Lee Mount- 21st September

Pouring down all day yesterday so a few butterflies turned up today in the warm afternoon sunshine.  All favouring the late flowering and much loved Verbena bonariensis.

Red Admiral x 5

Comma x 1

Painted Lady x 1

Silver Y x 1

Painted Lady

Lee Mount - last few days to 19th September

Not a great deal to report as very few moths trapped on the whole.

This micro had me 'foxed' for a while but pretty sure it's a Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) with the raised brown tufts. Seems to be living up to it's name variegana !

A nice surprise on 17th was this - 2nd record for here...

Dark Sword-grass (23mm)

This morning (19th) it was back to 13  Large Yellow Underwings, 2 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 3 Copper Undewings agg along with a  Light Emerald and these two below...

Black Rustic

Feathered Thorn

Early afternoon a Hummingbird Hawkmoth was another surprise. Firstly on Phlox flowers then onto Verbena bonariensis then it was off before I could get the camera and it did not seem to re-appear.

Also today 2 Red Admirals and a Large White - again on the Verbena b...

Ogden

Speckled Wood 1

Red Admiral, 1 of 2

Lee Mount - 10th Sep

 Not a lot to report from the last few days with the cooler nights.

Still getting Large Yellow Underwings (up to 16 on 10th) and the odd Square-spot Rustic.

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing this morning, a Brimstone Moth, Double-striped Pug and Silver Y. 

            Also this morning

Pale Mottled Willow

Tinea semifulvella (Orange-tipped Nest Moth)

Ypsolopha sylvella ( Long-barred Ochre) it was dead.

Pink-barred Sallow from 6th Sep

Lee Mount - 2nd September

Not  a lot doing with the moth trap this morning other than Large Yellow Underwings x 21, Copper Underwing agg x 3, Square-spot Rustic x 3, Beautiful Plume x 1 and  Light-brown Apple-moths x 4.

Butterflies continue during these sunny warm days with plenty of nectering opportunities. This Painted Lady appeared early on with the sun behind it.

As the day progressed others appeared in the garden with Red Admiral, Large and Small Whites, Speckled Wood, Comma and Peacock. The Painted Lady stayed most of the day on the Verbena bonariensis.

A Small Copper was along Ringby Lane near Ploughcroft's ski-slope.

Lee Mount - 24th August

 Three days running with another new moth this morning. Struggled hard to get a half decent photo of the Epinotia !

Epinotia nisella or Brindled Poplar Tortrix

Also of note...

Ruby Tiger

Rosy Rustic

Still plenty Large Yellow Underwings x 60, Lesser Yellow U/w x 5 and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow U/w x 3.

Small Phoenix x 1, Flame Carpet x 2, Common Marbled Carpet x 1, Vine's Rustic x 1.........plus a few other sp..

Also 2 reports today of  a migratory species Clouded Yellow butterflies - with 1 from near Barkisland (MH) and 2 from an allotment site near Salterhebble (WG).

Lee Mount - 23rd August

 What ... another new one for here, the second one this week following the Pale Prominent !!

Neglected Rustic

Also this morning

                                                     Canary-shouldered Thorn

 

Lee Mount - 22nd August

Always a bit special turning up a new moth, At first sight I wondered which end was the head end !! It soon became clear.....

Pale Prominent

A reasonable mix of other species included ...

Angle Shades

Common Wave

Mouse Moth (5 of)

Lee Mount - 19th and 20th August

Pretty sure these are Vine's Rustic.

Only 2 records here previously, of singles 18/8/22 and 9/9/23

Then these in the last 2 days - seem to be on the increase locally ?

These 2 on 19th and deposited over a mile away !

2 of the 5 here this morning

Not much else variety recently though still getting plenty of Large Yellow U/W, Lesser-yellow U/W and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow U/W. Also Square-spot Rustics and a few Copper Underwing agg plus a number of other species........though very few micros.

Lee Mount

Not a lot to report from the moth trap from last week.

Plenty Large Yellow Underwings, Dun-bar, Square-spot Rustic and 13 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing on 17th. Also a couple of nights inundated with wasps, many not very happy as I emptied the trap in the mornings, so gave it a miss a couple of nights.

These three below from the 12th.

Six-striped Rustic (found dead in a spiders web, still identifiable)

Oak Hook-tip

Pyrausta aurata (Mint Moth)

Plenty butterfly's last week and a decent show of Wall Browns from various upland locations.

11 Red Admirals today in a solitary white-flowered Buddleia near Ogden this afternoon was a bit special.

Blackstone Edge

Fox Moth caterpillar

Also, Small Heath 1

Charlestown Road

Painted Lady 1

 

Lee Mount - 7th August

 Best this morning an was an Orange Swift. Still getting lots of Large Yellow Underwings with 44 today along with fading Dun-bars, Bird-cherry Ermines and a few other recent 'regulars'.

Orange Swift

Still plenty of activity on the Buddleia with 3 Red Admirals, 1 Peacock, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 5+ Large Whites

Painted Lady yesterday from SC's garden Buddleia.

Beacon Hill

Gatekeeper 1

Speckled Wood 1

Beacon Hill

Gatekeeper 7 (!), Speckled Wood 1, Red Admiral 1

lee Mount - 27th July

One special moth this morning, it flew out of the trap as I opened it. Luckily, followed it as it landed on the wall underneath a fuschia.

Blood-vein (4th record for here)

Also last night, out with the torch, found 7 Varied Coronet pupa on the Sweet William seed heads. Growing fast now, just short of 30mm.

Lee Mount - 26th July

 First of this season Copper Underwing agg this morning..x 2 of.

Also a nice Purple Bar (losing it's purple) and couldn't get it in a nice spot for a photo so it had to go with the egg box writing !

Ringstone Edge

Speckled Wood 2

Varied Coronet update.

I've been watching the Sweet Willaims as they have now almost finished flowering and are setting seed. They were visited recently by an adult moth around 1st July though I only saw one at a time over several evenings. 

A search through the seed heads this morning resulted in 2 caterpillars, quite small at no more than 15mm. Find them and then lose sight of them, they are so well camouflaged.......I did manage a few record shots - this is the best one and seems to confirm their identity.

Another look tonight - found one with what looks like its head into the seed pod. Will check again in the next few days and try get some better shots. That's if the Robin doesn't find them first !

Cold Edge....25th July

Hummingbird Hawkmoth on buddleia at Cold Edge this morning just before I started on the butterfly survey of a tetrad covering the top end of Cold Edge and Ovenden Moor. A decent count with Peacock being the most common butterfly today with Green-veined Whites - still to go through the count so will try update later.