Lee Mount - 20th March

A little better this morning from overnight being a bit milder but it's colder again tonight, and windy so it will be a struggle !
Common Quaker x 3
Small Quaker x 2
Hebrew Character x 1
Clouded Drab x 1

Sorry had to cancel tonight last minute....at Crags..

Rishworth - CF update

I emailed CF some pictures of the larvae and he thinks the highest likely of what they are is Anomalous. Good news though. I believe this is the first Rishworth  Anomalous..

Butterfly sighting

1 peacock butterfly in field above Sun Wood, Coley/Shelf this morning in the sunshine.

Crags friday night

Usual spot tomorrow 7 on-wards......
Small Tortoiseshell in garden today at Northowram and a Peacock reported from Cold Edge Dams..(thanks Pete S)...and 7 Heralds in Bare Head tunnel....

Lee Mount - 18th March

Decent conditions in the evening, still cool but not a lot of activity despite the cloud cover and not a breath of wind late on.
Clouded Drab x 2 (both new ones)
Small Quaker x 1
Tortricodes alternella x 1

Small Quaker

Rishworth - The field Opposite the house.

I went back out into the field again and took a look for caterpillars and ended up with 6 of them, a mottled grey and a square spot/six striped rustic.....

                                                There were 7 of the above, they are up for ID
                                                 again looking like Anomalous, there were 6
                                                  brown form, 1 green form.

                                                       This looks like a Square spot/six striped rustic

Lee Mount - 17th continured

2 so far tonight but the wind is blowing hard so might have to shut down soon.
Agonopterix heracliana x 1
Tortricodes alternella x 1 (revised from incorrect i d Diurnea fagella)

 Agonopterix heracliana including view of curved back palps (below) - not noticed these before !

Revised - see comments to Tortricodes alternella with not a lot to go on other than folded wings and some faint markings and dark spots

Rishworth - A caterpillar and a possible Mottled Grey in the field opposite the house.

I went over to the field opposite the house that is full of moorland grasses looking for any larvae and lo and behold I found this first instar Caterpillar, we thought it was Anoumalous or Neglected Rustic from the new caterpillar guide.... Found at around 300m....

up for ID it is on its side on these two pics

Also while checking for more larva I found what I think is a mottled grey in the grass

Widdop

Found this on the high moors (430m) near Widdop reservoir today ..looks like Neglected Rustic but not 100% with the state of it......

Lee Mount - 17th March

Clouded Drab x 1 in the trap this morning. Only getting one at a time but no matter. One is better than nothing !

 Clouded Drab

16th March

First Comma and  Small Tortoiseshell today and also Peacocks reported as well. Fox Moth cats have been seen and the next two weeks are perfect for Orange Underwing .......Crags this Friday night again if all goes well....

Rishworth - Orthosia No"2

Moth Trapping Session 14th March 2020
The second Orthosia of the year. A sign of things to come!

List of Species
Small Quaker x1

Small Quaker

My sugar for moths recipe

I just thought because I had nothing else to do I would share my variable sugar recipe for painting on trees etc. To attract moths.

A can of Mackesons Stout or west indies porter.
A 1/4 a bottle of cheap rum
A good amount of  black treacle
A lot of brown sugar

And put on a low heat for half an hour.

Anyone got other recipes?

What species

Seen indoors today. Probably very common but interested to know the species.

Crags 13th March 2020

Yellow Horned x 6
Satellite x 2
Chestnut x 3
March Moth x 1
Oak Beauty x 2
Small Quaker x 5
Common Quaker x 1
Agonopterix sp x 1

Rishworth

Nothing tonight. It was absolutely freezing here compared to the Crags....

Lee Mount - 11th March

Hebrew Character x 1 in the trap - nothing else !

Friday 13th (what could go wrong)

We are planning to run a trap at Hardcastle Craggs Car park on Friday 13th 6.30 - finish...all welcome..in recent year this has proved to be a good time for spring species in the craggs///....

Lee Mount - more from 7th

March Moth x 3 then with the forecast as it was I closed the trap down around 11:30 pm.
Last night - the lower one baffled me for a while (it doesn't take much !)

I'm not very familiar with this top one though I see Edward seems to get them fairly regularly.

 Tortricodes alternella

I puzzled over this one for a while, probably because I wasn't expecting these just yet. I finally came to a conclusion - which I hope is right.

Common Quaker