Found this female Emperor up at Scammonden dam on Monday,didnt have my camera so stopped a passer by who took this pic on his i-phone and has just e-mailed it(thanks Gary ).Tecnology is great when it works.Brian found 14 Northern eaggar cats and saw lots of Common Heath egg laying on white holme drain.

Common Heath egg laying by Brian

It's been a bit quiet

Very few posts on here and I guess the poor weather has something to do with that. We've not run our trap much at all, just didn't seem to be much point (coupled with being away a lot), however, correct me if I'm wrong but tonight looks promising? Our trap is out already.

Eyed Hawkmoth.

A pristine male was found resting in a greenhouse at Skircoat Green allotments today (16th). It was found by a lady plot holder who knew I had an interest in such things. Quite a find!

Photo by finder - Joan Sleight.

Mixenden butterflies

Took a walk around Mixenden this morning. Okay might not be the first place you think to go for a walk but a nice stroll from the flats at the bottom up the side of the stream to Ogden and back down produced quite a few hotspots of butterfly activity. Meadow around adventure play area was busy with Orange Tip, males fighting amongst themselves and females hanging about on the cuckoo flower. Bit further along and the footpath from Mixenden Stones towards Mill Lane found lots of Speckled Wood, many of them mating. Males flying around with females hanging on for dear life! Coming back through the woodlands we saw Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. Not a bad little spot with plenty of flowers out, works a little look if ever you are passing. Chris

April Bumblebee Transect

Hi all,

More invertebrate news! Hardcastle Crags Bumblebee Transect is getting underway for the season. Winston and I just managed to get some records for April on the 30th. We recorded 2 white-tailed bumblebee queens on the transect, and saw another two just before starting.

Compared to last year, there have been far fewer records at the site, a likely consequence of April's decent into cold and windy weather. It will now be walked once a month until October, with the records going to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. We're hoping to have more records of Bombus monticola, the uncommon Bilberry bumblebee, before the year is through.

If anyone is interested in getting involved with recording, please get in touch with myself or Winston, and we can provide more information.

Christine

WOOD TIGER

Brian Leesey found this today at whiteholme Drain , looks good for wood Tiger which has been a target species for the last few years..Great find Brian

Books for sale

Nick dawtry has these two book for sale if any one is interested leave a message below. Moths of the British Ilses B Skinner British and Irish Pug Moths Riley and Prior

New Micro book

http://www.britishwildlife.com/viewbook.asp?bookid=24 Im ordering mine now...................

Speckled Wood

My first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year, this aft in Sunnybank wood, Todmorden. It is only 2 days later than last year when it was a heatwave.

596 Elachista poae emerges.

A long narrow corridor mine on Reed Sweet-grass found in the canal at Copley. Quite a scarce species in Yorkshire with just a handful of records.

The larvae habitually changes leaves - twice in this case.

The almost black pupa, originally encased in a whitish cocoon.

The adult emerged 10 days after finding the pupa. For once those frantically twitching antennae aren't because it's unsettled and wants to escape, it because.............

I think, and I could be wrong, that this is a female and not soon after taking a few photos she started calling for a mate by raising her wings to emit pheromones.Any info on this behaviour would be good.

449c Prays oleae arrives in Calderdale!

I found myself loitering around Newbank garden centre in West Vale this morning trying my best to look like a customer when in fact I was there looking for olive trees to see if the aforementioned species was present. It took about 2 seconds to find the one and only mine.It contained frass but no larva unfortunately. Only discovered in Britain in 2009 it seems likely that this stowaway is now present in garden centres throughout the land.

E.maculicerusella emerges.

My first ever success at rearing Elachistas brightened up a very poor day weather wise. Just waiting for my two E.poae to emerge now.

News from Tod

A few Emperos about on the moors over the last days along with plenty of Phillenonides lunana and a green Hairstreak,

Attracted to light

Not bothered with the trap recently as the weather is poor.But last night I had Twin spotted Quaker and Early Grey attracted to the kitchen window light.Also Brown House Moth kicking around the recycling.

Bumblebee Transect

Hi everyone,
I'm arranging a walk to introduce new volunteers to the bumblebee transect at the top of Hardcastle Crags (near Blake Dean) and wondered if anyone was interested in coming along? At the moment we are planning to meet at 3.30pm at Widdop Gate parking spot on Sat 14th April. It'll be a walk along the transect route and a bit of information about bumblebee identification. If there are any changes to the planned time or date I'll post an update.
Christine

A new website for Yorkshire moffers

http://www.yorkshiremoths.info/

Have a look at this new sie created by Terry Box and mapmate its realy great.....

Elachista maculicerusella.

This was one of my target species for this year and I was lucky enough to find three tenanted mines on Reed Canary Grass at Tag Meadow on Tuesday. One pupated yesterday on the outside of its mine as they tend to do. I think Paul has reared this species before but it's a new for me.I'm hoping to find more Elachista mines over the coming weeks but it's identifying the various sedges and grasses that's the problem!

Orange Underwing

An excellent year so far for Oarnge Underwing (above)Stoodley Glen saw at least
2,and 2 at Callis Wood today (BL),Cromwell Bottom ..1 on  15th march,1 on the 18th, 6  on the 20th and 2 on the  23rd March.

Red Sword Grass

very few Moths on these cold, clear nights but the quality is great with my third Red Sword Grass in Luddenden. Brian was saying last Saturday that these are something of a Calderdale speciality and are not recorded very often elsewhere in Yorkshire.

Pine Beauty

I've been having small numbers of the more common Moths this last week the highlights being Powdered Quaker, Red Chestnut and this Pine Beauty that turned up last night.

While driving home over Fly Flatts last night there were swarms of Moths and having caught a few they mostly seemed to be Mottled Grey.