Dark Chestnut of Chestnut

An excellent article from birdguides



http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=3135

Dotted Border

a nice Dotted Border last night along with a Clouded Drab

First Small tortoiseshell

First small tortoiseshell today flying around the garden and 2 Large Bumblebees,Satellite(white spot) and Chestnut last night.
Brian found anomalous and autumnal moth larrvae at jail hole on sat night despite the bitter wind.

First emergence of the year.

320 Phyllonorycter quercifoliella. Reared from a mine on oak found at Elland By-pass 20 days ago. Note the diagnostic basal streak running over half the wing length. A very common moth found almost anywhere the foodplant grows.

First moths

1 orange spot satellite last night and a real cracking 1044/5  Acleris ferrugana / notana .I am going for ferrugana as it shows dark scale tuft.on wings.camera and photo shopnot working too well at the moment.Any way a good start as micro is new to me and only a few calderdale records and none in feb.

Sunday Night..cancelled

I am planning the first trip out of the year this Sunday to cromwell Bottom.weather permiting.Meet at 6 in the car park .Sorry all,not going to be able to make it tonight.Will try again soon.

more Pale Brindled Beauty - 21st February

Satellite

only one Moth again last night but what a cracker

First moth of the year and a new one for me!

Had this rather worn Torticodes alternella attracted to the kitchen light last night.

Pale Brindled Beauty

I've been trying the trap in this milder weather and this beauty turned up last night

Interestingly my only other was on 10th February last year.

Beetle Holes?

Hi All, a tree has fallen near my boat last week to reveal hundreds of these holes in the centre of the rotten trunk. They are about 8-9mm diameter. What larvae could produce such a fine labyrinth of tunnels?

Peppered Moth research

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/338230/title/Classic_sooty-moth_tale_bolstered_by_new_results

Rescheduled Priority Species Workshop - 22nd February

Hello all,

The rescheduled Priority Species Workshop will be held on Wednesday 22nd February at 7.15 in the Mytholmroyd Countryside Services Office (above the library). The meeting will include an update on Calderdale's Biodiversity Action Plan and small discussion groups for different species.

It will be a opportunity to discuss actions for priority species in Calderdale for the coming year with Hugh Firman and other interested parties. If you would like to come along and contribute to the meeting please email Hugh to express your interest: hugh.firman@calderdale.gov.uk.

Anybody interested in helping conserve Calderdale's wildlife is welcome to attend.
We look forward to seeing some lepidoptera representatives there!

Christine

Walking for Butterfly Consevation

http://www.justgiving.com/epicbutterflywalk

Lewington's micro book out soon.

For all you micro lovers out there (and hopefully for all you micro haters as well) it looks like the new micro "bible" will be out in May. At thirty quid it covers 900 species with perhaps another book to follow to fill in the gaps.It looks worth buying for the art work alone and hopefully it will be the starting point for ID-ing the majority of micros in the UK - time will tell.

Here's a thread on the subject from Back Garden Moths.

http://back-garden-moths.co.uk/community/showthread.php?10468-Lewington-Micro-moths!

Mottled Grey 11 01 12

Found this Male Mottled Grey today while working at Meadows Edge,the earliest ive ever seen.Regards Bri.

My first of the year

my first Moth of the year turned up last night, a chestnut

despite having a go all winter this is my first Moth since 14th November

Early Moth

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=6078 This is a good early species to keep an eye out for at the moment,Large areas of hawthorn,Cromwell Bottom should be a good spot.Also the female is another flightless species and may well be found locally.

Sleeping Beauties

Had a look at the Ghost Moths Cats today,seem to be doing ok at 20mm .!!

A nep from last spring.

Harry's just had a look at this one and is confident it's Stigmella lapponica. It was disturbed from Silver Birch in North Dean wood in April last year. Not a rare species by any means but the adults are not often reared because the larvae mine in June/July and the adults don't appear again until the following spring.

Wingspan 5-7mm.