Moth Report ...

 Some great comments from WYES..recieved today

  I think it is a superb and very accessible account of moth diversity and abundance in Calderdale; I especially like the details on food plants & good places to see particular species. Gordon Jackson’s poem made me smile.

It must have taken a great deal of work to compile - and that is before the great number of hours of moth trapping and recording by you and the other contributors are taken into account.

 

It has now been added to the  WYES reference library?

 

Lee Mount - 10th/11th July

Last night out with a torch - 5 Silver Y's nectering on Erysimum, Valerian and Verbena. Seem to be there most evenings recently. They are very wary, as soon as I get the camera on them they scarper and come back 10 mins later !

This morning.

Sycamore x 1 

Gothic x 1

Clouded Border x 1

Dark Arches x 9

Purple Clay x 1

Riband Wave x 4

Common Rustic agg x 2

Dun-bar x 1

Heart and Dart x 2

Brimstone Moth x 1

Flame x 1

Double-striped Pug x1

etc......

Gothic

Sycamore (22mm)

Lunar Hornet Moth

 Lunar Hornet Moth to a lure supplied by AArak at Cromwell Bottom on Sunday Morning...

Shroggs Park - Lee Mount

Managed to find a single White-letter Hairstreak on flowering privet bushes in hot sunshine this afternoon. Around the same spot where a Reed Warbler was heard singing a couple of weeks ago. My visit prompted by other finds of this species in the last few days in Northowram, Savile Park and Cromwell Bottom etc. 

Also in the same area of the park this afternoon at SE084259.

Speckled Wood x 3, Red Admiral x 2, Comma x 3, Meadow Brown x 8, Ringlet x 2, Small Tortoiseshell x 2, Small Skipper x 1 and Large White x 1

Also found one day flying moth down there - a Silver Y

Stainland.

 

2 x Eudonia lacustrata (1from day before - 1 grey. 1 brown)

2 x Marbled Beauties (1from day before)

1 x Swallowtail (from day before)

Eudonia lacustrata 

 

I'm posting the Eudonia simply because it highlights the fact that, as a rule moth and caterpillars rest with their heads in a depression. They are protecting their heads of course. The photo made me wonder how they know their body dimensions. The same is true for moth's ability to find the right place to land and blend into the background. For me, "natural selections" doesn't cut it.

Stainland (Amended).

 A nice surprise for me this morning. My first Swallowtail moth, plus two other moths. The odd shape of the Swallowtail, is a perspective distortion. I took the shot from below, with a telephoto lens.

New addition to this report, see below. 4 pm Sat. 8th July.

1 x Swallowtail

1 x Marbled Beauty

1 x White Shouldered House Moth

Swallowtail

I had a late arrival to the door today.

1 x Double Striped Pug

Double Striped Pug

Luddenden this week

 It's been a lot quieter in Luddenden this week with the only notable Moths being a Double-square spot and two Engrailed on the 1st and this Scarce Footman on the 5th (thanks to Brian for helping to confirm it).

I thought I had one last year but it escaped before I could photograph it. This is another Footman that has been increasing greatly. Also Carol found this Puss Moth caterpillar in a neighbors garden.

Stainland.

 1 x Foxglove Pug - Very worn.

Foxglove Pug

I am not having a good year with moths this year. I have a feeling that it's been poor for many mothers. I hope this picks up late this year, or next year. I know a lot of creatures are dying off in large numbers but surely not to the point when I'm getting no sightings, or just one now and then. The  nights in the village have been cold, possibly it's one reason?

White - letter hairstreaks

 At least two White letter Hairstreaks yesterday at Northowram one was on Elm and one on Oak next to Elm..100's of Meadow Brown , 3 Comma , 1 Red Admiral , Small and Large Skipper , 10 + Ringlet  nd a few freshly emerged Small Tortoiseshells .

   Sycamore , Beautiful Hook Tip , Varied Coronet and about 6 Large Elephant Hawks in the moth trap..

Hardcastle Crags

Pretty breezy for butterfly's today but managed to find one spot which was quite productive. The meadow up the track from Gibson Mill has a good mix of grasses and a couple of groups of thistles so we managed a few butterfly's there. 25+ Meadow Brown, 2 Ringlets, 3 Speckled Wood, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Large Skipper and 2 Small Skippers together. 

The latter I find a bit puzzling after checking the photos.

Small Skippers (one seems to have orange tips and the other dark tips to the antenna)

I can't think Essex Skipper but that's the best I could do in the windy conditions.

Red Admiral

Also managed a couple of moths. Common Carpet in the woodland and a Dark Arches rescued from Gibson Mill cafe.

Purple Clay and a Smoky Wainscot in the trap at home this morning.

Lee Mount and Ogden - 3rd July

Little in the trap after a breezy and cool overnight temperature with one each Uncertain, Riband Wave, Common Footman and Lozotaenia forsterana. Three Dark Arches.

A Silver Y was buzzing around in the Hebble Brook area  (SE066305) in the shelter below the res'r embankment. A few butterflies though.

Meadow Brown x 25

Ringlet x 13

Large Skipper x 3

Small Skipper x 1

Stainland.

 1 x Riband Wave - Not banded.

Shibden Valley

 Yellow Shell moth sitting in the road

Beacon Hill

 Speckled Wood 1

Lee Mount - 29th May

Plenty of the recent regulars....plus 3 nice extras, new for the year

Poplar Grey, Clay and a Clouded Border

Yellow Shell at Ogden Carrs Beck / Hunter Hill in among a lot of Meadow Browns and a few each of Ringlet, Small Heath, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Speckled Wood.

Painted Lady briefly in Lee Mount and a Small White.

Shibden Valley

 Small Skipper 2 - feeding on thyme

Bank Top

 Large Skipper female

Beacon Hill

Small Heath 1

Also: Small Skipper 1, Large Skipper 1, Ringlet +, Meadow Brown +

Lee Mount - 28th June

 Just going through this mornings moths and struggled with this micro for a while !

later confirmed as Aleimma loeflingiana 1032   49.060  (Yellow Oak Button)

I can't find this species in Andy's list of Butterflies and Moths of Calderdale or in Yorkshire Moths for Calderdale.

Also a nice Blood-vein this morning but deleted the photo by mistake.

Small Ranunculus Lee Mount - 27th June

One on the door frame last night puzzling me. I can't get further than a Ranunculus so far ! Seems to have some orange blotches dotted about it...Not very big, about the size of a Lychnis ?