Quite a day.....29th July

Moth trap - not much but this one was a bit special.

Sycamore (at 22mm)

Then, a Purple Hairstreak fluttering around in the oaks at the back of the house. Even managed to get a sight of it in the binoculars as it landed on a leaf. No photo though !

An interesting hour or so on the grassy area of Shroggs landfill. with Small Skippers in abundance (44) but just 1 rather worn Large Skipper, 26 Ringlets, 14 Meadow Brown, 1 Speckled Wood, 2 Large White and 4 Green-veined/Small Whites with just one firm i d of a G-V White.

Just about to leave "whats that" ?? Quick snaps taken thinking it was a Purple Hairstreak but not to be. White-letter Hairstreak as below.

It is the same individual - just the light and my rapid camera re-sets !

Later in the day Swales Moor - looking for Wall Browns - no success there.

Lots of Burnet Mots charging around, took some time before I could find any that landed. Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moths - unable to find any Six-spots.

Including this pair 'in cop' with one of them with pale yellow spots

Lighthazzles

2 Common Hawker dragonflies

Pine Hawkmoth

What a beauty , caught in a trap last night in Todmorden by Cath and Jennie..what a great record
 

Ryburn

Meadow Brown 1, Large White 1, Ringlet 1

Ringstone Edge

Large Skipper 1, Ringlet 13

Stainland.

 We've been away for over a week.  We only have:

1 X Marbled Beauty to show for it.

What we missed is anyone's guess.

Lee Mount - 13th July

Not much this morning after a cool night.

Uncertain x 4, Common Rustic agg x 3, Heart and Dart x 1, Marbled Beauty x 1, Clouded Border x 1.

Clouded Border in among the 'Busy Lizzies'

Recent days.....

 Not a lot to report on the butterfly front in recent days - picking the best of some poor days weather-wise.

Mostly Ringlets with a few Meadow Browns other than last Saturday in Withens Clough with one Small Skipper and several Large Skippers, 1 G-v White and 2 Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moths buzzing around near the reservoir. Red Admiral at home.

Small Skipper

Large Skipper

Just a few Ringlets at Ogden yesterday

Cold Edge this afternoon, manged to find a single Ringlet, a micro Diamond-back Moth and below this Narrow-winged Pug.

Also trying to catch up after a couple of good moth nights at home !

Lee Mount

 Any thoughts on these two Micros - been puzzling them since both turned up on 26th June?

Maybe Elachista rufocineria ? 

"Suggested Mompha ochraceella"

Not getting anywhere with this one !!

" probable Coleophora sp most of which require dissection"

A nice Green Arches from this morning 7th July

Beacon Hill

 Yellow Shell 1

Ringstone Edge

 Ringlet 1

Stainland.

 This post is a catch up of several days. One of  Anne's family  has had a health issue, which upset things for some time. Fortunately, everything seems to have settled down.'

So the moths I've seen from the 27th of June.

27th June;-

1 x Common OR Brindled pug. TBC It was is a difficult place to get a photo. Sorry it's so poor a shot.

1 x ID Needed (What was left of it's scales, was a bright red /ginger colour).

2 x Marbled Beauties.  Grey type. (1st of the season for me).

Common Pug TBC

ID Needed

From 29th to 30th June:-

3 x Brimstone moths

1 x Marbled Beauty (Brown type)

1 x Small Phoenix (I forgot this one, I added it to this list a few hours later(.almost 9pm.)

1 x Tachystola acroxzantha. (I spent a long time IDing this., I was put off by the small distribution maps on my moth books. I read that it was to be seen in Lancashire. We are close enough the the border, so it could be in West Yorks. I read somewhere that it was a brightly coloured moth. If a yellow band at the edge of it wings made it colourful, the writer must not have seen many brightly coloured moths. *Shrug*  In the end, it was the only moth I found which looked like this one. A first for me.

Tachystola acroxzantha.

 

Lee Mount - 29th June

A nice surprise this morning was a Varied Coronet. Been looking for them recently having just a few Sweet Williams in the garden - a flower they seem to favour. It's a moth that seems to be slowly on the increase locally. My first was in 2016 as well as the three following years. Missed out in 2020 then 3 dates in 2021, none in 2022 then 9 dates in 2023.

Sweet Williams, just a few, with next years crop in the foreground !

Varied Coronet - this mornings was off before I could get a better shot.

Not a lot else this morning other than Dark Arches x 2, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix  x 1, Heart and Dart x 5 and this fading Green Pug.

Ogden - 26th June

One of those rare nice hot summers days !

Ringlet

Speckled Wood

Nicely marked Yellow Shell

Beacon Hill

 Ringlet 1

Shibden Valley

 Ringlet 1

Lee Mount - 25th June

An interesting session in and around the trap this morning - 13 species, 28 moths, is the best return so far this year ! Included Green Pug, Buff Arches, Large Yellow Underwing, Green Oak Tortrix and Marbled Mior agg..........The Peppered Moth from yesterday was still present but peering through the trap.

Then a pair of Peppered Moths in 'close contact' with the upper one showing distinct size difference as well as an enlarged abdomen suggesting this was the female full of eggs ? 

Then what I think can only be Thistle Ermine (at 14mm). TBC would be a first for me.

Lee Mount - 24th June

 One Peppered Moth with a Buff Ermine and not alot else other than a couple of Bee Moths and a number of  Chrysoteuchia culmella fluttering about the grass in the sunshine.

Buff Ermine

Peppered Moth

Swales Moor. Later in the day I went looking for day flying moths and butterflies.  A few micro moths that I failed to catch, identify or photograph but 2 Latticed Heath briefly showed in among the vegetation.

Latticed Heaths

Also 1 Red Admiral, 14+ Large Skippers, 2 Meadow Brown and 7 Small Heath.

Byron Edge

 I flushed an Oak Eggar, and had a second fly close past me. At Whiteholme MH had pointed me to about 6 mobile Oak Eggars, but I had failed to get onto any of them.

Whiteholme

 Large Skipper 1, Small Heath 3

Lee Mount

 One new for me here on 22nd June.

Marbled White Spot

Micro querie !

 Any thoughts on this micro at 10mm  - in the trap this morning. ?

With grateful thanks to David C - Ptycholoma lecheana - looks spot on.

Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey and Hollas Lane

Cold Edge and Ovenden Moor.

Butterfly's have certainly been scarce so far this year.

I did my survey track yesterday (WCBS) - certainly the worst return I have ever had. No matter, I did manage 4 butterflies with 1 Wall Brown, 1 Small Heath and 2 Large Skippers. 

1 Oak Egger darting about over Ovenden Moor.

Wall Brown

Small Heath

Large Skipper

The Marsh Thistles up there are fairly prolific and are just about to come into flower.  Hopefully they will attract a few more butterfly's in the next few weeks.

Hollas Lane.This afternoon we just found one around the lagoon area, a Meadow Brown, though its was reluctant to pose for more than a second or so.

 

Bank Top

 Large Skipper. This is the only butterfly I saw in a 2 hour walk.

Beacon Hill

 A dead Cinnabar

Beacon Hill

 Small Heath 2

Shibden Valley

 Unidentified moth (? Garden Carpet)

Bank Top

 Ringlet 1

Stainland.

2 x Brimstone moths by the door today.

Stainland.

 These moths are from the 10th and 11th of June. It's about time I saw a few moths!

1 x Brimstone

1 x Small Phoenix

1 x  Garden Carpet

Anne had a Mint Moth land on her arm, 2 days ago. Sadly, it didn't stay long enough for a photo.

Plus 2 moths that defeated me, (I think). The trouble is, I don't know of many moths which rest with their wings up. I did take a photo of a Brimstone moth resting that way last year. Other than that, I've had to do my best. At least you can have a good laugh at my guesses. I'm not confident I got either right. I'd love someone to enlighten me please.

1'll call them A) and B)

Moth A) Common Carpet, TBC

Moth B) Common Lutestring. TBC

Lee Mount etc.........

 Moth trap still very quiet. Only one or two moths each day -if I'm lucky. The cool and at times damp nights are certainly not helping. Just hoping for some warmer evenings soon then hopefully things will 'buck up'. 

The best ones recently ...........

Buff-tip, Turnip Moth, Clouded Silver, Flame, Common Pug, Heart and Dart and a Silver Y.

A Yellow Shell was flying about in the sunshine on Hunter Hill yesterday

Buff-tip

Clouded Silver

Flame

Butterflies still very scarce though we did manage a Wall Brown at the weekend at Withens Clough along with a Small Copper. Two Small Coppers were also found at Ogden yesterday.

That's about it !!

Elland Gravel Pits

 Broad-bodied Chaser

Beacon Hill

 Small Copper 1, Painted Lady 1