Copley garden

Not a moth or butterfly, but nice to be out in the sun today in the garden and have 2 honey bees feeding on flowers. Also a few wolf spiders battling and stalking each other.

LYU

Had this wandering around the garden wall yesterday , the first of the year.

Early Moths

70.282 BF1960 Early Moth Theria primaria a Spring sp Wonder if any one will stumble on one this year they dont appear  widely reported but probably about

http://calderdalemoths.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/early-moth.html

Proofreader needed

Hi all , I have been putting together the updated version of the Moth and Butterflies of Calderdale (including the first micro List)  . I have done all i can and now need someone to give it a read and pull out all the spelling / grammer mistake. (anyone who knows me  will know there will be many ). Any help greatly accepted .leave message below if you can help.....

Sloth Moth

Feeling Lethargic after Xmas ?

Consider the Coprophagus Sloth Moth Cryptoses choloepi,

Not Strictly in Calderdale but I thought this rather obvious example of adaption might reflect a wider lesson of  some of the more subtle adaptions of moths that go unsung throughout the UK and adds to philosophy that it is what we dont know thats counts. So think twice before we Chop it , Cut It , Kill it , Alter it or Remove it !!!!

Its wing markings admirably marked for living amongst the fur of Sloths were  subsequently Larvae feed on dung.The larvae of the sloth moth, Cryptoses choloepi, live in the dung of the three-toed sloth, Bradypus infuscatus. Adult female moths apparently leave the fur of the sloth to oviposit when the sloth descends, once a week, to the forest floor to defecate.

25th Dec 2017

Just finished a Royal Christmas Dinner.  Not being far from my mind most of the time, I thought I should send seasons greetings to those moth people I've had the pleasure to have met and to those I have not met. Merry Christmas to all.

Here is one of my Christmas deigns for this year.

Ho Ho Ho!

Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas To All on the Blog and I suppose as close as you can get to a Santa Moth

LikelyTrosia nigropunctigera 

Maybe  a moth is not what you would "expects from an empty Santa Sack :-) But if you are a Calderdale Moffer its truly a Gift

Best wishes & Seasons Greetings to All those Creatures of the Night known Collectively as "The Calderdale Moffers "

UK Butterflies.........

merry X -mas

How to Moth an Egg

Ingredients

2 Northern Eggars
Burnished Brass with a lid
Clouded Silver Saucepan
Ruby Tiger Tablespoon
Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing
True Lover’s Knot timer

Method

1. cover the eggs with Chevron by about ½-inch
2. Then quickly but gently Swallow Prominent one at a time using a Feathered Ranunculus
3. Now switch a on Conformist, and give the Drinker exactly 1 min
4. remove the Great Brocade from the heat using the Dark Dagger. 

6 mins will produce a soft White Plume
7 mins will produce a firmer, more creamy Frosted Orange

by Winston Powes...........

Lee Mount - 21st December

Still up to 3 Winter Moths about in the last few days and yesterday a nice Mottle Umber also turned up - and still there on the pebble-dashing all day today.

Mottled Umber

Lee Mount - 18th December

2 Winter Moths tonight near the light in the porch. The first moths here  since 2 in the same place on 3rd December.

10th December

Hi,

As it's still quiet on the moth front, I thought I'd post an image I created two hours ago. It's supposed to represent a moth in flight and the air turbulence around it's wings. I hope you don't mind.

 Moth in Flight.

Bare Head Tunnel

Just 7 Heralds today in Bare head Tunnel............................

HELP needed ....................Tree Planting.....

The Friends of Roils Head

Tree Planting!

Roils Head Moor

next to Bridleway Hx 548

(at the top of Broadley Road and Rye Lane)

1.30pm – 3pm

Saturday 2 December 2017

The FoRH (with Calderdale MBC Countryside Team) will be planting a Woodland Trust Tree Pack along the moor side of the Bridleway. To create a natural hedgerow and to establish more food sources for wildlife in the area. Creating a living legacy for future generations.

All are welcome to come and help!

Please wear appropriate clothing

We love Ragwort ...............18th November.

Hi everyone. As this is a quiet time for moths, I thought I would post links to two sites which disprove all the myths about the dangers of ragwort. They also demonstrate that the supposed large number of horses that ragwort, is "known" to have killed, to be untrue.

The ragwort issue surfaces regularly and not enough people know the real truth about it. I found the first site about three years ago, it makes for compelling reading. It's a shame that this information is not more widely known. But then, some of the "Ragwort-is-evil-and-must-be-eradicated" brigade, are high profile people, with easy access to getting their hysterical comments into the eye of the media.

The first link disproves the myths about ragwort. The second link looks very carefully at the statements made by the BHS - British Horse Society. It clearly shows the false premises and dodgy "statistics" about horse deaths by ragwort.

http://www.ragwortfacts.com/ragwort-myths.html

http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/blog2/blog241114.htm

Spread the good word for ragwort people!

15th November.

By the door this morning I spotted what for all the world looked like a lump of fluff about 1 inch long. It looked almost like a scrap of rag. As far as I could tell, it was grey and dark grey, with a yellow/buff part near the tail end. I got the ladder to photograph it. Once I was up it, the thing had gone. Blast! I'd looked at it from floor level for about 1 minute.  I can only think it may have been a December moth, (another one I'd love to see). I wasn't close enough to get a good look. I hope it returns.

However, on the fanlight was my first ever Mottled Umber. I did get some photos of this one. Yet another "common" moth I'd never seen!

Mottled Umber.

Door moths

A couple of moths from recent weeks, both found on doors, but they are both causing me problems with the ID. Any help would be appreciated.

 Moth 1. Seen 4.11.17 - Ogden Water

Moth 2. Seen 11.11.17 - Copley

Stainland, 8th November

About 8 pm I found this rather bland moth on the fanlight. That's in spite of the cold and the gusty wind. I don't know what it is, can anyone help, please?

November agg.
Thanks for the ID Andy.

Lee Mount - 5th November

Yesterday on the outside door frame - I think this looks like Pale Brindled Beauty - perhaps a bit early so need to check please !

 

 

Also today 6th from Swales Moor, Ringby Lane, a Red Admiral >W over the top of the hill late morning

29 October

Just one Angle Shades moth today, it looked like the others I saw this year, so I didn't bother to post an image.

I forgot to say that I was surprised to find any moths in view of the strong, gusting wind, rain and cold. It's a hardy moth!