Shiny App from CEH

Thought this might interest some from the CEH

You need to put in your / a  Location

Click Settings bottom Left

it will give a date option just tick current

it will ask for a number start wiith 50 till you get the jist

when it compiles click the top right x to close and see whats on your door step

I am not sure of the extent of records but

https://shiny-apps.ceh.ac.uk/whats_flying_tonight/

Butterflies today at Northowram

Ringlet x 6 (all new looking so 2nd generation just stating last week they were all very tatty)
Speckled Wood x 7
Meadow Brown x 5 ( as Ringlet)
Large Skipper x 1
Small Copper x 1
Peacock x 5
Painted Lady x 4
Red Admiral x 1
Gatekeeper x 3
Green veined White x 2
Small White x 2
Large White x 2
Small Tortoiseshell x 11
Comma x 4
14 species on a ten minute walk from the house , still not had time to look for the Hairstreaks this month......

The purple patch just got more purplier

Quite literally with this little star. At 5mm it's one of the smallest of the caloptilias, it's an Azalea Leaf Miner. This "very rare" Yorkshire moth was netted in my garden after dusk, as was another first for myself below.

Head detail of Brytropha senectella showing the pale palps and sides to the head with a dark central area.

If anyone wants any moths dissecting but can't be bothered sending them off to a proper expert I'd be more than happy to "have a go" at them - no guarantees though :-)

Stainland.

Another busy night. First off, the only photo I took in the small hours. I think it could be an Apple Ermine.  I wasn't able to get a side view/shot, due to where it had lodged itself.

I looked at all the Yponometudae that were similar to this one. I'm a bit confused. All the photos of them in Manley, show a row of small black dots at the tail, (not the right term I know). This row on ALL of them is a curve like a letter U. The extreme "points" of it are towards the head of the moth. The photo below does not show a row like that. The lowest row is composed of large dots, pointing down to the tail at each end. An inverted letter V in fact. That was a clumsy description, I'm sorry. I don't understand why this one is different to the rest. Help?

Apple Ermine. TBC,

Now for the moth count. I'm on safer ground here.

5 x Marbled Beauties.

5 x Blastobabsis sp.

4 x Edonia sp. (If it helps, Some were narrow, dart shaped. Others were noticeably larger and broader).

3 x Agriphila tristella. (One was close enough to ID. The others were just out of reach but looked exactly the same).

1 x Willow Beauty pale form. (It would fly for a few seconds, settle for a short time, then fly again. I watched the moths for 10 minutes, It did that all the time).

1 x Common Footman.

1 Lesser Yellow Underwing. (I just got close enough to get a good look, then it flew. It's a surprise when the yellow pops out. Which is the idea of course).

Also, the same as the night before, there were three medium sized brown moths flying to the light, then to me and back to the light. As I said, I spent 10 minutes watching them, hoping one for one to settle. Not a chance, I've idea what they were. Blasted things.

Stainland.

Another moth count count from their local drop in center. 2 am this time. (I do sleep occasionally, by the way).

I only have one photo. It's not a good one but OK for an ID. It the first I've seen this year.

 Udea lutealis.

Roll call now:

13 Blastobasis sp. (Mixed).

10 Marbled Beautys. (Mixed).

2 Willow Beauties. (Pale form).

1 Riband Wave Non-Banded.

1 Edonia sp. (High up).

Also, there were three medium size, mid-brown moths. They didn't want to sit still, simply flew round the light me for 10 minutes. No idea what they were. 

so, including those 30 moths again.

Dark Green Fritillary and Cacao Moth

The best period in my garden since the migrant madness of 2006! It continued with this amazing sight from my bedroom where these two photo were taken. I thought six Painted Lady's on the same Buddleia was great -  then I managed to pick out this beauty.

Continuing on from the Ephestia species netted in my garden earlier this week I decided to have a go and dissect it. Quite a long, draining experience for such a tiny moth but it was worth it as it turned out to be a female Cacao Moth - another first for myself.

Slide preps guided by the illustrations in Goater's Pyralid book. Seems all I had to go on were the minute spines in the anterior half of the Ductus Bursae where as the False Cacao Moth has only a tiny patch of spines where it joins with the Bursae Copulatrix.

Spines enlarged below.

Just over 50 species recorded in the garden by day and wandering around with a net by night. Four of which were lifers - even had a Hedgehog for the first time in many years........

Lee Mount - 2nd August

Garden watch on and off during the day

Painted Lady x 5 on Buddleia at one point though 4 most of the day
Small White x 6
Large White x 2
Peacock x 1
Large Skipper x 1
Comma x 1
Ringlet x 1
Meadow Brown x 1

Also I'm stilll trying to confirm Purple Hairstreaks, maybe 3+  fluttering around the top of the oak at the back of the house again late afternoon. Tricky looking up into the light. I guess that's what they are but need to be 100% sure. I'll keep trying...!!!!

Withens Gap / Cold Edge

From yesterday I found these caterpillars feeding on nettles. They don't look very appetizing!! but I guess these will be Pupa by the time any juvenile Cuckoo's arrive !

 Peacock butterfly larvae

Loads of Butterflies yesterday between Withens Gap and Haigh Cote, above Cold Edge dams. Loads of nettles and thistles along the track and warm sunshine makes a big difference to the outcomes.

Estimates.........
Small Tortoiseshell x 66 and counting....
Peacock x 1
Small White x 2
Large White x 1
Green-veined White x 20
Small Skipper x 16
Large Skipper x 17
Ringlet x 43
Meadow Brown x 50
Small Heath x 4
Painted Lady x 2
Antler Moth x 1
Wainscot sp...probably Common (?) x 2
Common Hawker Dragonfly x 1 headed over towards Warley Moor

Stainland.

I just popped in here,and thought I'd brighten the day after all the rain. Below is my reworking of the Gatekeeper I took a few days ago.

Gatekeeper.

Stainland.

Andy and Colin ID'd what I thought was a Large Yellow Underwing, as a Common Rustic. I've corrected it lower down the page.

Quite a busy night at Gordon's moth cafe. Recorded at 3 am. Numbers first, the images.

11 x Blastobasis sp.
4 x Marbled Beauties.
4 x Eudonia sp. (Mixed).
2 x Common Footman. (I've never seen so many as I have this year,)
2 x Willow Beauty. (1 dark, 1 light form).

Now the images.
Most of these photos were taken with my FZ72, this meas using the zoom from about 8 feet away. The camera does not like zooming at close distance and soon can't focus. I have to crop the images. Some turn out as poor images, sorry.

Another first for me. A Dun Bar, and quite  pretty.

Dun Bar.

I think this is a Large Yellow Underwing, but am not sure. 

Common Rustic.

I know that people will see the next and all will know what it is. Except me. I didn't find one that looked like it, when trying to get an ID. It seems very delicate and ethereal, almost translucent. I'm sure it's common...

ID Needed please.

I'd forgotten we had to go out this morning. I've just be reminded, oops! I hadn't time to ID this and it's a poor shot. I wondered if is was a Carpet, I don't know. I just wanted to get this post out, before I get my wrists slapped, (again). It's a hard life. :-)d I hope it's recognisable.

ID Needed.

Butterfly's

Loads of Painted Ladys   , Peacocks , Small Tortoiseshells , Comma and all 3 Whites today in Northowram . The second generation of Small Coppers are out with at least 3 today , Gatekeepers 4 , Speckled Woods 6 + ,2 Red Admiral ,  Meadow Brown still looking in good condition but Ringlets are looking very tatty........Did not get time to look for Hairstreaks...........

Lee Mount - recent's

It's been hectic recently with lots of moths in and around the trap.
2 Willow Beauty last night was nice but won't list the rest here other than two  specials from the last few days.

 Single-dotted Wave - only the fourth record here so it was a pleasing result on 29th July

A new moth for me this morning, thanks for the confirmation Andy - Barred Red - a lovely looking moth.

Small Clouded Knot-horn

Following on from the Phycitodes species I netted in the garden last week I decided that I would have a go at dissecting it myself as I had found another two days later so I had a spare - what could possibly go wrong?

Nothing as it turns out, I was very pleased with the results. It was a female, not the easier male as I hoped for but I think the prep below is pretty diagnostic of P.saxicola and not maritima as had been suggested. There are some illustrations at the back of the new micro book by Sterling et al.

Even better was to come on the garden moth front this week when I netted what I think is one of the Cacao moths. A worn female, it may be the rare False Cacao Moth or hopefully the less rare Cacao Moth which I haven't seen yet - just wondering whether to dissect this one as well.........

Stainland.

I we were just off to bed when I spotted a  Willow Beauty (Pale form). I had to take it, seeing that it was kind enough to show up, after I'd snapped it's dark form this morning. I've never seen both forms in such a short time before.

Willow Beauty - pale form.

Stainland.

Moth count numbers first, at 3 am this morning. (At 8 am, there were just 5 moths left). Then some images from breakfast time.

4 x Common Footman.
2 x  Marbled Beauties.
7 x  Blastobasis sp. (I could clearly see one or two B. lacticolella and B. adustella) the rest were too high up to define.
1 x Riband Wave - Banded form.
2 x Edonia sp. (Too high for photos at the time).

A Willow Beauty, (dark from) arrived during the morning. I was wondering when they would arrive here.

Willow Beauty.

Willow Beauty detail.

Here is where I trip up. I think I have IDd the next one correctly. I did a lot of reading about these moths. So...

Agriphilla tristela TBC.

Dark Green Fritillary

Taken on WHiteholme drain today .....by Dave Franz...Brilliant thanks Dave

Stainland.

3 x Blastobasis adustella.

1 x Common Footman.

1 x Marbled Beauty (brown form).

The Riband White from yesterday is still there.

Stainland. Moth survives Monsoon.

It's 8:30 pm. Anne found one Riband Wave - Non Banded, on the door. It was not there a while ago, before I took the recycling out. This moth deserves a medal. It flew here during at least 4 hours of non-stop, torrential rain. I didn't notice any let-up in it anyway. Amazing!

 Riband Wave Non Banded.

Stainland.

I should have posted these three days ago, I forgot.  The butterfly was on the wall in the garden. The two moths were in our hall. As I got near the underwing, it started to fly and disappeared. It was the only shot I got of it. At least i got to see it's colour.

Small Tortoiseshell.

Lesser Yellow Underwing. 

As far as I can tell, the next is a Dark Arches.

Dark Arches.

Sat 27th July 2019 Weather

Sat 27th July 2019 - Down at the Bottom ????? ( Cromwell )   CANCELLED We live to surface another day


Possibly a good night for Lampropteryx suffumata and Acentria ephemerella