Early season Moths

Article on Birdguides website

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1993

At Last

Put the trap on tonight and immediatly got Chestnut,Satellite and March Moth.

Heather larvae 2

Larvae swept from heather yesterday at Shibden ,I reckon its the same as the ones Charlie swept at Norland about 6mm and a micro larvae found on gorse?? .Collected E.Sangii from H.Beaumont at the YNU meeting last week,a first for calderdale taken at light at N.Carters house last year.The S,aurella mines are common on bramble throughout calderdale at the moment this is in my back garden.

Case for id,Langfield Edge,13 03 10

Hi all,found this case on cliff face at 6mm in length,made from bits of gritstone and debri,its empty unfortunately,so could prob be anything ?

Midgley GMS

Nothing I'm afraid!

Orange Underwing

Now and over the next few weeks on sunny days is a good time to search local silver /birch woodlands for this day flying species.Cromwell Bottom is good but it must occour else where.????

Knottwood Hebden Bridge,05 03 10

Found this amazing coleophora species yesterday while searching some heather,nearly discarded it ! but detected a slight movement ! its just over 2mm in lenght.searched for more but nowt,prob better beating than searching.looks like poss juncicolella ? size seems to fit as 4/5mm full size for that species is stated when full size is attained in late April ! see what others think.

GMS

Put the trap on tonight and found 688 Agonoptrix heracliana x2 and 1 Pale brindled beauty.
A good leaf mining tip from dereks blogg
http://wildyorkshire.blogspot.com/
And Bramham on Sunday meet Hx train station at 9.30.
Good to hear from winston this week his barge is now now free from ice and look forward to his posts soon.

395 glyphipterix haworthana

Charlie,theres still plenty ,found 18 or so in a small area of Langfield Common,they are quite bedraggled,try and get the largest ones if you have a try.Paul,is Blackstone Edge in Calderdale or Greater Manchester ?

395 glyphipterix haworthana larval cases 28 02 10

Heres a couple of pics of 2 larval cases, checked 7 larval spinnings 2 had larval cases with larva inside,1 larva per seedhead.cases were aprox 7mm.hope this makes sense all the best Bri,ps larvas head can be made out on lower case right side.

More Garden Moth Recorders in Yorkshire!

Only a week to go before the garden Moth scheme starts again for the Summer of 2010. If anyone would like to join please email me and i will forward your details to the Yorkshire recorder.All you have to do is record every common species on friday or sat in your garden trap.
Many thanks and here is to a bumper mothing year!

Jailhole 27th feb

Met with Bri last night and we headed for jailhole,last week it was below freezing and covered with snow ,so with great optimism we set off up the moor, there was still snow on the ground in places but the wind was light and a cloudy sky kept the temp above freezing.We scaled the quarry and found 21 Anomalous larvae 12 green form and 9 brown form,, size rang 1cm to aprox 13mm,also 2 large yellow underwing larva green form,and 2 prob Square Spot Rustic larva all feeding after dark on Wavy Hairgrass.
I was amazed to see so many larvae out in the open in late February(good old Tutt) it took only 90 mins to find all 25 larvae.A brilliant night and look forward to going back soon.Many thanks to Brian

Meadows Edge 27 02 10

Also had a try dusk till dawn with mv,not a single moth !

Whiteholme Drain,26 02 10

Hi all,on a walk along Whiteholme Drain,i counted over 100, 395 glyphipterix haworthana larval spinnings of cottongrass,mainly at northern end of drain and these were just the ones near the path ! must be excellent numbers in our area,wonder how many will survive after this Winter ! regards Bri.

Jailhole,25 02 10

Thought id have a look for Anomalous Larva,although light rain,it was above freezing and most of snow cleared,found 10 larva,6 brown and 4 green forms,ranging in size from aprox 1cm to 12 mm,only saw 2 green forms near each other,the rest widly spaced.pics of both colour forms.regards Bri.

Jailhole,Langfield Edge,20 02 10

Andy and me checked for Anomalous larva after dark,quite deep snow on hillside and rockfaces,and even though there were snow free patches of the foodplant Wavy Hairgrass, and it felt quite mild under the rockfaces,it was still below freezing and we never found any.i have found them in the past when icy, feeding,maybe it needs to be just above freezing before they start to feed,and who could blame em ! Found 2 green form on 14 12 09 when it was quite mild at aprox 12mm in size,incidently a green form larva that was kept a couple of seasons ago a male emerged ! do you sometimes wonder what you have got into !!

News from Todmorden,18 02 10

Hi all,found my 1st diurnea fagella of the year today melanic male on a fence post.regards Bri.

Of interest?

Steve Whitehouse' account of some rare moths in 2009

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1951

Puss Moth and sallow Kitten Pupa

Glad to see the first posts of the year now, its allways a slow start in Northowram but its nice to see the Puss Moth and a double Sallow Kitten pupa still in tact after all the snow.Hope to see you all out and about soon........

First moth of the year!

I also tried the actinic last night and was rewarded with one Small Quaker, a nice rustic one at that! Not a bad start after a long cold winter.