Rishworth 27th June

 First full night of the trap in over 3 years! Met with a Large Emerald this morning, amongst some nice other stuff.

Moth trap 27th June:

Agapeta hamana x1

V-Pug x2

Marbled White Spot x8

Muslin Footman x9

Small Fan-Footed Wave x1

Beautiful Hook-tip x3

Straw Dot x3

Small Fan-foot x1

Minor Agg. x5

Buff-tip x5

Ingrailed Clay x7

Coxcomb Prominent x1

Barred Straw x4

Common White Wave x1

Clouded Border x4

Large Yellow Underwing x7

Buff Arches x1

Smoky Wainscot x3

Green Arches x3

Large Emerald x1

Riband Wave x3

Heart and Dart x3

Dark Arches x2

Purple Clay x1

Drinker x1

Common Footman x2

True Lovers Knot x1

Green Carpet x1

Common Carpet x1

Bee Moth x1

Double Square Spot x1

Flame x1

Single Dotted Wave x1

Snout x1

Beacon Hill

Comma 2. I see this has white tips to the antennae (like Painted Lady)

Also: Ringlet 22, Small White 1, Small Skipper 1, Large Skipper 1, Red Admiral 1

Rishworth 26th June

 I ran the trap for an hour an a bit from 23:30-01:00 ish last night and just noted down some species to come through.
Species of the 26th June 2026:

Marbled White Spot >10

Common Wave 1

Common White Wave 1

Flame >5
The Rivulet 1

Small Rivulet 1

Heart and Dart >5

Blood Vein 2

Bright line brown eye 2

Smoky Wainscot 1

Light Emerald 2

Large Yellow Underwing >5

Northern Spinach 4

Clouded Border 3

Muslin Footman 2

Minor agg. c8

Shuttle Shaped Dart c5

Bird Cherry Ermine 2

Green Carpet 3

Bee Moth 2

Knot Grass 1

Drinker 1

True Lovers Knot 1

Double Square Spot 4

Garden Moths VC63 Midsummer 21st 22nd June 2026

22 June 2026 VC63 

Buff Tip

Elephant Hawkmoth 1

Heart & Dart >10

Large Yellow Underwing

Ermine Moth (Apple/Cherry)

Latticed Heath

Light Emerald

Ruby Tigers (faded) x2

Brimstone 8

Elder pearl 2

Small Magpie 3

Buff Ermine  3

Flame

Cinnabar 3

Marbled Minor 8  Requiring Gen Det

Common Pug  

Silver Grounds Carpet x1

Common Footman 3

Ruby Tiger 2 worn

Dark Arches  >10

Part List Only 

Whiteholme

Small Heath 4

3 Dragonflies. These were flying rapidly back and forth over a small pond. My photos might be too poor for id, but I think they are Broad-bodied Chasers. I think wing spots would be obvious on Four-spotted Chaser; the body looks broad; and the abdomen of the top insect looks blue (male). I'll be glad to know any thoughts.

Lee Mount - 24th June

 Two pretty special moths this morning

Beautiful Snout - hiding away in the Yew hedge

first here since June 2023 and only the 5th record here.

Light Knot-grass

2nd record here since one on 9th May 2020

Beacon Hill

Meadow Brown 14

Small Skipper 3 (1 on buttercup)

Also: Ringlet 3, Red Admiral 1

My garden (with apologies)

Lee Mount - 21st/ 22nd June

A new species for this site a Mottled Rustic, as far as I can tell. 

Also an almost annual returner, Varied Coronet given Sweet Williams as a host plant.

Mottled Rustic

Varied Coronet

Beacon Hill

Speckled Wood 1

Beacon Hill

Painted Lady 2. I like the white tips to the antennae

Blood Vein

 Disturbed whilst filming Yellow Rattle perhaps the noise got a little bit too much for it ?  Blood Vein  A species of Low Growing Plants such as Dock the Larval Food Plant and off course thats what Yellow Rattle creates by keeping the grass down hemiparasite on roots of Poaceae and Fabaceae 

https://youtu.be/RQm_RT6EWEI

Beacon Hill

Red Admiral 1

Wall Brown

WCBS Butterfly survey last Saturday with transects over part of Cold Edge and Ovenden Moor. 

Only produced 20 butterfly's despite the nice warm sunshine and ideal conditions late morning.

2 Small Tortoiseshell

11 Green-veined White

1 Large White

1 Red Admiral

2 Painted Lady

2 Small Heath

1 Wall Brown (was the highlight)

Wall Brown

Shibden Valley

Mint Moth, Pyrausta aurata

Striped Hawkmoth

                                                                                        

 An excellent end to May 2026  for migrant moths and Butterfly's in Calderdale , It all started with a Large Tortoiseshell at Whiteholme (MH ,CH) then a Gem at Barkisland which was the first since 1966 (Charlie and AA) and then a couple of Bordered Straw one at Clock face quarry and 1 at the petrol station at Shibden Park. Masses of Painted Lady's have been seen in Calderdale and Hummingbird Hawkmoths have also been seen in gardens throughout the area. Andy Greaves found a Striped Hawkmoth during the day in Sowerby Bridge whilst gardening at Trish's house the first since 1866 !!!!!!! . Then a Striped Hawkmoth (above)  in the trap at Hedge top lane ,  25 + Silver Y's , 3 Diamond backed Moths ,and 2 Small Mottled Willow's also . Martyn at Luddenden has had 3 /4 Small Mottled Willows........

Things to keep and eye out for...Eastern Bordered Straw  and  Small Black Arches 

Cold Edge

Green-veined White. From the lack of markings on the upperwing, I think this is a male

Wainstalls

 Red Admiral

Shiben Valley Survey

Shibden Valley Survey

Yesterday I commenced a  Botanical Walk Over of the Area around Shibden Estate and onward to the base of the Upper Valley. As I was carrying quite a bit of equipment i was not as mobile as I would like . However Records will now start to populate the recording platform  Yesterdays Leps Siting a Pair of Orange Tip Butterflies  and 29th May 26 Painted Lady. Historic Records are yet to be merged with Bird , Moth and other Entomology still to be addressed. Please circulate details to widen participation  and use the Link to Add your  sightings. All those participating will receive a PDF Report  including a report on the Local History Of Shibden Valley

https://irecord.org.uk/join/shibden-valley-survey--group-feet    Link To Survey

Shibden Valley Survey  ( Link To Survey) Please message me if you have any difficulty in setting up i- record - which will provide you with a Simple Recording Form to enter sitings.

i-Record

Shibden Valley Survey  ( Link To Survey)

Aims 

1. The Aim of the survey is to provide a comprehensive list of Biodiversity in the Valley encompassing all Taxa  ( Insects Hoverflies  Bees Butterflies and Moths Beetles etc) , Birds ,  Trees and Plants 

2. To widen participation You can enter a record onto the Valley Location using i-record . and a simple recording Form on the Project Link

3. Currently ,  all records being amassed can be viewed on the i-record platform to help assess the Health of the Valley

Upper Valley 

Focuing on the Source of Shibden Brook at Ford Hill onward Down the Valley to Stump Cross and Shiibden lake

Shibden Estate

Areas around and in the Shibden estate

Lower Valley

Onward to Brookfoot via Sunnyvale with particular attention to areas around Red beck etc. Red  Beck takes a meadering course onward from Walter Clough at Sunnyvale onward to Brookfoot where it will join the canal and River Calder, and may include some of the interesting entomology found in around Sunnyvale , The Magna Via ( Dark Lane)  and Beacon Hill

 

Cold Edge

Painted Lady feeding on clover. The white tips of the antennae are visible.

Shibden Valley

Large White 2