Park Wood

An amazing couple of hours checking two sites late morning starting off with 2 Yellow Shell's in a patch of brambles.
At the very top of  Plains Lane in fields to the west I came across a low hedgerow with lots of flowering grasses in the field and alongside the hedge a good number of Marsh Thistles etc.
I came  across a continuous stream of butterflies as I walked along.
Meadow Brown x 54
Ringlet x 6
Small Heath x 2
Painted Lady x 1
Large Skipper x 5
Small Tortoiseshell x 2

Lower down, in the long grass, conveniently left uncut, at the rear of the crematorium the count continued...especially to the front of the big hedge, and behind it.
Meadow Brown x 80.....(and counting)
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
Painted Lady x 2
Ringlet x 21
Comma x 1
Large Skipper x 8

No Gatekeepers !

Lee Mount - 5th July

In the trap this morning

Not sure - Lychnis or Campion ?? - leaning towards the former as I would expect Campion to look more purple-ish, though it could be faded.

 Anania coronata

Scalloped Oak

Also 

Common Footman x 1

Marbled Minor agg x 2

Purple Clay x 1 (first here this year)

Riband Wave x 1

Dark Arches x 8 

Large Yellow Underwing x 1

Last couple of days

Small Skipper and Cork Moth at Hollas Lane. Seems Ringlets have now moved in there which is nice.

Always nice to see leps using garden plants that have been planted for them like this Painted Lady nectaring on my Heleniums.

Wheatley Valley

I spent an hour and a half on the Shroggs Road former landfill site this afternoon. The sun failed to shine but it was dry underfoot, it's often very soggy. It was warm with a fresh breeze.
I tried to walk the site without doubling up over my previous tracks. Its a mainly uncut grassland site about the size of 2 football pitches +.

Ringlet x 71
Meadow Brown x 36
Large Skipper x 5
Small Tortoiseshell x 2
Speckled Wood x 2
Painted Lady x 1

Small Tortoiseshell

Cinnabar x 1
Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnett x 1
Shaded Broad-bar x 1
Timothy Tortrix x 1
Masses of micros in the grass but proving elusive to photograph with the grass being so long - think maybe Garden-grass Veneer types.

Will see what the photos are like later on.

Stainland.

This was one of my 3 am vigils.

2 Riband Wave's - Non Banded.
1 Cinnabar.
I was very pleased to see it, but all three moths were high up the door. I couldn't start crashing about with ladders, so these were all done on the FZ73. I wish I'd got a better photo of the Cinnabar.

Riband Wave - Non Banded.

Cinnabar. 

Stainland. 3rd July 2019.

This post was re-edited by me on 5th July 2019. See the comments.

I had a walk down Robber Dodge yesterday. There was a lot of activity in the air, it being sunny and warm.

I counted:
25 Meadow Brown's
3 Small Tortoiseshell's
1 Red Admiral

Then I managed to get one or two photos, varying in quality. I didn't have my macro system, These were taken with my Lumix FZ72.

The Large Skipper was the best one. It's only the second time I've managed to get a photo of one, the last was over 30 years ago and not very good. They seem to be flighty little beasts.

Large Skipper.

I disturbed the next as I brushed a shrub. It was a nice surprise, again, only the second one I've seen.  It's really been in the wars, but was flying strongly.

Yellow Shell moth.

I disturbed quite a few small, off white moths in the grass. I never got a good look at one. I did manage to get a poor photo of the following moth, (right in the center of the photo). I think it could be a Grass Veneer, but wouldn't put money on it.

Andy thinks it could be: Crambus pascuella. (See the comment).

We now have a consensus on the ID of the moth below. It IS a Crambus pascuella. My thanks to Andy and Charlie.

Grass Veneer TBC.

Meadow Brown.

In case anyone has wondered about the name, "Robber Dodge" here it is;

At some point in the past, (who knows when?) a robber was running from the police and hid down there. Seemingly he got away. All the old Stainlandpeople know this story.

Ringstone Edge

Red admiral 3
Common blue 1
Painted lady - a few

Lee Mount

Still a bit slow with moths this week though a good number of Heart and Dart's being the commonest catch with this one below the best of the week so far.

Green Arches

Stainland.

Two Marbled Beauties today. No photos.

Stainland.

A very nice Phoenix was by the door this morning.

Phoenix.

Phoenix detail.

Stainland.

A first for me today, a Bright-line brown-eye, (great name!)

Bright-line brown-eye.

The second moth is a complete puzzle to me. I thought it was injured, due to it's wing position, but it flew off easily. My best guess, judging by one or two photos on the web, is a Middle-barred Minor. Could someone ID it please?

Middle-Barred Minor (TBC).

Cromwell Bottom Sat 29th June

                                                                 Double Square -spot

                                                        Rufous Minor

A busy night at barrys moth night at CB...I got 2 new Calderdale species which was great, at last a Blood - vein and a Double - square spot a common species in Yorkshire but pretty rare in Calderdale with only 1 or 2 other records.....Dingy Shears , Pebble Prominent , the first fall of LYU 's , July Highflyers , and this red /green form of a Rufous Minor ?

Recent sightings and trappings

I seem to have been to a few places over the last few days and seen quite a few things.

22.6.19 Trapping at Copley Graden
Lesser Swallow Prominent, Riband Wave, Heart & Dart x5, Dusky Brocade x3, Flame, Bramble Shoot Moth, Tashystola acroxantha

25.6.19 Beechwood Park meadow
Lots of Chimney Sweep moths despite the wet weather when checking the  meadows

27.6.19 Ogden Water - Withen Road
Painted Lady x2, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral

28.6.19 Ogden Water - around the reservoir
Painted Lady x3, Speckled Wood, Small Magpie, Ermine Moth, Green Veined White, Red Admiral

28.6.19 Talbot Bend - north Halifax
Painted Lady x3 feeding on valarian

29.6.19 Trapping at Copley Garden
Dusky Brocade x3, LY Underwing x14, Bee Moth (a first for me), Riband Wave x2, Heart & Dart x 10, Flame x 1, Lozotaeniodes formosanus, Common Marbled Carpet, Elephant Hawkmoth x 2

Three below that I need help with ID and confirmation of ID. Last one I know but it is one of my favourites

Just to check the ID on these please..... 

One of the two hawkmoths that I was targetting since the honeysuckle came out

Stainland.

We're back from a relaxing week in our "town house" in York. This morning I was greeted by a Marbled Beauty, the first this year.

I commented last year on this blog, that the black and white variety of this moth arrived each year in our garden, two or three weeks before the brown/orange marked ones. Strangely, this year it proved to be a slightly coloured variety. It's  something I don't understand. Hmmm...

Marbled Beauty.

Whilst in York, I saw more Painted Lady butterflies that I have ever seen before. The Museum Gardens, off Lendal Bridge and the wonderful Burnby Hall Gardens, were full of them. It seems to be their year. I  assume they prefer warmer weather.

Big Butterfly Count

Next Sunday 7th July there will be a HXSS walk around Cromwell Bottom meet at the cabin 10.30 - 14.00...If the weather stays good we should see , Painted lady , Red Admiral , Ringlet , Meadow Brown , Small Copper , Comma , Small , large and green Veined Whites , Gatekeeper , Large and Small Skipper and if we are very Lucky Essex Skipper  a good selection of day flying moths and a few Dragonflies. We might even see some rare Clearwing moths..!!!!!

Heat Wave

Loads of Painted Lady's and Red Admiral about today , and first Ringlet yesterday in the Crags.
Humming bird photo from Mythomroyd ( thanks Phil D) Oak Eggar form Norland ....


Cromwell Bottom Moth Night tomorrow night should be a very very busy one.................

Shibden Park today

I'm sorry I don't know what this is.

Northowram

Ghost Moths have been showing well at dusk all month peaking at 125 males on the 21st and 10 Five spot Burnet moths today

Lee Mount - 25th June

Best night this year with 22 species overnight total of 48+ moths in and around the trap this morning though some small ones escaped !!!.

One each of these species... ...Burnished Brass, Cabbage Moth, Green Pug, Dark Arches, Knot Grass, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Riband Wave, Common Footman and the first Marbled Beauty for this year.

Dusky Brocade x 1 for double check please. This was smaller than the Dark Arches which was nearby - a nice looking moth.

Painted lady

This is another shot of yesterday's insect.