Saw my first Speckled Wood of the year today in Sunnybank wood, Todmorden. Quite a few Orange tips around as well.

Purple patch

Looks like were in for a real purple patch over the weekend with tepms set to rocket so good luck .3 Powdered Quaker,Early and Purple thorn ,Common and Foxglove Pug and 20+ hebrew Characters last night.Today at Norland opposite the Moorcock 4/5 Green hairstreak ,2 Common Heath,10+ Peacock,6 Small tortoiseshell an  Incurvaria species which I think is  pectinea  but it was flying round billberry but birch nearby??? .My first Speckled woods and loads of Large and Green veined whites.

Swarming behaviour of insects (Update)

Hi all, A follow up to my post from last week -

http://calderdalemoths.blogspot.com/2011/04/swarming-behaviour-of-insects.html

I seem to have got to the bottom of this. Largely with thanks to Tony Irwin via The Society for the study of flies (Diptera) who have an excellent resource in their website here -

http://www.dipteristsforum.org.uk/

The swarming flies turned out to be Non-biting midges (Chironomidae) are also sometimes called chironomids. There are There over 5000 known species worldwide. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual diamorphism the males have hugely feathered antenae. It is extremely difficult to accurately identify an individual species so this is the best we can do.

Win x

Yesterday's Sightings

Took a stroll on Midgeley Moor yesterday (Sunday) and saw lots of these Common Heath (This one a female with simple antenae) also possible Emperor Moth. Eleswhere Eriocrania, Orange Tip, Peacock, Small Tortoise Shell and a single Green Hairstreak were all on the wing.

White ermine

An early White Ermine this morning resting near the trap.Dont usally get um till erly May.....

Orange Tip stages

Now Orange Tip Butterflies are on the wing its a good time to find the eggs,they are quite obvious to see being orange, around the flower heads especially of Cuckoo Flower cardamine pratensis and Garlic Mustard alliaria petiolata.Females usually lay 1 egg per flower head as the larva are cannibalistic,but as often happens a later Female can lay an egg already with a larva on as in this instance where the younger larva became a meal for the older,the older larva are very cryptic when resting on the seedpods,these were on Garlic Mustard

Scalloped Hazel

This scalloped hazel was found last night on a tree trunk in the back garden,my previous earliest was the 28th April.with a nice autumn Green Carpet on the fence..Caught a few micros round the house with the net and torch last night including White Shouldered and Brown House Moth,Agonoptrix arnella ,Twenty plumed moth and Diurnea fagella.

SUNDAY NIGHT CANCELLED

Sorry all tonight is cancelled as I have to go for an x-mas dinner(its a long story)....will try tomorrow Monday..Brians genny blew up mlast night so all in all a poor weekend

This week in Luddenden

It's been very poor this week with few Moths about, I wonder if this is because they were all active earlier in the warm weather, anyway a couple of Purple Thorns saved the week, I also thought I'd post a photo of Hebrew Character as I don't recall seeing one on the blog before

Caloptilia sp.?? Caloptilia rufipennella

This Caloptilia looks just like leucapennella in Manley page 21 but is most likely to be rufipennella ??....anyone got any ideas.??This was gen det by Jon Clifton at Anglican lep supplies on the 19th April as a Caloptilia rufipennella ...

Swarming behaviour of insects

On our way through Luddenden foot this afternoon we noticed some swarming insects over the main road. Eager to see what was going on at close had, I turned around the car and returned to the sycamores which were just coming into leaf. 1000's of small flies / midges were on the wing, but not just in a cloud. The behavious of the whole group was extraordinary: vertical and diagonal lines of insects resembled smoke which every now and again seemed to generate 'clumps' of insects which fell to earth only to disappear (They were over the busy main road). Many insect were on nearbly fences and the footpath but no others were seen on our way through the Calder Valley. Has anyone else seen anything like this (I am guessing they have and will make our observations seem idiotic) and can they identify these insects. We managed to take a poor vid of the event and get a pic of 2 of the insects in-cop. Winston & Maisy

Bird guides Article

Another article from birdguides...

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2630


Looking like Sundat night at hardcastle Craggs and then any day anyones free the week after weather permitting....

This week in Luddenden

another good week with lots of the commoner species with this years first Red Green Carpet, Double-striped Pug, several Brindled Pugs, a few Early Greys, 3 Red Chestnut and Pine Beauty the pick of the bunch

Water carpet from Midgley

Which Eriocrania?

A very pleasant walk in the woods today and lots of Eriocranias but no pots! Got home and this one flew in through the back door so no worries! But is it possible to say which one it is? Subpurpurella? Win

Wine Mop 3

Hi All, One of my favourite moths 2469 The Herald has been a feature of this weeks mothing. First of all on Wednesday night on appeared in my light trap and then this thursday the Wine Mop came up trumps! Two late night visitors (no other moths) but compared to the moths attracted to the two light rtraps we were running nearby, these two were the stars of the show. Unfortunately my camera is not sophisticated enough to get a proper flash shot but you can see the ghostly silouettes above and two pics of my midweek visitor. Win

Early Thorn

Heres a Early Thorn at rest from Hardcastle Craggs last night,genny still going after 4 hours ! must be a record .regards Bri.
















Engrailed    7
Water carpet 2
Chestnut      6
Brindled Pug      10
hebrew Character       3
Common Quaker     47
Early tooth striped    2
Twin spotted quaker    1
Early Thorn    3
Clouded Drab       19
Mottled Grey          1
Red Chestnut         1
Herald                  2
Agonoptrix Arnella     1
D.fagella             3
Tort.alt             1

Early Grey

Caught a nice Early Grey at Pellon last night. Only 3 other moths caught, 1 Hebrew Character and 2 Common Quakers.

Hardcastle Craggs

Brindled Pug 11, Mottled Grey 2,Water Carpet 1(pic above earliet Calderdale record by 10 days)Engrailed 3,hebrew character 8,Chestnut 8,Common Quaker  50,Small quaker 4,Twin Spotted Quaker 3,Red Chestnut 1,Diurnea Fagella 7,Early Tooth striped 3,Clouded drab 4.

If any one would like a list of the species and numbers recorded so far please leave a message below and I will send one ..27 species of 627 moths so far..

Wine Mop 2

Hi all

Another interesting night in Hardcastle Craggs last night. And success for the wine mop! On his way up Brian spotted 3 chestnuts on the mop (see pic) and 2 more on the nearby tree recovering after imbibing. 3 were still there at the end of the night.