Chimney Sweeper

Netted my first Chimney Sweeper of the year this morning in the garden. I have been checking over pignut on my daily walks and not seen one, then sitting the garden this morning one lands on the patio table !

Lee Mount - 13th June

 Still hardly anything here at all.....pretty dead for moths

Just three moths.

Freyer's Pug x 1 (pretty sure that's what it is)?

Ruby Tiger x 1

Light-brown Apple-moth x 1

Freyer's Pug

Cromwell Bottom

 Sandy Carpet, Ghost Moth, Peppered Moth, Anclys badiana, green carpets, Silver G carpets, Common Swift, Peach Blossom is just a small selection of moths that had arrived when we left at 1am

Cromwell Bottom Moth Night Tonight

 The moth night is in tonight, see the Cromwell Bottom blog, I'll be there

Ploughcroft and Claremount etc.

This afternoon, very hot but quite windy up there and just two species of butterfly. 
Wall x 2 on the sheltered side of the hill - they wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo
Small Heath x 10.

Earlier in the day in Ogden plantation open areas

Orange-tip x 1 male

Speckled Wood x 2

Later, down near the golf course I came across this very obliging female Orange-tip - I think the plant it was nectering on is Dames's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

Lee Mount - 11th June

 One I'm still puzzling this morning - I think I should know it.. but ........any thoughts?

15mm and smaller than Heart and Dart with very clear markings. Doesn't just fit Shuttle-shaped Dart or Turnip Moth (though I'm leaning towards the latter !)

Also this morning

Buff-tip x 1

Heart and Dart x 2

Small Phoenix x 1

Flame x 1

Clouded Silver x 1

Notocelia cynosbatella

Tachystola acroxantha x 2

Buff-tip

Clouded Silver

Stainland.

 Today, one Light Brown Apple moth.

Rishworth - 9th June - SILVER HOOK WITH CF UPDATE

 A very rare for Yorkshire moth in the trap this morning, it was trying to get out, so I took a picture through the plastic baffles, and when I tried to pot it, it flew off. Bugger. But I did get a record shot (If it even meets that standard) as you can make out the moth and it's markings. It was an absolutely beautiful moth.

Update: CF says that this is a superb record, and may have possibly come over from a population in Lancashire. He also says there are no Yorkshire records nearby, and this is the 3rd ever in VC63 and first for 51 years since 1 at Thorne Moors in 1970.  I, personally hope they start to breed here!

Elsewhere in the trap:

Pale Tussock x2

Peppered Moth x3

White Ermine x3 [NFY]

Silver Hook x1 [NFG] And Calderdale .......

Buff-tip x2

Silver Ground Carpet x3

Rustic Shoulder Knot x1

Pebble Prominent x1 [NFY]

Flame Shoulder x1

Marbled White Spot x1

Coxcomb Prominent x1 [NFY]

Lesser Swallow Prominent x1

Silver Hook, Rishworth

Rishworth - 5th June - Busy night!

 This is Saturday night's moths and it was quite busy, with another Muslin turning up.

Moth Trap 5th June:

Brimstone Moth x1 [NFY]

Green Silver Lines x1 [NFY]

Common Marbled Carpet x2

Marbled White Spot x1

Brown Silver Lines x1

Diamond Back Moth x1 [NFY]

Silver Ground Carpet x5

Purple Bar x1 [NFG]

Common White Wave x1 [NFY]

Muslin Moth x1

Bee Moth x1

Lesser Swallow Prominent x1

Buff-tip x2 [NFY]

Rustic Shoulder Knot x1 [NFY]

Flame Shoulder x1

May Highflyer x1 [NFG]

Ont'ops around Flints Moor

I have only managed one male Emperor Moth here this year so far, it seems to be scarce up here yet only a few miles away at Norland I used to see it regularly as well as finding larvae and pupa on a regular basis ?

Latticed Heath is very noticable on the moor with hundreds seen every day as I cross the moor and Manshead with the dog on our daliy hikes

Butterflies seen so far this year on the moor are : Green Hairstreak (one only) Small Heath and Small copper in small numbers most days, a few Orange tips and whites, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell

A nice varied mix in the garden MV so far but very very few micros and nothing of especial note so far in the macros. A better year to be honest than I was expecting up here after 4 months of snow and the deluge in May after the frosts in April.

SILVER HOOK

 Going through the trap here in Rishworth right now and there is a Silver Hook!!!, I only have a blurred picture but it should be enough

Stainland.

 I've just found a Bee Moth in the hall.

Ovenden 8-06-21

 ID please

News from Todmorden

 Got this fabulous photo from Cath Bakerin Todmorden..thanks 

Stainland.

 My second ever Flame Carpet is on the fanlight at the moment. This has a richer colour than the one I posted on the 25th May. Such a nice moth.


 

 

Flame Carpet

Lee Mount - 7th June

 A nice surprise this morning on the fence by the trap with a first for me. A really striking moth still on the fence at 20:15.

:

Alder Moth

Also this morning

Red-green Carpet x 1

Garden Carpet x 1

Small Phoenix x 2

White-shouldered House-moth x 1

Tachystola acroxantha x 3

Light-brown Apple-moth x 2

And another from yesterday on a small bit of heath along Rocks Lane, Ogden. There were 6 or more of these chasing around a patch of billberry and suspect by the dark colour and length of the antenna that they are probably Adela reaumurella (?)

Cold Edge

Small Heath 2

Also 2 Large Red damselflies, + another at Wainstalls

 Luddenden this week  1st to 5th June

Finally got going with these species this week

Common Pug  

Autumn Green Carpet

Knot Grass

Poplar Hawkmoth

Rustic Shoulder Knot

Scalloped Hazel

Small Phoenix

White-spotted Pug

Foxglove Pug

Pale Tussock

Grey Pine Carpet

Tawny-barred Angle

White Ermine

Buff Ermine

Ingrailed Clay

Bufftip

Green Carpet

5th June

Clouded Border

Foxglove Pug 2

Bufftip

Brown Silver-line 2

Common Pug 6

Flame Carpet

Knot Grass 2

Common Swift

White-spotted Pug

Lime Speck Pug

Double meaning of courtship song in a moth.

In case anyone is interested, I found this on line just now;

Double meaning of courtship song in a moth:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4100508/ 

Also, last night at 8:30 pm, Anne and I were sat in the the garden enjoying a glass or two of a very fine wine. We saw about ten Light Brown Apple moths, flying around each other, not two feet from Anne's head. Some of you may remember that one of Anne's brothers used to pretend he had a moth in his hands and was going to let it go in her face. She was very young, and terrified. This went on for a few years, she became frightened of moths.

Very slowly over the last ten years or so, I would show her moths sleeping in the garden. Last night was a break through, she held her hand out near the moths, hoping one would settle on her finger. As they moved a way, she put her hand near them again. Isn't that wonderful?

Right, I think I saw a post recently by Andy (?) mentioning moths dancing a courtship dance. I think he called it, "lecking". I'm not sure of the spelling and can't find the term online. Could someone please verify the term and give it's etymology? (Is it a local term, or an accepted one, in the moth world?). I'd be grateful, as I can't find a mention of it.

We had one LBA on the door this morning.

Lee Mount - 6th June

A really poor start to the day..... empty moth trap after what seemed a perfect night for them - mild and muggy. Just a pug to sort !

Then the day improved. 
A walk in the park woodland, we disturbed a Snout which came to rest on a leaf.  

Got home and saw something fluttering in the water down a rain gully. Took the grate off and pulled out a Herald. Put it on the house wall to dry out and after an hour or so it left unscathed. 

Herald - after a soaking !

Next, a butterfly in our neighbours garden. Painted Lady nectering on some ground cover Phlox. 

Then looked up and an adult Peregrine was circling overhead with what looked like a Starling in its 

talons. 

Painted Lady