Rishworth - Super Moon last night

I put the trap out last night thinking I wouldn't get anything and I did quite well for the lunar cycle time.. I got.....

Early Grey x1
Hebrew Character x11
Small Quaker x2
Common Quaker x2
Brindled Pug x1
Mottled Grey x1

Stainland.

I saw 7 Small Tortoiseshells on my walk this afternoon.

It was a lovely day, dressed in T Shirt and pants, enjoying the sun, the faint breeze, and listening to the bird song. It was the countryside I remember from my youth. No planes flying over, no traffic in the village, no trace of the roar from the the M62 and very few people in sight. I could get used to it.

Cromwell Bottom

Busy today in the sunshine...

Small White x 3
Orange Tip x 3 (males)
Peacock x 30 +
Comma x 3
Small Tortoiseshell x 5

2 more Brimstone reports today from Todmorden and  Lumbutts Wood ( thanks Annie and Bri Lee)
Also good numbers of Peacocks and OrangeTips from Hebden today(thanks AM, Nigel and Simon)

Garden Moths VC 63 Mon 7th April 2020

Garden Moths VC 63 Mon 7th April 2020

Weather 10-13 Dropping slow Still.

Method  Actinic 20 W

2182   Small Quaker Orthosia cruda ABH 73.245

2190 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica ABH 73.249

2190 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica ABH 73.249

Hollas Bridge

Had a quick walk round today...Kingfisher was nice to see..

Comma x 1
Small Tortoiseshell x 5
Peacock x 9

Brimstone reported from Hebden and Todmorden , male Orange Tip flying in Hebden and loads of Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells  reported from all over Calderdale today.....had a White sp flying near Shibden Park but not able to put to species.....

Copley garden butterflies

Been working from home this morning and 4 species of butterfly in the garden

Peacock
Small tortoiseshell
Comma
Orange tip (female)

Will keep an eye out for any more this afternoon.

Rishworth - Back on the anomalous!

I went over to the field opposite the house tonight at 21:00-21:30 as I didn't put the trap on tonight.. I wasn't disappointed.... Any comments welcome

Larval Search 6th April 2020
Anomalous x8 - Green Form x4
                             Brown Form x4

Shroggs Road - reclaimed landfill site - 6th Apl

Warmer sunshine today but nothing doing on the large grass area. The woodland glade was more productive being sheltered from the wind, so it was nice to find a few butterflies mostly just sunbathing on vegetation.
Peacock x 3
Small Tortoiseshell x 2
Comma x 1

Rishworth - Crazy Nights! Full report from last night.

Moth Trapping Session 5th April 2020
Ok, composure, it was VERY busy last night here.... to my one and only trap (actinic)….

List of Species
Common Quaker x22
Hebrew Character x12
Chestnut x3
Early Grey 1
Clouded Drab x4
Water Carpet x2
Brindled Pug x4
Mottled Grey x2
Early Tooth Striped x1
Twin spotted Quaker x4
Small Quaker x5
Double Striped Pug x1

Any thoughts welcome...…..

                                                    Water Carpet Above

                                                    Brindled Pug f.hirschkei

                                                         Double Striped Pug

                                                Early Tooth Striped

Rishworth - Excitement!

I don't want to overexcite anyone but a variety of Quakers and WATER CARPETS! have arrived already. The full catch report will happen in the morning.


Any thoughts put in the comments below. (Andy you said you thought we'd get water carpet here)...

 Luddenden Saturday 4th April

A quiet night in Luddenden (there was a frost at 5am this morning)

Common Quaker 2

Hebrew Character  2

Early Grey 2

Brindled Pug 1

                                          Brindled Pug

                                          

                                    
                                         Size and colour variation in Early Grey - both last night

Pupa update

I was looking at the pupa today and (it moves when light goes through it)  and the pupa is very well defined e.g antennae, eyes, wings etc. It ll probably hatch in the next fortnite...

Sunday...................

Large yellow Underwing under some leaves in the garden today , 1 Hebrew Character , 1 D.Fagella and 1 Common Quaker last night..Small tortoiseshell and Peacock in the garden this afternoon and reports of Emperor Moths on the moors today...(thanks Barry)

Rishworth - A very good night! With a possible f,nubilata.

Moth Trapping Session 4th April 2020
A very good night with a possible Mottled Grey f.nubilata.

List of Species
Common Quaker x3
Small Quaker x4
Oak Beauty x1
Clouded Drab x3
Hebrew Character x5
Mottled Grey (normal form) x3
Mottled Grey (f.nubilata?) x1

                                                       Oak Beauty above

                                        Is this f.nubilata?????

Lee Mount - 4th April

Still pretty cold, day and night so not  a lot to report.
Hebrew Character x 2
The Early Grey from 2nd April is still on the fence tonight
Last night, and still there this morning, a Brindled Pug which I'm pretty sure must be 'herschkei' judging by it's colouration - or lack of it !

 Early Grey

Brindled Pug 'herschkei' 

Rishworth - A pupa!!

While gardening we found this pupa while gardening, this is a stupid question but what is the likely species if identifiable. Any help appreciated. I think I'll send it to Reg Fry.

Rishworth last night

In the trap last night was 2 Small Quaker and a Common Quaker.

Since this weekend and all the coming weeks look good for weather I am now going to start leaving the trap out all night again as I did all last year as seen on this blog. I won't start bringing it in at 9:30 again till December.

Lee Mount - 3rd April

Early Grey x 1 last night was the only moth. It had gone this morning and just a single Common Quaker in the trap. That was it !

Stainland.

Found a very small common footman catterpillar on the wall behind our climbing rose yesterday.

Test your identification skills!

For a bit of light relief.
I wonder what species these were and would thousands of people turn up if they occurred today!

"In the month of June 1881, quite a sensation was created in the district by the extraordinary spread of caterpillars on Pendle Hill and Nick of Pendle. Swarms were also at the village of Chipping a few miles away and hens gorged themselves to such an extent that they died of repletion.

Thousands of people visited the neighbourhood to inspect these swarms.

The caterpillars had a soft cylindrical body and varied in length from three quarters of an inch to an inch and a half. They had three pairs of short, horny, thorn-like legs in the front and four pairs of false feet, or "clingers". Their colour was a dark, shiny olive, relieved with two or three thin well defined, yellow stripes along the whole length of the upper part of the body. The under portion was of a uniform lighter shade of colour. 

Naturalists differed in their designation. One was of the opinion that it was the Silver Y Moth (Plusia gamma); another contended that it was the larvae of the Antler or Grass Moth (Charoeas graminis). 

The keeper of the moor said the caterpillars were making such a fearful havoc with the herbage that the farmers were contemplating making a trench along the bottom of the moor to prevent them getting into the lowlands.

A youth gathered some in a box and exhibited them at the market in Burnley, charging a penny for the sight of them. He did fairly well until a gang of reckless young fellows burst into the penny show and scattered the insects far and wide."