First Small Tortoiseshell

Had my first Small Tortoiseshell flying around the  garden today  at Northowram.........and 5 Tortricodes alternella flying in sunshine in the local  wood......3 Chestnut , 2 Dotted Border and 5 Agonopterix Heracliana  at Cromwell bottom/..,,,next few days look interesting

Lee Mount - 19th Feb

Any thoughts on this one ?
I am leaning towards pale Brindled Beauty though it was certainly smaller than ones here in recent weeks non of which were melanic.
Melanic ?? - well not really, it was pretty brown.
Leaning towards PBB as the golden  fringe to the terman also shows on the underwing. This also shows in a melanic individual in Manley's British Moths but his photo is of a much darker individual ??

Also in and around the trap...
Chestnut x 1
Agonopterix heracliana x 1
Tortricodes alternella x 1

keep an eye out..........

These two photos were sent to me this week , top one from Widdop (thanks Niall) and the lower one from Scammonden (thanks Phil). I think with this very warm weather they have come out from hibernation to warm in the sun. I think they are Fox Moths ................

Large Midget emergence

https://cromwellbottom.blogspot.com/2019/02/large-midget-emerges.html

Hardcastle Craggs Sat 16th February 2019

Hardcastle Craggs Sat 16th February 2019

Weather   Circa 10 o Falling toward evening. Occ Breezes . Overcast

MV 120 W

Other Entomology 

Early doors this year at Craggs given the preceding good weather . Other Entomology included one Ladybird Harlequinn and 1 Birch SB Adult. I have found these over wintering in Moss Clumps on Trees which must provide a fair degree of protection Colonies can often be smelt well before being found. The insect below the SB was about 5-9 mm and looks to me like a Springtail ( Collembola) small insects of leaf litter possibly Tomocerus longicornis 
AKA Pogonognathellus longicornus







Counts As below By AC , BL CD  present

70.253 BF1932   Spring Usher Agriopis leucophaeari

70.247 BF1926      Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria

Previous Post  on the blog show the melanic form of the PBB

73.210 BF2256  The Satellite Eupsilia transversa

Both Orange and White Colour forms were present shown below

70.255 BF1934  Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria



32.018 BF688   Agonopterix heracliana



A Few More To Follow

Hardcastle Craggs

Chestnut x 6
March Moth  x 14
Satellite   x 8
Pale Brindled Beauty x 9
Dotted Border x 7
Spring Usher x  1
Agonoptrix Heracliana x 1
Tortricodes alternella x 8

Pale Brindled Beauty

Got this pic from Mr Robinson at Sowood (via SB) found near outside light , a very smart form indeed...

Hardcastle Craggs 16.02.19

Moffing at the craggs tomorrow 6 onwards ,,,,

                                                Agonopterix Heracliana

Lee Mount

13th Feb
Chestnut x 1
March Moth x 3
Tortricodes alternella (?) x 2

14th Feb
I managed to get a better shot tonight of what I think is Tortricodes alternella
This is one of the micros from the Yorkshire Moths Website suggested as reasonably common at this time of year - hope I'm right with i d.

Lee Mount - 11th Feb

I didn't expect anything this evening, still pretty cool, but a nice March Moth turned up on the fence near the light.

March Moth

Cromwell Bottom 09.02.19

Satellite x 1
Chestnut x 1
Acleris Logiana x 3
Dotted Border female x 2

                                  Only House Wood 11.02.19 3 Dotted Border and 1 female

Lee Mount - 6th Feb

Quite a surprise to find 5 Pale Brindled Beauty's around the trap late evening, before it started raining.
At the risk of being boring all five are here below, all quite similar except the third one down was noticeably smaller than the others and a slightly different shape but I'm pretty sure it's still the same species and not a Small Brindled Beauty (?) though I've never seen one of those.

Finished off the evening with quite a well disguised Dotted Border on the fence.

I shut the trap down at 11:00 pm as heavy rain was forecast during the night.

Cromwell bottom

Had a walk round this evening  with torch and net in the hope of Early Moth (no show) , 5 x Dotted Border , 2 x Acleris Logiana , and 1 Pale Brindled Beauty,,,,,

Lee Mount - 4th/5th February

First moth since 11th January with a Pale Brindled Beauty which arrived last night and was still on the fence by the trap this morning.

Pale Brindled Beauty

Bare Head Tunnel

Had a walk through Bare Head Tunnel yesterday


11 heralds and 5 butterflies within the tunnel. A big size difference in the butterflies so thinking peacock and asking the question do small tortoiseshell hibernate?

January 2019 Butterfly sightings 2019 UK

https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/first-butterfly-sightings-2019

Cromwell Bottom

Barry ran the trap last night down at Cromwell , I had to leave early and there had been nowt to the trap except 1 Pale Brindled Beauty also  I manage to net 1 Acleris Logiana and 1 Dotted Border in the wood..

                                                                Acleris Logiana

                                                    Found this LBAM larvae on Friday

My Moth Collection............

Just browsing some old photos on my phone and came across this pic of my entire moth collection. I was surprised at how small the Bilberry Pug was - you could fit several on my thumbnail.

Oh, and the black dots are Lichen Case-bearers - adult females.........happy days!

Lee Mount - 11th January

This morning I was surprised to find 4 moths in and around the trap. I have been leaving the actinic on all night most winter nights but these were the first results this New Year. Can't wait to get going !!!

 Not too sure of this micro so any help appreciated - Blastobasis sp ? just less than 10mm. Suspect adustella though a bit out of season ?

 2 Chestnut, both in the trap

Pale Brindled Beauty
 (not quite as clear as I would like as could only get this one through the Perspex)

Spring Usher

Many thanks to Martyn H for this superb photo of a Spring Usher from Luddenden Village 6th jan.19 .....
Brian Leesey found a dead Red Sword Grass in Todmorden on the 25th Dec and Dave reports no Heralds in Bare head Tunnel but a Bat sp roosting in there.........