A Couple of Leafminers

The leaf mining season's now in full swing but it's getting pretty difficult to find anything new these days. So, I was well pleased finding this one on Saturday during the Scientific Society walk around Cromwell Bottom. It's Small Alder Midget (Phyllonorycter stettinensis) in Common Alder. It's the only Phyllo that mines the upperside of Alder and you can just make out the central crease in this rather contorted example.

Below is the underside of the mine.

On the Sunday walk by the HSS to Manor Heath park we looked at ferns and I was pleased to find a new foodplant, to myself, for the Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora). The mines were only visible on the upperside but the sporangia covered, brown cases were all located on the underside. Five are shown here on Western Polypody which interestingly is not one of the foodplants shown on the UK leaf mine site - maybe it's a new discovery. I'll find out. Although this leaf contained one larva it won't need rearing through as two adult moths were also seen flying around the ferns.

Lee Mount - 15th - 17th September

It's been a quiet few moth nights recently - though plenty butterflies during the day !

15th
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x 1
Black Rustic x 1

17th
Common Marbled Carpet x 1
Lunar Underwing x 1 (only the 4th record for here)
Brown-spot Pinion x 1 ( only the 3rd record for here)

 Lunar Underwing

Brown-spot Pinion

Hollas Bridge

Went a bit early today before the sun warmed things up -
Red Admiral x 4
Painted LAdy x 4
Speckled Wood x 3
Small Tortoiseshell x 2
Peacock x 1
Comma x 1
Small White x 3

Also a stunning Migrant Hawker catching small insects...

Byron Edge drain

Black darters mating. (Also, a weasel was seen here).

Rishworth Butterflies and Hollas Bridge Butterflies and Dragonflies

Rishworth Butterflies 14/09/2019
I had some old bananas in the garden sliced up for the butterflies. A few came along....

Painted Lady x2
Red Admiral

                                                        Red Admiral + Painted Lady

                                                                      Painted Lady
                                             
                                                Hollas Bridge 14/09/2019

                                                         Common Blue

                                                       ID Dragonfly

Byron Edge drain

Is this a Black Darter? From naked eye views only, I'd say there were about 12 of these here.

Hollas bridge

Had a walk round in the sun today with Charlie....

Common Blue x 2 (a pair in cop)
Red Admiral x 10 +
Painted Lady 10 +
Peacock x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 5
Comma x 3
Small Copper x 3
Small White x 2
Speckled Wood x 2
Large White x 1

Silver Y x 1

Coleophora Mayrella case found on red clove ??

Black  Darter x 1
Common Darter x 2

                                                                  Male Black Darter

Hairy Shieldbug x 4

Lee Mount - recent's

Still getting a few Large Yellow Underwings and Copper Underwing agg and not a lot else. Square-spot Rustic's seem to be fading now after a good show in recent weeks.

 Flounced Rustic - they are such a variable bunch !

 Green-veined White on Verbena bonariensis

Mouse Moth

Still a decent show of butterflies in the garden earlier today.....

Painted Lady x 2

Peacock x 2

Red Admiral x 4

Speckled Wood x 1

Small Tortoiseshell x 3

On Ogden golf course

Udea lutealis on Fleabane

An Immigrant and last year's Plume Moth

Spent a couple of minutes swishing the net in the garden last night, just three moths - Silver Y, Light Brown Apple Moth and this spiffing Rusty-dot Pearl - a first for me (alive anyway). It was feeding on a patch of Heleniums. Maybe it's a sign of things to come this weekend for a big influx of immigrants. Get those traps out!

I had a go at dissecting last year's "Tansy Plume" trapped at CB in August. Turns out it's a very worn and very small Beautiful/Brindled Plume. Not sure which yet but it definitely aint a Tansy Plume.

If in doubt get it dissected!

Rishworth

Moth Trapping Night 10th September 2019
Another night with rain forecast with rain forecast so I brought the trap at around 23:00

List of Species
Large Yellow Underwing x2
Mouse Moth x1
Red Green Carpet x1

                                                   Micro ID Above

                                    

                                               Mouse Moth

                                     Everyone sure with Red Green Carpet??

Hollas Bridge

Common Blue x 4
Red Admiral x 6
Painted Lady x 3
Small Copper x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 4
Comma x 1
Small White x 2
Peacock x 1

                                                              Peacock

                                                      Male Common Blue

                                                                   Red Admiral

Northowram today

Put some old fruit out on Sunday and today had my first butterfly a Speckled Wood .Down the lane there were 2 x Small White , Red Admiral x 5 and 3 Peacock..

Rishworth

Following up from the last post with a strange mystery moth on here is the only other picture I have Andy.

Rishworth

ID?                                        Strange one this....

Rishworth Butterflies

Flying around the garden at the moment:                               (Tuesday 10th September)

Small Tortoiseshell x2
Peacock x6
Red Admiral x3
Painted Lady x8
Small White x3
Large White x2

Northowram 8th September

Small Copper x 2
Small Tortoiseshell x 18
Speckled Wood x 11
Painted Lady x 3
Peacock x 1
Green veined White x 1
Large White x 2
Small White x 15

Rishworth

Moth Night of Saturday 7th September

Very Little in the trap after the grass frost came this morning.

List of Species

Centre-Barred Sallow x1*

Angle Shades x1

Large Yellow Underwing x1

* First Centre-Barred Sallow this year.

                                                     Large Yellow Underwing

                                                                Centre-Barred Sallow

                                                     Angle Shades

Lee Mount - 6th and 7th September

One or two selected species from the last 2 nights.

 Setaceous Hebrew Character - looking a bit worn but it's a first for here this year

 Devils Coach-horse Beetle

First one I've had here for many years, and I accidentally trod on it in the dark (ouch... I heard something crunch!!!). When I looked down with the torch it had it's abdomen curled up and I managed to get a shot of before it crawled down a crevice in the path. Hope it's ok but it looks to have a bit of damage.

 Black Rustic

Silver Y (tonight -nectering on Sedum)

Rishworth

 Moth Trap Night 6th September 2019 
Had to bring the trap in at 10:00 as drizzle came and thought I wouldn't risk it. Very little in the trap at that time.

List of Species

Parasitic Wasp x1

Beetle x2

ID x3

Large Yellow Underwing x1

                                                      Id Above

                                                   Id Above;Same moth as below

                                                   Id Below

Lee Mount - 5th September

Not much overnight with 5 Large Yellow Underwing and 2 Pink-barred Sallow which was only the second record for here. Two very similar moths.

 Pink-barred Sallow