Crags Sunday night

Lesser Swallow Prominent from Sunday night in the Crags

Saturday 23rd in Hebden Bridge

Hi All, An interesting selection in the trap on Sunday morning.

Hebrew Character 1

Brindled Pug 17

Unidentified pug 1

Common Quaker 5

Knot Grass 1

Eriocrania subpurperella 1

Alucita Hexadactyla 1 (Which I have only recorded once before years ago in a chip shop!)

Syndemis musculana 1 (At least thats what I think it is , pic below)

Oak Tree Pug 1

Lime Hawk Moth 1

Hardcastle Craggs Sund 24 04 11

A chilly clear night only produced 4 brown silverline,1 lesser swallow prominent,2 brindled pug and 1 common quaker to light,we found 4 brown silverline and 1 water carpet on the wing by torch up at Hollin Hall as we thought it would be even colder down by the river at Gibson Mill,nothing at all came to the sugared tree where Winstons sugar mop usually go,s,regards Bri and Martyn.

Hardcastle Craggs Sund 24 04 11

Having a try at Hardcastle Craggs tonight if anyone can make it ? sorry its short notice,but not been able to get access due to Easter Hols,until today,will meet top car park 730 ish.let us know on this blog if you can make it,regards Bri.

Micro for i.d.

can anyone i.d. this little beauty please

Prominent night in Midgley

Looks like the prominents were out in force last night - We had an Iron Prominent and Pebble Prominent, but the star of the night was our first Poplar Hawkmoth! Also got a cracking Flame Carpet just asking to be photographed. Hebrew Characters were aplenty too with 17 in the trap.

Looking forward to emptying the trap tomorrow morning...

Cock Hill Moor Thursday

Hi All, Wandering on Cock Hill Moor yesterday saw lots of Common Heath and about 30 Green Hairstreak, these two enjoying the sun. Also saw what I think is a wild violet. Can anyone confirm? Win

Hardcastle Craggs thurs 21 04 11

Tried 4 hours or so at Hollin Hall, 22 species, brown silver-line 5,flame carpet 2,a arenella 2,brindled pug 30,red chestnut 2,small phoenix 1,small quaker 1,v pug 1,iron prominent 1,lesser swallow prominent 4,hebrew character 8,purple thorn 1,early thorn 4,common quaker 19,eriocrania subpurpurella 1,diurnea fagella 1,water carpet 3,clouded drab 21,twin spot quaker 1 worn,powdered quaker 2,autumn green carpet 1,common pug 1,and 2 pugs to be checked.a pic of iron prominent.regards Bri. ps im saying nothing about generators !!

Green Hairstreak

Spotted this near Jack Bridge yesterday.

Water Carpet

as predicted by Brian I had my first Water Carpet for Luddenden last night, not as bright as some individuals I've seen but not bad

any more predictionss Brian

Common Quaker - 1 day old

my Common Quaker eggs hatched yesterday and here's one of thee cats, very small at just over 1mm in size, shame I can't post it in RAW format it's lost a lot of detail during compression

Hardcastle Craggs thurs 21 04 11

New genny has arrived will try thurs will meet at top car park 7 30 ish if anyone can make it regards Bri.

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