Svennsonns Copper Underwing Larvae..etc

Its a good time of the year to search beech trees for Sv Copper Underwing larvae just after dark , I found 3 last night .
 Beautiful Yellow Underwing have been seen this week at Whiteholme drain favouring thistle heads and the brick red form of Phiaris schulziana is also on the wing along the drain.(masses of Common Heaths with a full array of colour forms)
Northern Eggar larvae are also easy to find as they reach there maximum size.
On my local nettle patch a large swarm (50+) of displaying Nemophora degeerella have been seen during the day and masses of Small Magpies ,  Snout and Silver Ground carpets can be seen in the evening.
Chimney Sweepers , Yellow shell and  Shaded Broad Bar  have been seen in the local meadows in good numbers and its worth keeping an eye out for Mother Shipton as well.

Dingy Skipper and Pleurota bicostella , New to Calderdale

Top pictures show the micro moth Pleurota bicostella which looks very similar to common grass moth species(crambus)the labial palps are as long as they get, found yesterday near Withens Clough. These two species have not been recorded locally before .Bottom pic shows the butterfly Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages which can easily be overlooked for one of the day flying moths.I found it while taking photos of local orchids. Many thanks to Charlie for posting picture of Dingy Skipper  and for taking the great photos of Pleurota bicostella .

Long Horn Bagworm conclusion

Following on from the photo of the Bagworm I posted a few days ago I now think it's Adela reaumurella. Looking through MOGBI at the library today, the size, shape and construction of the case looks most likely for this species IMHO.

Also, browsing this excellent German site:

http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Adela_Reaumurella

The larva looks spot on. It's not a total surprise as this is a fairly common species in oak woodland.

Still, my larva is still alive and I will try and rear it through.

1165 Zeiraphera isertana

This emerged this morning reared from a larva on oak at New Lane. It has a nice, subtle greenish hue to some of the scales.

No doubt Paul had them in abundance in his garden ;-)

Turn that light out!!

Despite having run a trap since August 2013 at my partners house, we have received our first complaint this morning from one of her indirect neighbours. Given the length of time that has passed since the trap was first run, we find it hard to believe there is any substance to the complaint. Just wondered if anyone had any advice to offer?

Trap is being run in Littleborough and this has put a slight downer on what was our best nights mothing so far, we are determined that they won't spoil our enjoyment but want to be fair and responsible neighbours.

Thanks

We were up on the moor avbove Ogden today and came across this moth sheltering in the vegetation. I think it is a common heath but would like someone to confirm it fo me if they could. Many thanks, Chris.

Can you guess what it is yet.............

This little beauty is c6mm long and is one of two reared from folded leaves on Field Maple. A new one for me, should be out soon..............

UPDATE: And here it is and some more pupa shots:

Green Hairstreaks

Thanks again Dave.......A very good year for this species with reports of good numbers from Ogden, Midgley Moor , Walshaw Dean , Cold Edge  and  Fly Flatts  with numbers on the 18th May peaking at over 200.

BAGWORM........sort of

I found this yesterday slowly wandering around the base of an oak in long wood. The case is made up of three apparently circular pieces of leaf and is a dead ringer for the Nemophora degeerella photo in the new micro guide but I'm told the larva doesn't seem right for that species. Anybody any ideas?

Emperor Moth

Photo from Andy who is unable to post on the blog at the moment - nice shot Andy


Thanks Dave...Pete Smith reports 2 Brimstone Butterfly's recently one on Ogden golf course and one in the  Shibden valley.
 Went for a walk across Midgley Moor on Sunday , this Emperor was the highlight.Other moths included 100;s and 100;s of Common Heath , Neofaculta ericetella x 2 , Ancylis Myrtillana , Philedonides lunana ,Green Veined White , Orange Tip  and plenty of very large Northern Eggar caterpillars.

Poplar Hawk at Cromwell Bottom LNR

Whilst around 20 of us were balsam bashing we came across this moth. I personally have never seen one before, but is apparently the commonest Hawk-moth in the UK. We cordoned off the area so it was not disturbed.

Poplar Hawk-moth   Laothoe populi

Longhorns!

Out and about yesterday near the canal at Salterhebble I came across a scattered colony of these tiny longhorns Adela (Cauchas) rufimitrella. At first I dismissed them as some kind of fly with long antennae, it wasn't until I noticed a second group that I gave them a closer look. They have a forewing of around 5mm and an orangey crown (not evident in this worn specimen). The males, which I believe this is, have antennae twice the wing length.

Another worn one which, like most of the others flew around and settled on Garlic Mustard, the larval foodplant. Note the forward facing palps characteristic of this genus.

To clinch the ID of this scarce moth I returned to capture an unworn specimen and photograph it under more controlled light. The orange crown is clearly evident.

It's a shame the site is being sold off to developers!

Cromwell Bottom torts.

About a month ago I paid a visit to Cromwell Bottom and, among other things I collected a few larvae feeding on Dog Rose at Tag meadow. They were pretty random choices so I didn't expect too much, over the last couple of days the first two have emerged. Surprisingly they are both new species to me - all though not that uncommon. Above, Notocelia rosaecolana and below, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix :-)

Bankhouse wood, May 4th.

A nice find today was this Phyllonorycter roboris disturbed from Hawthorn. It's my first for the site and unlike the majority of it's relatives it posed quite patiently for the camera. It's not one I've ever found the mines of before so it's nice to see the adult.

Also my first Silver Ground Carpet of the year.

A few from this week

Quite a few of these Phyllonorycter quercifoliella on oak trunks at the moment both in Bankhouse and Long woods. I had to place the camera underneath them pointing skyward to get a side shot.

The only moths I could find at Copley meadow were lots of these tiny Grapholite jungiellas. Their gleaming white hindwings are clearly visible in flight.

A regular at my woodpile on the allotment are these Esperia sulphurellas (the larvae feed on dead wood).

And one from Norland village, it appears to be feeding on soil for minerals?

NORTHERN OAK EGGER CATS

Walking across the moors early today I noticed a white blob on the heather (bottom pic).A closer look made me realise it was a Oak eggar cat covered in dew. I hastily had a look at nearby clumps of heather and in one hour I counted 167  in a 1km square ( must have missed 100's).if they hadn't been covered in dew I would easily have missed them. Also yesterday I found  Philedonides luana  to be locally common on Midgley and Warley Moor and my first 10 Common Heaths of the year . Nick Dawtry saw many Emperor moths at High Royd Well Moor and Steve L saw Green Hair Streaks  at Scammonden

Great Peacock Moth

My friend Alex McCune found this impressive character sat on his door today in Sowerby Bridge.
Probably an escapee, maybe from the Jungle Experience at Manor Heath although it wasn't open
when we tried to contact them. Would be interesting if we could get confirmation from them or
of any other possible non migratory origins.  It's in spectacularly good nick if it's made it all the
way here from southern Europe.

Honeysuckle larva for ID

I came across this green and pink/purple larva this morning, it's c30mm long. Looks distinctive, anybody any ideas?

Bagworm update

The first of the bagworms from Pecket Well  emerged this morning. I'm assuming this is a female and that the appendage extending from her rear end is to "call" for mates. I couldn't tell if it was the breeze coming through my window that was making the tassel on the end waft around or whether she herself was waving it. Never seen anything quite like it before!

Butterfies

First Orange Tip and Speckled Wood of the year at Sunnybank, Todmorden today. Also plenty of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacocks on same  hillside have been around for a few weeks. Green Veined White seen a week ago.