second time I've seen one. The first time was 8th July last year. They are unmistakable

Neither photo is very good, they were done with a telephoto  lens,under far from deal conditions. Hey Ho.

Carcina quercana.

Lee Mount - 28th July

Not a lot this morning in the trap that I wouldn't expect but just the one posing me a querie. Could this be Dingy Shears (NO not happy with that now - not Dingy S)

Best of the others

Mother of Pearl, Willow Beauty, Small Fan-footed Wave x 2, Clouded Border x 2 and Double-striped Pug etc...

Copley - in the wet - 22nd July

A poor afternoon but we still managed to find one or two butterflies hiding away.

Gatekeeper x 3 in long grass at Hollas Bridge with a Red Admiral still braving it out on a Buddleia. 

Green-veined White x 2 alongside the river.

 Puss Moth Caterpillar

This beauty was found in one of the neighbours gardens on 5th July and its now almost fully grown

Emperor Moth Caterpillar from Whiteholme

25th June

9th July

20th July

Its still only partly grown (about 25mm), below is a fully grown adult, also from Whiteholme, which is twice as long and about 5 times the bulk

16th July

Lee Mount - Varied Coronet

Between 15th June and 5th July I had up to at least 3 individuals visiting pots of flowering Sweet Williams. Mostly arriving just on dusk and watched by torch-lite after dark. I only actually caught one of them in the trap.

Sweet Williams being the host plant I did wonder if they were leaving eggs, though I never found any. Hidden away on the plant somewhere. After flowering they have now set seed. Lots of caterpillars have now emerged - different stages but they have started wandering so put the pot  in a corner of the garden out of the way. I'm pretty sure these are the caterpillars, they hide away unseen in the day, well camouflaged, then I find them feeding in the seed heads at dusk and now hoping for some home grown adults next year maybe !! I understand they pupate in the ground. We'll see.

 

Stainland.

 I decided to put the image of this moth here for no other reason, than it struck me as being so attractive. I don't know why it impressed me, when I've seen plenty before. It's the difference between looking and seeing, I suppose.

1 x  Riband Wave - Banded.

Riband Wave - Banded.

Warley Moor - 19th July

A really nice morning to be up there - it's not often the case !

Fly Flats res'r at SE029322 - 2 Ringlets and 2 Meadow Browns.

Withens Head - SE041309 - opposite the wind farm car park

1 Red Admiral, 3 Meadow Browns and 2 Ringlets.