Traps out?

Sandra reports three flying moths seen whilst she was cycling home this evening, our trap is out!

Leaf Mines on Willow

Hi all, a very wet trudge from Hebden to Sowerby Bridge on Wednesday revealed two diffenent signs of activity on willow near Ludenden foot. In the first the usual 'stigmella style' mining in the second the edge of the leaf has been rolled over. Any ideas?

Last call for records

Hi all,been a busy with work of late and little to reportbut I have been collecting records and have amassed 4,000 for this year so far(many thanks to everyone who has forwarded records).If any body has any records please e-mail me ,,,I can then forward them to the Yorkshire recorder.Cheers

News from Todmorden 12 11 09

Another Red Admiral seen today 12 11 09, by Ros Berrington,also 4 Plume moth adult, species disturbed from leylandii hedge ?

Leaf Mine on Oak

Hi All

found this leaf mine on oak today, Any ideas anyone? Winston

Project Tityrella

Hi All
Found another of these leaf mines today... Had even more od a 'Green Island' effect than Charlie's. It seems that the way the larvae mine the leaf, their food supply is prolonged? Cleaver. I am assuming the larvae fall to earth to pupate or simple crawl out of their leaf once it has fallen?
Win

News from Todmorden 11 11 09

Saw a Red Admiral today at Meadows Edge garden.

Dry Night Tonight?

Looks like a dry night is forecast. Only light winds and about 3 deg. Not great but the best forecast for a while overnight. Might be worth putting the traps on and see ifanyone can actually post a trapped moth on the blog! Lets see.
Win

It's been quiet

Not posted for quite some time for several reasons not least we have been away quite a bit of late, having said that very little on the few nights we have run the actinic at home . Highlights for us were Mottled Umber, Red Line and Yellow Line Quaker.

Moth Tunnel pt 2

Cometh the hour… Cometh the man, oh yes and the woman… well to be honest my 9 year old daughter, Maisy. We had a spare 3 hours today so launched a small craft from near my mooring and snaked our way towards Fallingroyd tunnel to see if the moths we saw a few days ago, were 1) Still in residence and if so 2) What they were. Both of us tried rowing the small boat and both ended up going round in circles! So Maisy took over and we were soon in the tunnel scanning the corrugated matt black roof for the moths with a powerful torch. 4 moths were found in the darkest section of the tunnel, all (as suspected) 2469The Herald Scoliopteryx libatrix. Operation ‘moth tunnel’ was a success due mainly to captain Maisy! We had a dodgy moment when another boat came the other way and was bearing down on us! With this emergency over we managed to collect one of the heralds and take a photo (see above) once safely back on shore as it warmed up for take off.

Win and Maisy

Project tityrella

Found these today in local beech wood they seemed to be everywhere.

News from Todmorden 27 10 09

Hi all,found this micro on juniper today,cant seem to track it down as yet,its slightly over a cm from tip of snout to tip of wing,anyone any ideas,any comments would be appreciated.all the best Bri.ps sorry pics are a bit dingy.

Moth Tunnel

Hi All

Living on a canal boat I sometimes see things from a different angle. Today Iwent on a short cruise through Fallingroyd tunnel (Pictured) (Which transports the canal under the main road in between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd) Iwas amazed to see quite a few large macro moths. There was a problem however, as the boat lights illuminated the moths only as a distance and not close up, and the situation was not one for hanging around. (A 13 ton wide beam boat in a narrow curved tunnel is a difficult navigational feat). The light was fading and it was very mild today so am not sure if this was a factor as I have gone through the tunnel many times and never seen a moth in there. I would say they could have been Feathered Thorn or Herald. I know these species well and also know their differences but couldn't get close up. Time to deploy the torch and rowing boat! Will report my findings.

Winston

Last Night in Hebden Bridge

A mild night which turned very wet at first light, so I was out at 5am to see what was about and found

Various carpets 4

(Red-Green / com mar )

Chestnut 1

Exapate congelatella 1

This last micro is a very nice looking moth I have never come across before (Pic above)

News from Todmorden 22 10 09

Great night at meadows edge,target species streak,2 red swordgrass,autumn green carpet,feathered thorn,2 blairs shoulder knot,18 red green carpet,6 yellow line quaker,3 silver y,being the pick of 12 species of macros and a phyllo sp.

Streak

Another good night in Northowram despite the torrential rain,the Streak one of my favorite moths at this time of year was joined by 3 Yellow Line Quaker,2 brick,Angle shades,red green,Spruce,autumn green and Common Marbled carpets,Blairs Sh Knot,Silver Y ,Light Brown apple moth,Garden rose tort and acleris sparsana

Bits and Bobbs

A few recent sightings--
Painted lady latest 14th october
Red Admiral...." 19th October
Speckled wood 15th October
Blairs Shoulder Knot 15 on the 15th October(largest local record)
Rosy Rustic 1 on the 19th october (latest local record)
Still recording Black Rustics,Silver Y's ,Common Marbled Carpets,Barred sallow and a Autumn Green carpet last night.

Knott Wood Hebden Bridge 15 10 09

Tried a few hours at sugar and mv,5 chestnut,satellite at sugar.20 chestnut,30 november agg,7 c marbled carpet 5 banded/2 dark,brick,7 red green carpet,flounced chestnut,1062 acleris emargana,465 plutella porrectella.

Guyanan insects

Top - Buckeye Butterfly, Bottom - Tersa sphinx Xylophanes tersa. As An exotic interlude I am includinganother couple of excellent photographs from my friend who is out in Guyana. He is actually from the Mirfield are and is posting a photograph a day on his blog to illustrate his adventure out there. You can see this at http://jmbroscombe.blogspot.com/

I need to say that only a few of his pics are of insects but there are also some amzing shots of birds and the local people and landscape etc.

Last nights moths/Northowram

998 Epiphyas postvittana Light Brown Apple Moth 8
1041 Acleris sparsana 1
1048 Acleris variegana Garden Rose Tortrix 2
1760 Chloroclysta siterata Red-green Carpet 2
1764 Chloroclysta truncata Common Marbled Carpet 4
1769 Thera britannica Spruce Carpet 3
1795x Epirrita dilutata agg. November Moth agg. 4
2232 Aporophyla nigra Black Rustic 3(70 so far this year)
2240 Lithophane leautieri Blair's Shoulder-knot 6
2262 Agrochola circellaris Brick 1
2264 Agrochola macilenta Yellow-line Quaker 2(2 red line last night)
2272 Xanthia aurago Barred Sallow 1
2361 Hydraecia micacea Rosy Rustic 1
2441 Autographa gamma Silver Y 2
2477 Hypena proboscidalis Snout 1(latest recorded)
An excellent night for october.