Stainland, Large Cabbage White Butterfly Caterpillar.

Back from a busy week performing at Whitby Folk Festival. It gave my legs a severe workout. I ached for the first four days. Good fun however.

Found two Large White Butterfly Caterpillars on our badly eaten Nasturtium. The cats are nicely marked, so I forgave them and left them alone. I like the small brown ringed circles on them, near the bottom of their bodies.

Large White Butterfly Caterpillar.

Head, (obviously!).

Detail of markings.

Lee Mount - 23rd August

A new one for here in the trap this morning which I think must be a Heath Rustic? I have never seen one before and  thought at first I had  a strange looking True Lover's Knot. A really nice looking moth with it's wings slightly folded on the photo's.

 Heath Rustic (TBC)

Lee Mount

One for checking please…
I'm pretty sure this is another Flounced Rustic though a much darker individual than the one on 9th and 10th August. This one appeared on 20th and again briefly on 21st Aug. Thought at first it might be a Common Rustic but I'm not convinced. Forewing c16mm.
UPDATE - I managed after all to get the hind underwing of this individual so I'm satisfied now with Flounced Rustic.

 Flounced Rustic

 

 

Also had a Rosy Rustic on 17th but I messed up and deleted the photo's by mistake..grrrr

80 Large Yellow Underwings on 21st was a record count for here - all in the trap along with 9 Copper Underwing agg and a Centre-barred Sallow.

Fly Flatts

Photo from JM after we checked the ragwort flowerheads at the north end of the reservoir yesterday. Thanks John.

Haworth's Minor

Last 2 days out and about

20th Aug - Mixenden plantation - Speckled Wood x 7, Small White x 2.

20th Aug - Hunter Hill - Small Heath x 5, Speckled Wood x 1, Large White x 1, Small Copper x 3, Peacock x 1, Small White x 4.

20th Aug - Cars Beck (lower end of Ogden golf course) - Fox Moth caterpillar x 1, Small Heath x 1, Small White x 2, Speckled Wood x 2.

20th Aug - Lee Mount - Speckled Wood x 1, Red Admiral x 1, Large White x 1, Small White x 2.

21st Aug - Lee Mount - Speckled Wood x 1, Comma x 1, Red Admiral x 1, Large White x 2, Small White x 2, Green-veined White x 1, Purple Hairstreak x 2 over oak tree in back garden late afternoon

21st Aug - Fly Flatts north end - Fox Moth caterpillar x 1 on track down to reservoir.
Also Haworth's Minor x 2 on ragwort

All recent records also went on the Big Butterfly Count website but I have all the records if you need them Andy.
Strangely, I've not had many G-v Whites this time as I usually seem to get more of them than Small Whites !

Fly Flatts ragwort patch

                                                               Ear Moth sp

                                                          Haworth's Minor

                                                       Square spot Rustic

The patch of Ragwort at the northern end of Fly flatts was busy with moths this afternoon. 25 + Haworths Minor , 5 Antler , 4 Square Spot Rustic and 3 Ear moth sp.....lots of other moths flying over the moor but ran out of time....

CROMWELL BOTTOM MOTHS AUG. 18th

Some photos:  https://cromwellbottom.blogspot.com/2018/08/moth-night-pics.html


Also some more Blackthorn pupa from the spring are now starting to emerge AT LAST!!!!!!!!. One of three Rhomboid Tortrixs.

Cromwell Bottom

Another great night , Pale Prominent ,Bulrush Wainscot , Angle striped Sallow , Centre Barred Sallow , Sallow , Dusky Thorn , Carary shouldered Thorn , Old Lady , Triangle Plume , Dark barred twin spot Carpet , Setaceous  Hebrew  Character , Orange Swift ,many different forms of Shuttle Shaped Dart and  lots of Least Yellow Underwing to name a few.......|Many thanks to Barry and Charlie (pic )

Butterflies

Hard going this week 1 Small Copper and 1 Holly Blue on the 13th  , 6 Green -veined Whites at Ogden Today and a few Large Whites at home.
Pete Smith saw 9 Speckled  Woods and 1 Holly Blue in Ripponden on the 15th and a Red Admiral at Ringstone on the 14th ,,,,,thanks Pete

Common Blue 1st August Todmorden
Holly Blue at Northowram 18th
Purple Hairstreak feeding on brambles 17th

Stainland. ID request.

This moth is confusing me. I thought it may be an Agriphila tristella, but I'm really not sure. Could someone ID it please? Thank you.

Agriphila tristella TBC.

Cromwell Pyralid

The ephestia species from August 3rd has been confirmed by Harry as a male False Cacao Moth (E. unicolorella).

A second for the county and VC63 first.

Old Lady found dead on the towpath at Elland

God I'm so funny :-)

Common Thorn Pigmy (Stigmella crataegella) mine at Cromwell along with a few others bits of interest. Found a nice phyllo mine on Crack Willow with a pupa inside - should be out soonish...........

Lee Mount - micro

Any help with this nice looking micro appreciated. Taken on 4th August, I have kept looking at the possibilities thinking " I should be able to i d this one" but still not sure. Nearest I can get is Cochylis sp maybe.

 

Plenty Large Yellow Underwings in the last week or so with a maximum one night of 44 on 7th August.

Probably the best moth in the last few days has been this one in the trap on 12th

Phoenix

Stainland.

A nice range of moths this morning. I'll put the one I'm not sure about first. I think it's a Grey Chi. It does have what I'd call, an elongated X, on its wings. I did think it was an grey shoulder knot. Then realised that it does not have furry legs, among other things. If it is a Chi, it's my first one.

Grey Chi

Grey Chi showing X mark.

This morning, I was thinking that I've not seen any of the what I think of as, Marbled Beauty - Orange-brown form, this year. They come out later than the grey-black and the grey-brown forms. (My terminology, I don't know the correct description). When I looked up, there was one on the door fanlight. It's a nice looking moth.

Marbled Beauty - 

Orange-brown form.

The Small Phoenix below, has been in the wars. It's the first of these I've seen that was black, rather than brown, which fooled me for a while. Unless it's just very worn.

Small Phoenix.

A Garden Carpet now.

Garden Carpet.

The ubiquitous Blastobasis lacticolella:-

Blastobasis lacticolella.

There were two Willow Beauties, a dark and a pale form. The dark one was camera shy and flew off when it saw the lens approaching. This one has had four narrow escapes. They look like bird beak nips. I've seen these on several moths but most were night flying, which seems to rule birds out.  I'm assuming a bat would get a lot more of the wing. How do they get these nips? (Silly question time).

Willow Beauty.

The final moth is puzzling me. I thought it was another Blastobasis lacticolella. On closer examination, it is a lot smaller, shorter and fatter that A Blastobasis l. Any ideas please?

ID needed.

So, seven moths today. Eight counting the one which got away. not a bad total.

Fox Moth

Many thanks to Nigel Kerwin and Bradshaw John for reports of Fox Moth Cats last week. Still never seen one in Calderdale................

In come the Painted Lady's

Mytholm waste ground Hebden Bridge was busy with butterfly's today in the hot sun. 3 Painted Lady , 1 Red Admiral , 2 Peacock , 1 Comma , 3 Small Copper and Small and Large Whites,,,2 Holly Blue and a Small Copper in thge garden at home.

Lee Mount - 9th and 10th August

This moth ahs been here a couple of days now and it's still on the fence this evening. I'm wondering Flounced Rustic - never had one before so not 100% ?

Stainland, Square Spot Rustic.

Only one moth at 3:30 am, it was gone this morning. Moral, always have a camera ready. It was a Square Spot Rustic - Xestia xanthographa. Looking back at my files, I've seen just one of these moths each year, since 2015 and all in August. The first was in Whitby. Considering they are listed as common, widespread and fly to light, I would have expected to see more of them.

Square Spot Rustic.

Northowram today

Lots of Speckled Woods about today but very little else no Browns or Hairstreaks or any large butterfly's at all. Still seems to be plenty whites large and small and still one Holly Blue and Small Coper in the garden .Saw another Holly Blue in Brighouse.

Its hot out there..................

                                                                 Barred Hook- tip

Another fantastic day in the warm sun today , started with this Barred Hook-tip and Small Wainscot in the trap along with Yellow barred brindle , Pine Carpet and Lempke's Gold Spot  , then Holly Blue and  Small Copper in the garden and to top it off 2 Wall Brown near Cold Edge quarry.....(thats 22 species for me so far this year with no Painted lady as yet )