Dingy Shell Luddenden

    another Dingy Shell here in Luddenden last night

    the second record here. The other was 11th July 2018. The only previous record was in 1897.

Mixenden

Best I could get with this Wall that was around a dusty track near the reservoir this morning. It wouldn't stay still for more than a few seconds !

Also on Hunter Hill. Pretty misty and cooler so not a lot about other than a few Green-veined Whites and one each of Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Small Heath.

Also still quite a few Antler Moths 'buzzing' around the grass areas along with a Silver Y

Large blue butterfly reintroduced in Gloucestershire

 Good news:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-53756141

Micro query

 Any thoughts on these two ?

One on the 7th and one on 12th August

Thinking maybe they are both  Eudemis profundana

Lee Mount - 13th August

 Busy night again with a lot in and around the trap this morning. A few micro's to work through in due course. I'll wait for a wet day.

Any help with this one. It looks impaired but it flies very well as it came back two nights running. I can't work it out !! Looks a bit dark for Neglected Rustic.

Square -spot Rustic - unless proven otherwise 

Purple Thorn on Buddleia

Scarce Silver-lines 

Three of these which I suspect are Trachycera advenella (other book suggest them as Acrobasis advenella)

Rishworth - 9th and 12th August - Overnight Moths - Neglected?!

 Two nights worth of moths in this moth post, I have been slacking (Well actually avoiding new Blogger interface) in doing my posts so I'll shift it and do something. Anyway, Enjoy..........

I was really pleased with the vivid red on the Neglected Rustics, very beautiful...

Moth Trap 9th August:

Ear Moth Agg. x2 [NFG]

Ruby Tiger x1 [NFG]

Rosy Rustic x1 [NFY]

Ling Pug x1 [NFG]

Mother of Pearl x1

Riband Wave x3

Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing x13 

Lesser Yellow Underwing x8

Large Yellow Underwing x59

Dark Arches x12

Dotted Clay x13

Square Spot Rustic x6

Six Striped Rustic x7

Small Rivulet x1

Common Carpet x4

Marbled Beauty x2

Common Rustic Agg. x7

Yellow Shell x1

Common White Wave x1

Bird Cherry Ermine x27

Smoky Wainscot x7

Common Wainscot x4

Moth Trap 12th August:

Mouse Moth x1 [NFY]

Neglected Rustic x2 [NFG]

Brown China Mark x1 [NFG]

Silver Y x1

Lempke's Gold Spot x1

Marbled Beauty x12

Lesser Swallow Prominent x4

Dotted Clay x18

Smokey Wainscot x7

Small Fan Footed Wave x1

Riband Wave x3

Large Yellow Underwing x212

Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing x3

Lesser Yellow Underwing x11

Northern Spinach x1

True Lovers Knot x1 - Getting worn now.

Antler Moth x39

Square Spot Rustic x13

Six Striped Rustic x8

Bird Cherry Ermine x28

Dark Arches x17 

Pebble Hook Tip x1

Small Phoenix x4

Ling Pug, Rishworth, 9th August

Neglected Rustic, Rishworth,12th August

Neglected Rustic, Rishworth, 12th August

Stodfold area - 12th August

 From Mixenden Reservoir to Ogden golf course.

Lots of butterflies around there this morning especially where thistles and ragwort are in flower. Green-veined White was the dominant one with a mix of the expected species including 6 Small Skippers and lots of Antler Moths flying about low over the dew covered grasses.

Small Copper - found 3 of these

Speckled Wood on Himalayan Balsam

A few from yesterday

 

Lee Mount - 12th August

 Nearly 300 moths this morning 23+ species  - then I lost count and still working through them especially some micro's but sometimes it's difficult to reach a conclusion and they get 'put to bed' !

Dominant species Eudonias x 80, Large Yellow Underwing x 64, Marbled Beauty x 56, Dun-bar x 24

The best were these three - wish I could get a few more 'Carpets' here !

Common Carpet - reluctant to open it's wings

Flame Carpet

Six-striped Rustic

Tachystola acroxantha (11 of these including these 5)

Lee Mount - 10th August

 We very rarely see these here but one turned up on the Echinacea and I managed to get the upper and underwing.

Gatekeeper

December Moth

 Keep a trap out this winter... Interesting how it avoids Calderdale when we have plenty suitable habitat...

Lesser- Swallow Prominent - update...

 On 29th July I did a post on a partial success of 4 Lesser Swallow Prominents emerging and flying off on 27th July after the eggs were laid on 27th April. I went through the process etc on that posting.

I was left with the potential of a further seven that did not emerge. I checked them today, as I thought they might have gone off or been victims of a parasite or fungus. I emptied the boxes of seed/cuttings compost and found 4 pupa and another 3 still wrapped in compost. They looked ok but how could I tell ?. The pupa moved when I touched them !!! that was a surprise, to me anyway.

I re-potted them at around 20mm depth with the same depth beneath them - so see what happens now ??

Leaves me with some questions - why didn't these emerge at the same time as the others when they all pupated on or around the same date ? When will they emerge - this year / next year? We'll see !!!

7 Pupa with three still 'wrapped up' after they buried themselves in the compost on c15th June

These ones moved when I touched them today !! (c20mm)

Empty cases from the 4 that emerged on 27th July

What now??

 We have had a number of elephant hawkmoth caterpillars that we have reared over the summer. It has been great for the kids to see them munching through mounds of rosebay willowherb and changing from tiny little caterpillars to honking great caterpillars and then to cocoons. But now they have changed to the cocoon what should I do with them. At present they are on some trays of soil in a butterfly house in the cellar. Really they need to go in the garage as this should have a constant temp over the winter, but do they remain on the top of the soil, should I burrow them in soil, hand them up or what.... thanks.

tiny little caterpillars

growing a bit bigger

changing colour

posing for the camera

happy boy and caterpillar

cocoons

 

Lee Mount - 10th August

Usual fare more or less this morning with a surplus of Marbled Beauty x 25 (record for here). Also a Shuttle-shaped Dart last night briefly but nowhere to be seen this morning.

Pale Mottled Willow x 3

Pale Mottled Willow No 1

Marbled Beauty x 25

Pale Mottled Willow No2 (No 3 evaded the camera)!

Stainland.

 My first Blastobasis adustella of the season.

Blastobasis adustella

After my little paddy yesterday, about the rubbish new Blogger interface, it's worked perfectly today. I didn't do anything differently to yesterday. I've noticed that Gmail's new spellchecker is wonderful - sometimes. At others, is seems to revert to the old, poor one. Occasionally, it isn't available at all. I'm glad this is the age of computers. Come Google, sort it out.

Stainland. Moth catchup form 6th & 7th August.

Circumstances beyond my control, prevented me from posting the moths from a few days ago. I've combined both posts in one, with seperate records for each day.

6th. Aug.

First, my pride and joy. A new one for me, Pyarusta purpuralis. It has wonderful colours. I was so pleased to see it on the fanlight.

Pyarusta purpuralis.




Common White Wave.




Twenty Plume.


1 x Brimstone.

11 x Morbled Beauties.

2 x Blastobasis lacticolella.

1 x Eudonia lacustrata.

2 x Eudonia sp. (Unidentified. Unable to reach them at the time).

1 x Common White Wave.

1 x Common Footman.

1 x Twenty plume.

-----------------------------------

7th Aug.


A warm night producves a variety of moths.

Photos first again.




V Pug. (worn).



Willow Beauty.

I have NO ieda what the next moth is. It's quite worn. Also, I wondered if the colouring was iridescence caused by the flash. I looks art all the possible moths it could be, but couldn't make it fit. I was roughly the size of a Eudonia but over all was wider. ID for this one please.

ID needed please.

Also:

 2 x Brimstones.

7 x Marbled Beauties.

3 x Blastobasis lacticolella.

 

Note about 8th Aug.

I still have the Common White Wave, Common Footman. Twenty plume, one Brimstone and six Marbled beauties. It's a safe bet they are some of the ones which have been here for a few days.

 

Now, about the new bog interface. This post has just take me three hours to do. That is ridiculous. I was going to put my next post on my own blog. It will have 24 images. It's the images which caused all the trouble I had today. This new interface no longer inserts an image right and in the middle (left and right space-wise). It imports a large image, filling the area almost to the editor margins. When viewed in preview mode, the right hand third of the image has been chopped off. Making the image smaller in increments lets you(eventually) see it all. I am unable to left-right justify the text or the image. It seems to default to left justification. Then I discovered that there is a BIG space between each image. Correcting that, throws the text out. removing formatting meaning I start again, sometimes it works, sometimes not. Has anyone worked out how this thing works? It's driven me to distraction. I'm temped to give up with my own blog. HELP! 

Lee Mount - 9th August

Not a lot after a cooler night and a NE wind but among the regulars were three nice ones for here arrived last night outside the trap but all gone this morning - or hiding away !

Angle-striped Sallow

Dingy Footman

Grey Chi

8th August 2020

 Well what a day that turned out to be , Black Arches a new species for Calderdale , Silver Washed Fritillary new to Calderdale (and the 26th species this year) and now regular in Yorkshire !! So its fingers crossed on the Thyme Pug and its 3 new species in a day..Well done AzM , DJS (MB) and EE...

PUG ALERT

AC I only just saw your comment and had already sent it to CF, he had already replied. He said 'The pug looks extremely interesting' 'it is extremely suggestive of Thyme Pug'. When I read the last line, my mind went insane! Thyme Pug? He then said a load of questions but everything seems to fit for Thyme Pug. See for yourself! Attached is my picture. 

FW 9mm!

IT FITS!

I am awaiting confirmation but just look!

POSSIBLE THYME PUG!!!!

Silver Washed Fritillary

 A surprise this afternoon when this turned up on the Buddleia. Grabbed the camera quick but a Small Tortoiseshell chased it off before I could get any better shots. Looked larger than the Small Tort' and very pale brown upper-wing was about the best it offered. It's not returned as yet.

Silver-washed Fritillery - with thanks to Matthew for pointing out the distinguishing features even though only a portion of the butterfly to go on.

Double row of spots and a silver wedge showing - best shown on the middle photo.

Fritillary species - a totally new species of butterfly for me !

Also earlier today

Painted Lady down Cold Edge Road

Antler Moths in tandum !

Skirden Clough - small quarry early on. Very warm with heavy dew, a load of these were flying about all over the place (grasses and juncus). It took me ages to get to grips with them as they hardly ever landed other than for a milli-second !. Unfortunately no net with me and they wouldn't stop 'whizzing' around though I eventually managed a lucky shot of two. 50+ at least.

Also on the track from 'The Withens' towards Ogden / Ovenden Moor I came across 7 Silver Y's - most unexpected - there could have been more.