Rambling Jax

Here we go gathering moths in May

2011-05-13T21:41:00.003+01:00

Well it looks like the lull is well and truly over as we have had several new for year species appear in the trap this week along with the inevitable trawl of Cockchafers!

The Brimstone Moth is a fabulous creature. Forget Calvin Klein - mother nature is the best designer in the world!

Swallow Prominent

One for Lee who like green moths for some strange reason - a Green Carpet.

The Flame Shoulder - though I often think that the shoulders are far less flame like than the vivid colours on the rest of the wings.

Pale-shouldered Brocade

Silver-ground Carpet

Rivulet - earlier than we've ever seen one before - that seems to be a recurring theme this year!

Ok so it's not new but there were two beautiful Pine Beauty this week.

Cinnabar - our first since 2007!

Chinese Character

Another early one - the Small Fan-foot

Last but not least, Clouded-bordered Brindle.

A good week indeed.

May Mothiness

2011-05-07T23:13:00.003+01:00

There is traditionally a lull for 2 weeks in early May when there doesn't seem to be much on the wing. The Orthosia species like Common Quaker and Clouded Drab have died out and the rest of the moth world is taking its time to get going. This year the lull seemed to come early and once again, new moths are starting to make their appearance for the year.

Heart and Dart

The stunning Broom Moth

Iron Prominent

Buff Ermine - just a week too late for the Royal Wedding!

Old Woolly Drawers himself - a very ragged Pale Tussock

This must surely be one of the hairiest moths in the UK!

Nut-tree Tussock

2011-04-26T20:40:00.003+01:00

Despite the breeze giving the impression of a chilly night the temperature remained at 8C and along with the usual suspects the moth trap contained our first Red Twin-spot Carpet and a new for both year and garden species - a Nut-tree Tussock.

What a fabulously hairy creature it is! Larval food plants are Hazel, and Downy Birch but it will also go for Beech (our garden is surrounded by it) Oak, Maple and Hornbeam.

The males are the moths most likely to come to light. I'm guessing this one is a boy judging from those huge feathery antennae.

Here kitty kitty...

2011-04-25T20:28:00.004+01:00

There was a nice not-so-little surprise in the trap this morning!

A Puss Moth

Fabulous creature. Still not too sure why they think it looks like a cat.

It does have a mighty fine set of antennae though!

Badgers

2011-04-24T22:40:00.004+01:00

The first Badger pictures of 2011.

We currently have up to three visiting the garden at any one time.

Fabulous creatures they are too.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-24T20:39:00.004+01:00

Had our first walk along the sea cut this year and were happy to spot Orange-tips, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Large and Green-veined Whites and Comma on wing.

A Robin very obligingly posed for a photograph.

There were good displays of primroses along the banks.

Back home in the garden we were unsure who to warn first - the Speckled Wood or Betsy the cat!

This morning gave us our first sighting of a Large Red Damselfly sitting on the Buddliea in the garden.

The past few moth trapping evenings have produced some new for year sightings including:

Least Black Arches

Waved Umber

Scalloped Hazel

Bright-line Brown Eye and

Streamer. The season seems to be off to a reasonable start with many moths appearing earlier than they did last year. But we're approaching the May lull so let's see what happens then.

The Latest Arrivals

2011-04-10T10:36:00.003+01:00

The warmer weather seems to have brought the moths and butterflies out over the last few days, though it has to be said that the east coast has not enjoyed the same degree of warmth or sunshine that it's inland neighbours appear to have. Warm days have been followed by distinctly cool nights so our species emergences are not as numerous.

Red Chestnut - the colour of this moth is amazing. A groundsel and bedstraw feeder.

Our first ever Early Tooth-striped. The third new species for 2011 and bringing the garden total to 422.

Pine Beauty

Water Carpet

Grey Shoulder-knot

Spring Springs Forth

2011-03-30T09:12:00.006+01:00

The new season is underway in the garden, spring flowers are sprouting, birds are singing the badgers have returned for nightly forays (two of them together this week) and the moth trap contains more Orthosia species than we've ever trapped before!

Clouded Drab

Flowers in Bloom have included:

Miniature Daffodils

Grape Hyacinths

Quince Flowers

As well as Orthosia species, the trap this morning contained this not so welcome guest!

It was pretty cross to have been

a. trapped and

b. woken up

and despite what someone just said, I don't think it's cuddly and fluffy at all!

Bombus lucorum

For my birthday I was given a new portable moth trap - it's a recurring theme! I'm not really a perfume sort of girl and I don't eat chocolate so this is a great gift for me. It's a 15W actinic black light with a heath type trap.

We gave it a trial run in the garden a couple of nights back, ran it for two hours and captured a Small Quaker and an Early Grey - not bad considering the competition from the street lights.

Look out world - here we come!!

Busy doing mothing ....

2011-03-27T00:56:00.005Z

It took a while to get going but finally the moth season has started and has brought the return of some old favourites along with the new.

Twin-spotted Quaker

Shoulder-stripe

Emmelina monodactyla

March Moth

New for garden Mottled Grey

Early Thorn

Diurnea fagella

Pale Pinion

Pale Brindled Beauty

Early Grey

Common Quaker

Clouded Drab

It's been a while ....

2011-02-06T22:19:00.003Z

But I thought I'd start the year with two unusual moth records for 2010. Both firsts for our garden.

The first is a Lunar-spotted Pinion. Never caught it before, unsurprising really as it's only the third record of the moth in Yorkshire and the first since 1990! It's larvae feed on Elm of which there are a few in the wooded area near our house which we have been fighting developers to keep and finally won the battle in 2010!

This is the Cream-bordered Green Pea and another first - this time for VC62! It looks not unlike the Green Tortrix but where that sits flat, this creature holds its wings tent-like.

Lets see what 2011 brings - nothing as yet it has to be said.

Garden delights

2010-05-31T01:07:00.003+01:00

We've had great fun over the past few nights, staying up late to watch our latest garden visitors namely a dog, vixen and their five cubs.

Fabulous creatures. the cubs are playful, one is a fearless soul, first to appear and brave enough to stick around when the badgers arrive.

One is timid, stays close to to its mum and rarely ventures away from the cover provided by trees in the garden.

The other three are half way between, skitty, jumpy when the wind blows but a delight to watch as they play.

Why oh why do humans feel the need to hunt them in such a barbaric fashion or even at all?

New Arrivals

2010-05-31T00:45:00.010+01:00

Lots of new moths appearing over the last two weeks.

Esperia sulphurella - new for garden

Pseudoswammerdamia combinella

Dwarf Pug - new for garden

May Highflyer

Elephant Hawk-moth

Brimstone

Small Phoenix

White-spotted Pug

Scorched Wing

Clouded-bordered Brindle

Herald - probably my favourite moth

Pale-shouldered Brocade

Ochreous Pug - a new one for the garden

Heart and Dart

Poplar Hawk-moth

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Caloptilia syringella

Least Black Arches

Iron Prominent

Clouded Silver

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Pale Tussock

Garden species count now 408

National Moth Night

2010-05-16T17:33:00.004+01:00

It was a decidedly cool evening, the temperature fell to 6C and as a result there were only seven species in the trap including a Water Carpet.

New for the year was a Pale Tussock, striking a suitable superman pose!

Also new for the year was a Cockchafer - the first of many I fear.

Alongside the trap was a newly emerged Green-veined White.

Ok so I'm addicted!

Six Degrees of Separation...

2010-05-14T17:45:00.004+01:00

From freezing frozen and very frosty to the magnificent 6C of last evening when, not only did the lepidoptera reappear but a couple of new for year species ventured out too.

The first above is a Scalloped Hazel. It was a flighty beast, lead me a merry dance around the garden with the camera, settling briefly only to take off when hit by the auto focus beam! It makes me wonder whether moths are sensitive to it as so many of them exhibit this behaviour - either that or I'm just not quick enough!

Our second new arrival was a Muslin. Fabulously furry and the bright colours of its body well hidden by the drabness of its wings. Do you think it wants its belly tickled???

Meanwhile eating us out of house and peanuts, Brock is still paying us a nightly visit.

Don't expect too many more pictures though, that cold step screams of haemorrhoids to come!

On the other hand......

2010-05-08T23:40:00.002+01:00

The Badgers have returned to the garden :o)

It still amazes that they keep coming back year upon year - not that I'm complaining!

It's a fabulous experience to sit quietly and watch them arrive.

It's even more amazing that they don't mind the flash photography!

Followed by a few decidedly cold ones!

2010-05-08T22:13:00.007+01:00

Little new in the trap over the past few days so this Pine Beauty was a welcome guest.

We were also visited by a Streamer so called because Lee streamed right past it on the way to the moth trap!!!

I'm guessing the people who own this car won't be that happy to come back to an alternative soft top!!!

A few warm days...

2010-04-30T16:31:00.003+01:00

and the world goes mad - but only in a good way! The last couple of nights have seen temperatures remaining at 10C or more and as a result many new species have come out of their hiding places and ventured into the dark night and ultimately the moth trap. Lets start with a widdy one, small but nonetheless beautiful.

Eriocrania supurpurella. It's a tiny thing with a wingspan of just 9-14mm. The metallic sheen to it's wings is spotted with rich purple, richer than any royal robe. It's the first one that we've caught in the garden and it takes the number of species caught there so far to 402.

Our second guest is the Twenty-plume Moth. It doesn't have twenty plumes as it's English name suggests but it does have six on each wing as suggested by its Latin name Alucita hexadactyla. It's a bit bigger with a wingspan of 14-16mm. It's larvae like to feed on the leaves of Honeysuckle which we have in the garden. There were nine in the trap - the most we've ever seen at one time.

This is a Shoulder Stripe. It's larvae feed on roses so could be a garden pest.

What a weird looking creature the Waved Umber is! It's larvae are partial to privet and lilac.

The Coxcomb Prominent - a canny creature feigns death when handled!

The Lunar Marbled Brown - one of the bigger boys with a wingspan of 35-40mm. It's an Oak feeder (the larvae are anyway).

Yellow-barred Brindle - strange name you may thinks given that it appears to be largely green and grey! This is how it looks when fresh, however, as time marches on the green fades to yellow and hence the name.

Our second new garden species this week - the Oak-tree Pug taking to total to 403. Pugs can be tricky blighters but this one was obligingly fresh and relatively easy to identify.

The Twin-spotted Quaker - I wonder why they call it that?

And last but not least the delicate Red Chestnut.

It's been our best week so far this season. Despite the earlier rain and hailstones, the trap will be on again tonight and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Sea Cut Strolling

2010-04-11T12:23:00.005+01:00

Lee and I had a stroll along the Sea Cut yesterday for the first time this year. The going was a little swampy in places but it was well worth the walk to see the signs of Spring everywhere.

There were plenty of primroses in bloom,

and a stunning Peacock butterfly on the wing.

The Spring favourite Coltsfoot was in flower,

and a Wren was busy gathering nesting material.

The air was alive with the sound of Chiffchaffs a sure sign that spring has arrived.

A graceful Comma posed nicely - eventually!

Bees were busy nectaring on the the many daffodils,

and Wood Anemone formed a beautiful flower carpet along the path.

Moth Trapping

2010-04-10T15:48:00.006+01:00

Had a fabulous night moth trapping in Troutsdale last night.

We weren't expecting to catch very much this early in the season so were surprised when we managed more than 200 moths of 23 species!

The highlights of the evening being Oak Beauty, Early Tooth-striped, Grey Shoulder-knot and the wonderful company we were with.

Here we go, here we go, here we go-oh....

2010-04-09T10:02:00.005+01:00

Spring has finally sprung and with it comes the pleasure of discovering new moths lurking in the trap. This is a little optimistic of course as we can never be sure what the weather will do overnight and if the temperature falls, which it can do dramatically at this time of year, then the cupboard, or moth trap is likely to be bare. There's something sad about being more concerned with overnight weather than that during the day! Anyway, here are some of the species that have emerged over the past few weeks.

Dotted Border - this one posed for photographs on a nicely coloured leaf. I pressed lots of leaves last year so that we had some decent backgrounds for winter/spring moth photography. It looks to have damaged its wing as it's hindwing is poking through on the right hand side.

A plethora of Common Quaker -just to show how variable moths within a species can be. It's always a nightmare for new moth-ers because despite the books now illustrating several varieties of a species, there's always one more that doesn't fit the pictures!

Clouded Drab - the variety of colours and patterns seen this year has been amazing

Small Quaker and a salutatory lesson that you can't always tell moth sizes from photographs!

The Early Thorn majestically holding its wings upright.

Brindled Pug - Spring has definitely sprung when the dreaded pugs start arriving in the trap! They are very difficult to separate some times and wing markings are not always enough.

The graceful plume moth Emmelina monodactyla. I thinks it's incredible how they roll their wings to give this outline - but why do they do it?

Diurnea fagella - the male of the species.

Pale Pinion

The old faithful Hebrew Character - they seem to be quite a hardy moth, on the wing when others stay tucked up away from the cold.

Early Grey

and just to prove that they do come in white as well as orange - the Satellite. This could be a late start to what I hope will be a great mothing year.
Here we go, here we go, here we go-oh

New season, old favourites

2010-03-13T17:30:00.002Z

Two welcome returns to the trap over the last two nights. Firstly the Dotted Border - now I wonder why they called it that? It's a boy because the female of the species is flightless.

Dotted Border (Photographed by Lee)

Our second return was the Pale Brindled Beauty. Again it's a boy as the females are flightless. Both moths overwinter as pupae and are quite common throughout the UK.

It is good to back in the swing of mothing, let's hope that the milder weather continues.

Optimism

2010-03-09T10:44:00.006Z

There's nothing like it! It seemed to be milder (in relative terms) last evening than for the past few days so I optimistically put the moth trap on. Despite the glow from the mercury vapour lamp, (and they do get warm), the garden temperature proceeded to plummet to -1C and with it my expectation of catching anything. Frosted Oranges have nothing on the frosted moth trap!

So imagine my surprise when cosily nestled in the egg boxes was this very sleepy Satellite.

We don't see them that often and this is the first orange version (they also come in white) we've had in the garden. The moth overwinters as an adult becoming more active as the weather improves. Someone should direct it to a session with "Paul the Weatherman" methinks!

Winter's Tales

2010-03-06T20:19:00.005Z

So the weather in winter 2009 wasn't exactly clement. For several weeks we had snow, more snow than I was comfortable driving in on times but very picture-skew - or should that be picturesque!

And then just as we got rid of the snow we were deluged with rain and in danger of flooding! It was my birthday and the champagne was put on hold in case I needed to hold sandbags!

So last night was the first GMS of 2010 and suddenly, the chill gave way to calm and there were moths in the trap! This one a Chestnut.

The first catch of the year included a first catch for the garden - the Spring Usher, let's hope it lives up to its name!

Flies, flies flies

2009-10-06T21:47:00.003+01:00

are not the thing you'd normally want associated with a hospital but this summer there have been an exceptional number of butter-flies in the grounds of Scarborough hospital. Fabulous sights and a great tribute to the hospital gardeners - well done lads!

Small Tortoiseshell

Green-veined White

Large White

Painted Lady

The Big Guys

2009-07-08T10:34:00.004+01:00

Several new macromoths over the past couple of days including this big and very beautiful Garden Tiger. Its Latin name is Arctia caja. Arctia meaning bear and caja a beautiful Roman lady's name. The bear comes from the hairy larvae - the woolly bears of childhood.

The Common Footman. Eilema lurideola. Eilema meaning veil from the way the moth wraps its wings around its body. Lurideola from luridus as in pale yellow.

The Drinker - named for the larvae which it is believed like to drink the morning dew.

Poplar Grey - it's larvae like to feed on poplar leaves.

Pinion-streaked Snout. Often mistaken for a micromoth. Schrankia costaestrigalis. Schrankia after a german entomologist von Schrank author of one of the most important works on taxonomy. Costaestriglais from costa (anterior margin of the wing) and striga a streak.

An very local species in Yorskhire - the Blackneck. We were very lucky to trap it. There was only one record in 2007.

Another local species the Clouded Magpie. Found on a buddleia leaf beside the trap and a timely reminder to check the vegetation close to the trapping site as well as the trap contents.

A Festival of Insects

2009-07-07T19:21:00.003+01:00

We were at York Museum on Satruday with Butterfly Conservation Yorkshire Branch at the Insect Festival - a celebration of every creepy crawly (except spiders) known to man. There were butterflies, moths, ladybirds, beetles, dragonflies, wasps, weevils and many more. I was hoarse by the time we finished - more than 500 people attended and I think we spoke to most of them! This is Lee with David Baker the branch chairman.

And talking of insects lets start with a small moth (wingspan 11-15mm) with a huge name it's Pseudargyrotoza conwagana. It is a colourful creature.

A Barred Red in the hand is worth none in the trap!

This humpty moth is a Coxcomb Prominent. I can sort of see where the name comes from!

Lovely Swallow-tailed Moth. Fabulous to watch these glide around the garden.

Eye eye

2009-07-06T00:35:00.003+01:00

Eyed Hawk-moth fabulous creature that it is. I tried to be gentle and tickle its abdomen with grass as suggested for getting it to display its eyes but it wasn't having any!

I've been waiting for a Herald all year. Such fabulous moths supposedly the herald of spring but just look at the flames on its wings - amazing!

A walk across Fylingdales Moor was incredible.

Not only was there breath taking scenery but there were literally hundreds of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries on the heather.

To infinity and beyond...

2009-07-06T00:16:00.003+01:00

or in this case a walk around Deepdale, the sea cut and the garden!

Six-spot Burnet in Deepdale - there were several in amongst the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries.

Eyeing them up for lunch was a Common Lizard

The Common Blues we saw were all very blue and male. No females were seen at all.
Meanwhile back along the sea cut Painted Ladies were still present

Along with very fresh Small Tortoiseshells

and in the back Garden our old friend Brock posed for the paparazzi.

So many moths so little time.....

2009-07-06T00:00:00.003+01:00

We are currently half way through two weeks annual leave and have been able to trap every night without having to rush off to work the following morning. I'm glad we are because the past seven days have seen so many species emerging giving us both new for year and new for garden records in abundance.

Double Square-spot

Small Yellow Wave

One of my favourites the Burnished Brass

Common Wainscot - I always find the Wainscots difficult to separate but apparently the new version of Skinner has a full page on exactly that - must invest in a copy!!!

I love the delicate colouring of the Clay.

Cream Wave

This could be a Rustic - but then again it's Uncertain!!!

Oi Big Nose! It can only be a Snout :o)

New for the garden this year a Knot Grass

Y oh Y

2009-06-25T22:30:00.003+01:00

First up a Silver Y, first one this year and another migratory moth. This one looks a bit battered after the journey. While they don't often come to the light, they do like to feed on the Red Valerian in the garden and can often been seen buzzing around it in the evning.

We move on to a not too distant relative with slightly more bling! This is the Beautiful Golden Y. Though it's Y is more of a V with a dot.

This is a Map-winged Swift. It's larvae live underground and feed on the roots of Bracken.

We've been waiting for our first Elephant Hawk-moth to arrive and were glad to see this beautiful creature with it's stunning pattination. It's a chunky chap with a wingspan of 45-60mm.

Here he is fending of the paparazzi by beating his wings ready for a vertical take off.

At last a grass moth! Chrysoteuchia culmella with the googliest eyes of any moth. This photograph belies its 20mm wingspan.

A Mottled Beauty - and a very fresh specimen at that.

This is a Purple Clay, I can't help but want to break into that Prince song every time one graces the trap. Purple Clay, Purple Clay....

This fine creature is a Green Arches.It's colour gives it great camouflage for hiding on mosses or lichens on tree trunks. It's quite a big moth with a wingspan of around 50mm.

And last but not least -is it me or is this Buff Ermine a prime contender for the best moustache in Britain competition :o)

Spooky Citrus

2009-06-24T19:59:00.003+01:00

Well you have to have a title and I just so happen to be starting with a Ghost Moth today! It's a girl and I know this because the male of the species is generally white and can be seen hovering at dusk - hence the common name for the moth.

And Citrus for the Lime Hawk-moth that graced the trap the other morning. What a fabulous creature it is. A wingspan of 55-70mm it's a big un. It was common in the south and is gradually working its way northwards braving the Yorkshire climes and limes it would seem :o)

This gorgeous beastie is a Straw Dot. It's a tiny but delicately beautiful creature with a wingspan of 18-22mm. It likes damp places and woodland. Ideal conditions in our garden!

I went for a stroll along the sea cut to see what I could see.

I managed to tot up a reasonable count of Painted Ladies en route. The migratory influx has slowed but several have stayed in the area to mate producing offspring which will make the return journey across the continent to North Africa.

No trip along the cut is complete without running into the cow herd which has grazing rights on the land! Mooove over I'm trying to get past :o)

The week was completed with a visit to Newcastle for a course. It looks to be a fabulous city with amazing architectural features. I didn't get much time to explore on this visit but would love to go back again one day.

Looks can be deceiving..

2009-06-23T22:00:00.002+01:00

So you send you photograph to an expert for his advice and he says "I can't tell what it is from a photograph" and you're thinking "It's obvious!". Think again. Look at this little chap on the leaf. . It's Argyrethia trifasciata. Looks a reasonable size in the first photograph but ...

only when you see it perched on the end of a husbandly finger does it's tiny wingspan of 7-10mm become aparent. And you know, no matter what they say elsewhere, in the mothy world, size does mean something!

Sing.... Underneath the...

2009-06-23T21:41:00.005+01:00

... Dark Arches there lies the hand of man. The first and only Dark Arches to grace the trap so far this year no doubt more will follow.

This little beauty is a Pebble Prominent.

I just love the Buff-tip's ability to mimic a twig! What fabulous camouflage it has.

Peach Blossom as pretty as the name suggests.

The next two moths cause some "agg"ro. This one is a Marbled Minor Agg. Why Agg? Well there are three very similar species which can only be reliably told apart by doing the unmentionable to their unmentionables.

Similarly the Grey and Dark Daggers can only be separated by the same means.

OK you can uncross your legs now as the Clouded Border is one on its own :o)

Things are finally starting to pick up with new species arriving almost every day. Good times!

What it means to be Poplar...

2009-06-09T09:39:00.003+01:00

... or even a Poplar Hawk-moth. This beauty graced the trap this morning. It's one of my favourite moths. Really chunky with a forwing of around 30-46mm! It also has the stickiest, most velcro like feet imaginable. It doesn't feed but relies on the energy it gathered as a larva to support its adult life.

It flashes its underwings when threatened.

Also new in the trap this morning was a Common Swift. With a forewing of 11-16mm (the females are slightly larger up to 20mm) it will often appear at light in the first hour of darkness. It overwinters as a larva and pupates underground.

There were several Diamond-backs in the trap this morning. We normally catch singles but there were five to choose from today.

Yesterday I mentioned that the White Ermine had a spotty abdomen and as one very graciously rolled over for me this morning I thought I'd demonstrate its spottiness in a photo.

There ain't nothing like a Flame....

2009-06-08T09:45:00.002+01:00

nothing in this world... there is nothing you can name that is anything like a Flame....

Yep that bit of twig sitting on the leaf is actually a moth, called the Flame. It's sitting with its wings wrapped tightly around its body. It's latin name is Axylia putris. Axylia - cut wood (looks like the grain on a plank) and putris meaning decaying - probably from the dark patches.

The White Ermine what a gorgeous moth that is. Spilosoma (meaning spots - the moth has spots both on its wings and its abdomen) lubricipeda (swift footed - the moth has speedy larvae).

And last but not least a micromoth Celypha (a husk or pod) lacunana (from lucuna meaning a gap or hole from the streaks on the wings).

Cool and Drizzly

2009-06-05T09:57:00.002+01:00

In not so sunny Scarborough this morning. That said the tide is in and the surf is up and it's still a great place to be.

Nothing, literally nothing in the moth trap this morning but somewhere deep in the recesses of a greedy Blackbird's tummy there lie the remains of the Puss Moth that came to the light :o(

On a lighter note there have been two other species new for the year this week. The Setaceous Hebrew Character.

And the Beautiful Golden Y. Just look at its bling!!!

What's new in trapland this week?

2009-06-05T09:46:00.004+01:00

Start with a micromoth - yes it really is a micro - the Small Magpie. It's main foodplant is nettle and we have plenty of those in the garden at the moment!

Ok so it's not strictly speaking "new" but I'm drawn to the vibrant colours of this Brimstone as it sits on the not so aesthetically pleasing coal bunker!

This one is new and it's a Treble Lines a moth of woodland fringes and hedgerows.

Next up the Small Angle Shades lives in parkland and suburban habitats, its larvae are night feeders and one of the few species to make use of bracken as a foodplant - I knew it had to have a use for something other than tripping me up!

Is it a Swede? No, it's a Turnip Moth! So called because its larvae live underground and feed on root vegetables amongst other things. We don't have any in the garden but there are allotments close by.

Deepdale

2009-05-31T20:35:00.007+01:00

A Walk around Deepdale in Dalby Forest today gave sightings of our first Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary of the year.

Along with Dingy Skipper

And a Broad-bodied Chaser

We also saw a Six-spot Burnet Larva

which wandered off when Lee wouldn't part with his lunch :o)

New for the year ...

2009-05-31T20:21:00.004+01:00

in the moth trap this week

Flame Shoulder (this may be me after an afternoon out in the sun!!)

Lesser Swallow Prominent - separated from the Swallow Prominent by the presence or absence of that noticeable white triangle on the wing.

Figure of Eighty - wonder why they call it that :o)

Angle Shades

Bright-line Brown-eye

Common Marbled Carpet

Brimstone Moth

Heart and Dart

Duke of Burgundy

2009-05-30T20:25:00.003+01:00

We were out and about in the Pickering area on the 24th May and were very lucky to see not one but four Duke of Burgundy butterflies.

This little butterfly is a UK BAP priority species, in decline and protected and found only in scattered colonies in Yorkshire with a few more in the lake district and in southern England.

It's main foodplants are Cowslip and Primrose.

Males and females can be told apart by the number of legs they have - males have four legs and females six.

Let Poetry Into Your Life

2009-05-22T23:12:00.003+01:00

Dad,
You were the foundations of my life,
my support, my comfort, my friend,
you gave of yourself, you kept me safe,
enveloped in love, right to the end.

Always the one first with a smile,
deep, hazel eyes, bright and alert,
in your hospital bed, the starlight had gone,
deep, sunken eyes gave away that you hurt.

The slow scourge of cancer took hold of your body
and, wracked with pain, you started to fade
until, all that was left was your shell and the morphine
foundations of death, expertly laid.

You were my refuge when times were so hard,
we laughed lots together, together we cried.
We never forgot the hwyl and the Welsh,
I'll never forget what I lost when you died.

Love you still CHJ.

New Species! New Species!

2009-05-21T12:07:00.002+01:00

It was a good night last night with the temperature not falling below 11 degrees. There were 14 species in the trap including one new to the garden a Lunar Marbled Brown.

It has a forewing size 16-20mm (it's quite big!). Its caterpillars like Oaks including those in hedgerows and parks and the adult will visit garden traps if there are Oak trees nearby.

It's a chunky moth and a welcome addition to the garden.

In time honoured tradition there has to be an "I can see right up your proboscis" shot!

Also in the trap was our first Peppered Moth of the year. Again this is a sizeable moth with a forewing of 22-28mm.

Its larval foodplants are many and varied and include Beech, Bramble, Hawthorn and Sallows which are all plentiful near our garden. It exists in three forms and we have captured all three at various times. This is the most common form and it is thought that the other two, much darker forms arose from high levels of atmospheric pollution

Scarborough Sunshine

2009-05-20T10:43:00.003+01:00

The cupboard (trap) was bare this morning with not a single moth in sight. I'm guessing that the awful weather, full on thunder and lightening and torrential rain overnight made them stay in bed. This morning it's a whole new ball game, with glorious sunshine lighting up the north bay.

Dropped Lee off at work this morning and drove back along Marine Drive. I couldn't resist a photograph (with the phone camera) it looked so good.

I have say that the council do a fabulous job of keeping the foreshore and beaches clean and in perfect condition so well done to them.

In the garden, our crop of Welsh Poppies continue to flower adding more sunshine to a beautiful day.

The First Migrant

2009-05-19T18:40:00.004+01:00

Last night's trapping produced the first migrant of the year a Diamond-back. This little micromoth has a wingspan of less than 20mm and is well known for its migratory tendencies. You wouldn't think something that small would have the energy to fly such great distances would you?

In the trap there was also a Small Square-spot.

And a Clouded-bordered Brindle

Despite Lee's best efforts at releasing the last lot of White-shouldered House-moths from the shed, it appears we've had a second coming! There were more than a hundred waiting to escape last night and some extremely portly spiders. But will recording them skew the figures we wonder? It's been a miserable old day with lots of thunder and lightening so the trap (and any more hatchlings) may not make it out of the shed tonight!

Soft Furnishings...

2009-05-18T19:50:00.005+01:00

Or a trap full of carpets!!!! Several carpet moths have appeared over the last week.

The Spruce Carpet, on the wing from May to July it's larvae as it's name suggests like conifers!

The decidedly (I hesitate to say moth-eaten!) battered Green Carpet. This beastie has a splendid green colouration to its wings when fresh, which fades as it ages(a bit like me!!).

The Flame Carpet, quite a common moth, it's larvae like cabbages.

The Red Twin-spot Carpet - it's larvae like Knot Grass and Bedstraw. Here it is in the only pose we could get it to strike on a leaf!

Proud Parents!

2009-05-15T22:36:00.003+01:00

This little mothlet is a White-shouldered House-moth, it lives in buildings and its larvae live on plant and animal debris. It is currently in residence in our shed. When I say "it" I mean "it" in the loosest of all possible terms as last night, when Lee opened the shed door to get the moth trap out he discovered that "a hatching" had taken place. When I got to 200 I gave up counting and Lee had already released more than 50 before I got there! Proud Parents indeed - and the resident spiders were quite pleased too!

It's been a while since we had more than one moth in the trap at any one time but things seem to have improved a little over the last few days with several new for year species appearing like this Freyer's Pug last night.

Also last night a Clouded-bordered Brindle,

The other form of Scalloped Hazel making a bid for freedom

Ancylis badiana - new species alert! Not trapped this one before.

and finally a widdy little moth with a wingspan of 13-16mm that likes Blackthorn and...

has a name longer than its wings! It's Pseudoswammerdamia combinella.

It's a boy!

2009-05-12T20:45:00.003+01:00

Only one moth in the trap this morning and it was a little gem - well actually it was a Muslin Moth our first of the year.

It's a boy! I can tell this because the females of the species are white.

It's a moth of the suburbs and woodland. It's larave like Dock and it has the best truly punky hair-do I've ever seen on an insect :o)

You know it's May.....

2009-05-11T08:57:00.003+01:00

.... when there's a May Bug (Cockchafer) in the moth trap. Great lumps of things with the stickiest feet that cling onto the egg boxes for grim death!

If you've ever wondered where the legs dissapear to when they curl up have a look at this one. The design is incredible.

Also in the trap were a Hebrew Character and a White-shouldered House-moth - I wonder why they call it that? :o)

Moths and more...

2009-05-09T13:34:00.006+01:00

...moths :o)

New for this year the Garden Carpet above. The Pale Pinion below is a revisit. It landed on the shed rather than in the moth trap hence the snazzy background. Though it has to be said it very clearly highlights the fact that the shed needs some creosote!

Also new for the year was our old friend the Shuttle-shaped Dart. Named for the shuttle shape on its wing. It was a windy morning and the leaf blew along the surface waking the moth from it torpor.

So I tried a little experiment in movie making with the Canon Ixus and here you can see the moth beating its wings to get the blood flowing and warm them up ready for flight. I know the quality isn't that good but it's my first ever attempt and I might get to like this game :o)

An-ee-mal-ees

2009-05-01T11:09:00.003+01:00

Just how cool is that bun! She's not quite Sack Boy but she should be just as famous :o)

Here she is with her anniversary menagerie mates who all arrived this morning!

Thanks Lee xxxxxx

Pug-shots!

2009-05-01T10:14:00.002+01:00

This morning's trap contained a Common Pug.

Two (yes we're greedy) Waved Umbers - fab moths!

An obliging streamer,

and my old favourite Twenty-plume Moth of which there were two.

And the post contained lots of anniversary cards as it's our tenth anniversary today.
Happy Anniversary Handsome Husband :o)

Trappity Trap and Harwood Dale

2009-05-01T10:10:00.002+01:00

The trap has given us some early surprises this week in the form of this Cabbage Moth (3rd earliest ever in Yorkshire apparently).

And a melanic Scalloped Hazel.

At Harwood Dale there were several Peacock on the wing.

We saw our first Damselfly of the year - a Large Red.

Green Hairstreaks!

2009-05-01T10:03:00.003+01:00

At last we've seen some. We went to Brown Rigg on the 25th where we saw at least 20 on Bilberry their preferred foodplant. Amazing little creatures.

I was fascinated by the way the seem to flop after landing but then realised what truly amazing camouflage it provided because in that position they couldn't be seen amongs the leaves.

We spent several hours up and down the slopes looking for and photographing them and even returned the following day for a second attempt.

That was my mistake - I managed to trip and slide down the slope injuring my knee in the process. I guess I'm not a mountain goat after all!

Of course there were the inevitable "fluffy ducks" on the pond. Or in this case Canada Goslings.

Full Stop, Comma..

2009-05-01T09:56:00.002+01:00

..and other punctuation marks! I've been a bit remiss with the blog this week - too much tweeting methinks! Anyway these images are from our trundle along the Sea Cut on the 24th where we didn't see very much despite the sunshine.

Green-veined White

Long-tailed Tit. The birds seem to have paired up again rather than forming their usual flock.

Comma on dead bracken - well it must have some uses!

and our old favourite the Chiffchaff of which there seem to be plenty this year.

Thorn in my side...

2009-04-23T22:19:00.004+01:00

...or in my trap to be precise! A Purple Thorn - the first one this year.

It's a two brooded beastie the early individuals being more strongly coloured than later arrivals. I'm always fascinated by the way it holds its wings.

The two crescents distinguish it from the Early Thorn and this side on view shows them both.

New for the year this morning was the V-pug, should be a Green Pug really but that's another species entirely!

Last but not least a well behaved Emmelina monodactyla, a plume moth that rests with its wings tightly curled. if you look at the left hand side of the picture you'll see that it hasn't quite managed to tuck away all of its plumes and one is making a bid for freedom, no doubt in preparation for take off as it didn't sit still for long!

Sunshine at last!

2009-04-19T17:42:00.005+01:00

We headed off into Dalby Forest this afternoon and more specifically to Deepdale. We weren't expecting to see much as the forest is often a few weeks behind other places when it comes to the appearance of wildlife. However, the sun was shining so off we went. Stopped by the stream to play with the lens and here's one result.

Our first sighting of the day was a Peacock and a Comma. Here's the former, the two pixel big Comma wasn't good enough to publish!

The lesser known naturalist Leeus Westmorelandus was observed deep in concentration over some Wood Sorrel - the first we'd seen in flower this year.

On to the meadow where we had hoped to see an Adder and were not dissapointed.

We were also lucky enough to find a Common Lizard basking in the warm sunshine.

On the walk back to the car we were lamenting the fact that we hadn't seen a Brimstone yet this year when what should appear in front of us but a Brimstone!

The walk back also gave views of several Bee-fly.

Driving out from Deepdale we often see rabbits so were looking out for one when a Roe Deer appeared on the track in front of us and just stopped. We reached for cameras while realising a bright red car is not exactly an inconspicuous hide. I managed a shot before it ran off.

As we set off again Lee shouted "stop, stop", I wondered what was wrong but there not a foot away from us on a shady bank was a rabbit - a great photo opportunity at the end of a perfect afternoon out.

All together now ... awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

2009-04-14T22:31:00.005+01:00

It's that time of year again when tiny badgers are being found, Jean Thorpe of Ryedale Rehabilitation says that Roxy was found above ground near a rock sett near Halifax. She was one of three, one was dead, the other missing. Roxy was close to death but brought round with rehydration and warmth by Ted Ashman of Calderdale Badger Group. Her mother must have died. She's doing well after her shaky start and taking the bottle well.

Unfortunately, Roxy has since been joined by another young cub Squaddie so called because she was found at Catterick Garrison having run to some kind dog walkers who rescued her. She had worn the pads on her feet trying to find her family.

Jean does an amazing job rescuing and rehabilitating wild life.
If you would like to support the work Jean does, you can email her at

jeanthorpe19@hotmail.com

or send donations to the following address -

Jean Thorpe
88 Ryedale Close,
Norton Malton.
North Yorkshire
Y017 9DQ

For more information visit http://www.onthewing.org.uk/rehab/ryedalerehab.html
The official Ryedale Wildlife Rehabilitation website can be seen at www.ryedalewildlife.co.uk

Party Party Party!

2009-04-12T19:14:00.004+01:00

It was an evening of celebration for Madge and Alan's Golden Wedding Anniversary last night. 50 glorious years and don't they look well on it! Congratulations to them both.

We got to chat to people that we hadn't seen for a while, some for years. We talked so much I've lost my voice much to Lee's relief! Of course there was a beautiful cake.

And the party was attended by some strange folks!

Golden roses for a golden day.

It was a great night so thanks to everyone for making it such good fun.

Blog-Jog

2009-04-11T10:18:00.003+01:00

Nothing new in the moth trap this morning, however we did have a new visitor to the trap last night and our first Hedgehog sighting of the year.

It was helping itself to the peanuts that we put out for the badgers. It always surprises me how fast they can move when disturbed, out come the little legs and they soon get up to speed.

Not fast enough though it would seem to escape from Tics as can be seen from the one currently in residence above the Hedgehog's right eye.

Busy doing moffing....

2009-04-10T15:24:00.002+01:00

... moffing the whole day through. I wish! It's just too early in the season for there to be that many species around, though it has to be said that the more clement warm weather over the past few days is helping to boost the species count for the garden. Our first new arrival is the Twin-spotted Quaker

Forewing 17-20mm it overwinters as a pupa underground with the adult fully formed inside, emerging to feed at night it hides away in crevices in tree bark during the day.

The Small Quaker - 12-15mm forewing, also overwinters as a pupa containing a fully grown adult moth, feeds at night but hides away between spun leaves during the day.

The Shoulder Stripe. First one for a couple of years for the garden and there were two in the trap this morning. Forewing 14-18mm, it overwinters as a pupa and likes wild roses. The one that got away was the Streamer which was a shame really as it was the first one we'd trapped since 2006. Oh well, at least it sat still long enough to be recognised!

Scarbo-ree-bo-raa

2009-04-05T18:40:00.006+01:00

It has been a beautiful sunny day today and the shame of it has been that I'm on call and so my meanderings are restricted in terms of mileage. That said it concentrates the mind to the local area and perhaps a visit or two to places not normally on the "must see" list like the harbour. This shot taken into the sun while up on the castle headland.

The sunshine brings the inevitable crowds complete with children enjoying their Easter vacation. The beach was packed as was the foreshore. Not even enough room for Herring Gulls - ok so I exaggerate!

And just to prove it here's a young one!

The Kittiwakes had the best idea - find a handy lamp and nest on it!

We had a quick walk around the castle headland, the north bay and the old Mr Marvel's site where there were numerous butterflies including Small Tortoiseshells.

Peacock

Large White

Several Bees

And more Peacocks!

So maybe being confined to close quarters wasn't so bad after all :o)

Tis the season to be mothy...

2009-04-05T10:01:00.003+01:00

There have been a few more species of moth appearing over the past few days as the day time temperatures and warmer evenings have encouraged them to come out. Some old friends have returned in greater numbers than have been recorded during the year so far.

Early Grey

Early Thorn

an "I can see right up your proboscis" Clouded Drab

Our first ever March Moth! This is a male of the species - we know this because the female is wingless. The male has a characteristic wings overlapping pose as demonstrated here. Only the males come to light (well she can't fly without wings!) the females can be found crawling around on tree trunks at night. It's a fairly common moth and that's why we wondered why there weren't any in Scarborough! The larvae like trees, oaks, hawthorn and fruit trees a speciality. We have apple, pear and bird-cherry trees in our garden and maybe they've found a gourmet feast.

A slightly better image of our old friend Diurnea fagella. Wingspan of around 25mm. This one is again a male - how do we know? The females have much shorter wings.

New in the trap this morning for the first time this year and earlier than we've ever seen one before was this Water Carpet. It's a spring flying moth whose larvae like bedstraw. Wingspan is around 25-30mm. The first of the many carpets we will no doubt capture during the year she says hopefully!

Mothy Moths

2009-04-01T22:11:00.002+01:00

Two new species in the trap overnight this very dark, almost melanic Early Thorn. On the wing in April and May it has a wingspan of 28-40mm.

and a micromoth the Twenty-plume Moth on the wing throughout the year it has a wingspan of just 14-16mm! Given its name due to the separation of its wings into "plumes" although there are only 6 on each wing and not 20 as the name suggests.

Burton Riggs - 29th March

2009-04-01T22:04:00.002+01:00

Had a quick stroll around Burton Riggs and spotted this Moorhen, unfortunately it spotted me too and swam off speedily!

Ribbit Ribbit ... is that frog for toad???

I'm amazed by the amount of Coltsfoot there seems to be this year. Much more than I remember than in the past few springs.

Our first Comma of the year, pumping its wings suggesting it had recently emerged.

Sea Cut Strolls 29th March 2009

2009-04-01T21:45:00.004+01:00

The sea cut in Scarborough is a man-made channel connecting the Derwent to the sea. The banks wind through woodland and open grassland alongside the slow flowing water (unless it has rained a lot that is!). A variety of flora and fauna inhabit the area. The Gorse was in full bloom.

There were lots of clumps of Daffodils though it's hard to know whether they've been planted!

There were several Long-tailed Tits gathering nesting material and keeping tantalisingly far enough amongst the shrubbery to prevent clear pictures!

Spring has sprung with Chiffchaffs chiff-chaffing for all their worth.

Butterbur was making an entrance.

And the sun was shining - what more could you ask?

The north wind doth blow....

2009-03-25T21:08:00.005Z

... and although there's no snow it really cuts you to the bone! It brought with it a downpour overnight with the result that the moth trap contained just two moths, a Common Quaker and a Hebrew Character, which if you've forgotten what they look like are pictured below.

Hebrew Charcater

Common Quaker

Good news on the bird front. There were three Siskins in the garden today along with four Goldfinches, no wonder the Niger seed keeps vanishing!
The developers are after the land behind the house again. Although it's a private garden, it forms the middle third of a woodland area used by lots of wildlife and where a variety of flora grow. It would be criminal to destroy it solely for profit. A good number of our moths are associated with the trees that grow there, the badgers use it for foraging, the Fox has raised a family of three cubs within it during the past year and a family of Hedgehogs are also resident. Tawny Owls can be heard calling and have raised chicks in the trees there and a Kestrel has been seen.

You may call me a NIMBY but know this, while the wildlife we so love will be disturbed and possibly destroyed by this proposed development, our property of all those surrounding it will be the least affected.

Just Typical

2009-03-24T22:17:00.003Z

Here I am with a few days off work and what does the weather do? Rebel!!!
This morning in the wind and rain there were as expected no moths in the trap however a single Hebrew Character was still clinging to life and limb on the kitchen door!
It has been so cold today that a Ladies who Lunch engagement hasn't taken the edge of it (lets be honest I was driving and so there was no chance of additional antifreeze other than coffee). It was fun though and I had a great time with Kaye (who cooked lunch), Tracey and Chris, so thank you ladies. The naff weather makes me moved to reminisce ... these pics taken while lying on a beach, listening to the sea lap the shore on Laguna Beach in the Maldives several years ago. The only holiday where I came home with a seriously brown back and white front from all the snorkelling!!!!

Wet and Windy

2009-03-23T17:17:00.005Z

It started last night when the trap was out and has continued for most of the day. There were only six moths in the trap as a result Early Grey, Hebrew Character and Common Quaker along with the return of

Agonopterix heracliana (naff photo sorry!)

And new for the year

Diurnea fagella

So I suppose it's not all bad!

It's been quite good having the day off work today but as always, my holiday activities consist of washing, cleaning, ironing, cooking, grumbling about the four previous items and wishing it was sunny! That said the wind makes for an interesting sea in this part of the world with very high tides seen in spring.

Flowers for Mother's day

2009-03-22T11:53:00.005Z

Spring has sprung and in the north bay yesterday the flowers were blooming. Just look at this Coltsfoot. It just reminded me of a sunburst!

Lesser Celandine has sprouted everywhere giving a carpet of yellow in some areas.

Pinnate Coralroot found in Peasholm Glen.

Butterbur

and lets not forget the Daffodils - though we might not reflect too long on the Welsh rugby team's result yesterday that sent me into mourning!

Tweet Tweet

2009-03-22T11:45:00.002Z

The birthday fairy very kindly brought me a new lens this year. It's a Canon 70-300mm with Image stabilizer. I do suffer from camera shake especially when pointing to the sky, so I thought it would be a good test to try and capture a few birds though as it happened, most of them were at ground level! This Great Tit was on the old Mr Marvel's site on the North Bay of Scarborough.

Part of Peasholm Park lake has been drained this year and most of the birds were gathered in a single area making the photography a much more simple job than normal. The lake has a resident flock of Canada Geese.

There were several Redshanks in the shallows.

The House Sparrow was perched in a tree near the Burniston Road car park.

Peasholm has two resident Black Swans.

Not a bad run out, I'm thinking I might like the new lens!

Happy Moth-ers Day!

2009-03-22T11:36:00.002Z

The season is here once again and the moth trap has been running for a few weeks especially on Friday evenings as we've joined the Garden Moth Scheme. There aren't many moths on the wing this time of year but there are enough to make recording both interesting and worth while. This first picture shows the variability that can occur within a species. The two moths are both Clouded Drabs.

This is only the second Red Chestnut that we've caught in the past 4 years it's a pretty little moth.

This one is a Dotted Border - I wonder why they called it that? :o)

An Early Grey.

Moth Biscuits! Thoughtfully provided for the attendees at the recent Yorkshire Lepidoptera Group Meeting at Bramham and handmade by some York University students. They were yummy!

A day of October sunshine

2008-10-09T18:13:00.005+01:00

A fine start to the day with clear skies and sunshine - just right for emptying the trap which contained seven species including:

Red-green Carpet

Green-brindled Crescent

Nature is providing a great harvest.

A visit to Burton Riggs Nature Reserve produced several Dragonfly sightings including:

Common Darter Male

Common Darter Female

Migrant Hawker

Southern Hawker

A more unusual sighting was the Lesser-spotted Birthday-boy

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband Lee xxx

Little Brown Jobs

2008-09-20T20:00:00.006+01:00

Or in some cases not so little and very definitely not brown! A few pictures to dispel the rumour about all moths being little and brown - all captured in our moth trap during this week they clearly show some of the diversity of our little flappy friends.

First up the Black Rustic, though why it's called that I'm not sure as if you look closely you can see the creams and reds amongst the black. The pattination made by the scales is beautiful.

Next the Merveille du Jour which to my mind lives up to its name in great style. The marvel of the day it certainly was, it's unique markings make it stand out from the crowd.

The Brown-spot Pinion, ok so it's small and largely brown but look at the detail. Its scientific name is Agrochola litura, Agrochola from the Greek agros meaning background colour and kohle meaning bile (some of the moths in the family have yellowish or straw coloured backgrounds) and litura from a smearing on a wax tablet, a blotch like the black splodges on the wings.

The Pinion-streaked Snout - yeah it's got a big nose!

And finally the beautifully bright Pink-barred Sallow.
Each of them perfect in their own way and a glorious testimony to the wonders of mother nature.

Filey

2008-09-17T22:19:00.004+01:00

Filey is a lovely seaside town about 20 minutes drive from Scarborough. This first view of the sea front is taken from the Country Park situated above Filey Brig.

It was quite a changeable day, one minute sunshine and the next pouring rain. The forever changing light conditions also gave a good photographic challenge.

Looking south along Filey Bay. There are miles and miles of unspoiled sands here. if we could guarantee good weather, there'd be no need to go abroad!

This is Filey Brig. A great place for ornithologists and marine biologists alike.

The foreshore is home to the "Coble Landing". The traditional fishing boats (or Cobles) have been a part of Filey for many years.

Benches have been donated for visitors comfort, often in memory of loved ones who enjoyed a visit to the town, or who lived there and liked to sit in a given spot. I couldn't help but wonder if the starlings were reincarnations of Bill and Bessie who so enjoyed their trips to Filey :o)

September Chill..

2008-09-04T10:37:00.007+01:00

and with it a quiet moth trap. Only two noteworthy species in the past few days, both of them new for year but not for garden. The first is Orthopygia glaucinalis
and the second Frosted Orange. A definite sign that Autumn is upon us.

Now while I imagine several of you out there may be thinking that moth trapping may be a fun thing to do (and the rest of you can pick yourself up off the floor now and stop laughing!). I thought it would be a good point to mention that often, there's more in the trap than moths. Depending on the time of year you can find:

Nicrophorus humator, the smelliest beetle in the universe that, carries with it, its own personal collection of smelly mites. Your egg boxes will never be the same after capturing this beastie and the best place for them is likely to be the bin!

A myriad of smaller beetles.

Cockchafers or May Bugs. These regularly appear in the trap and if you sit out on a warm evening, you can hear them coming! The buzz and click of their wings is a give away.
Other creatures that have appeared include wasps,

We've had the occasional Wood Mouse

But by far the best visitor was this young Treecreeper - it had climbed into the trap and helped itself to a mothy breakfast. It had eaten so many that it couldn't fly off when approached.

So we had to rescue it. We placed onto a nearby tree and eventually it flew off!
Still thinking you might like to try it? :o)

Up to no good!

2008-09-02T13:54:00.006+01:00

That's a bit harsh maybe, as they were all up to some good - the procreation of the species. A visit to the goldfish ponds in Harwood Dale yesterday allowed me to indulge in a little dragonfly and damselfy pornography!

There are three ponds, the first covered in water lilies blooming for all their worth, seems to be thriving. The second is much less healthy and didn't seem to harbour much in the way of life. The third is a new pond, put in place last year and already colonised by several species which can only be good news.

Black Darters were abundant with more than 50 seen (not all mating of course).

Emerald damselfies were also having fun. They seem to have readily colonised the new pond which is good news.

Southern Hawkers were also strutting their stuff. The males outnumbered the females around three to one so the ladies were in for some serious partying!

I finally managed to do something I've been trying to do for a long time - get an in focus shot of a dragonfly in flight.

This Southern Hawker obliged while patrolling his territory and repelling all boarders. He was a viscious brute! The pond is big enough for more than one pair to have room to mate and lay but he wasn't having any and aggressively attacked any other male that came close - including Lee :o)

Deepdale

2008-08-31T20:00:00.013+01:00

We've been for a walk around Deepdale today. It's a lovely spot in Dalby Forest where we've been monitoring butterflies for the Forestry Butterfly Group for the past few years.

There are a number of species there at different times of the year. The main activity centres on the meadow, an area rich in wildflowers, which plays host to a wide variety of insects, frogs, lizards, dragonflies and adders.

Today we were very lucky to see Brimstone butterflies, and, what's more, to get close enough to be able to photograph them!

There were a large number of Peacocks in the area.

There were also quite a few Red Admirals

along with the whites and a Comma or two.

The sun shone this morning but by the time we'd reached the meadow it started to rain, thankfully only a shower which passed over quite quickly.

The peace and tranquility were shattered by an idiot on a quad bike (banned from the area by the Forestry Commission) whose mission in life seemed to be disruption of the wildlife and flattening of the meadow in an attempt to impress the dim-witted giggling female passenger on the back. I can only hope that they ran out of fuel somewhere remote and had to walk home.

Season of mists..

2008-08-30T23:12:00.016+01:00

and mellow fruitfullness.

Well it's almost here and there has been a distinctly autumnal feel to the air on several days this week. However, the sun shone today and the temperature soared. So we set off for a walk around the north bay and to the old Mr Marvels site, once the scene of many a happy child making lifetime memories in the amusement park, now derelict and soon to be developed as part of the Sands complex.

Of course where there are brambles there are Speckled Wood and in this case, more than 30 were seen on the site.

The site is also home to a colony of Common Blue butterflies which seem to have done particularly well in their second generation this year. We saw more than thirty, the most we've ever seen there. There were also females laying eggs a good omen for next year.

They weren't the only species there, we also saw Peacock

Red Admiral, Small Heath, Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Painted Lady and Wall. There are also dragonflies in the area such as this Common Darter.

It's a crying shame that the area is earmarked for development in the near future. We can only hope that those species currently in residence move out onto the slopes of the north bay to make a new habitat for themselves.

Back at home, the excitement continued with five Red Admirals in the garden - the most we've ever seen at any one time.

Snuffle, Snuffle, chomp, chomp

2008-08-27T23:10:00.005+01:00

Lee went off into the garden last night to check the moth trap and put out the peanuts for the visiting creatures. He was mid-fling when Brock put in appearance and what's more, stayed there for quite a while - obviously knowing when he was on to a good thing as Lee would fling whilever Brock chomped!

I came inside to get the camera never for one minute thinking I was in with a chance of managing a second entry into the garden with out the badger taking flight.

But aside from an upturned nose and a good sniff, he paid me little attention concentrating instead on the task in hand - supper (or more likely breakfast/elevenses).
This is the first badger we've seen in the garden since we spotted a road casualty not too far from the house last week. It's always a sad sight to see a dead badger, but being so close to home we worried that it was one of our regular visitors and it was a bit of relief to see one in the garden again even if it does look like the spawn of satan with demonic eyes!!!

Minimus Maximus

2008-08-25T21:07:00.016+01:00

or some other famous Roman general :o)
Or even the moths in the trap last night.

Minimus

Let's start with the Cherry-bark moth. A gorgeous little micromoth that at first glance looks very plain. Further inspection however reveals riot of colour and pattination all on a wingspan of less than 20mm. It gets its name from its larvae which feed on the bark of fruit and ornamental cherry trees.

Maximus

The trap also contained this little beastie. Meet the Drinker, a great brute of a fellow with a wingspan from 45-60mm. Gets his name from the larvae which apparently like a tipple, of dew that is! You think he's a big lad? Meet the missus - slightly larger than him and decidedly more jaundiced! Note "his and hers" matching wingspots. Her ladyship isn't attracted to light as often as her man so I was particularly pleased to attract this specimen last year.

What happens when the media attention becomes too much? Well it's time to warm up and make a fly for it. Here he is pumping those wings and getting ready for the off.

Now who said moths don't have furry bodies?????

I can see right....

2008-08-24T20:49:00.005+01:00

..up your proboscis!

Flame Carpet

Large Yellow Underwing

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Gothic

Not much new in the trap overnight so I thought I'd try a different angle. Do moths have faces? Does Jimmy Gothic recognise Jilly Gothic front on? I don't think so. Does Jimmy Gothic smell like Jilly- also unlikely but Jilly is more likely to use her alluring perfume (pheromones) to attract Jimmy who detects it using his antennae. Now this is where moths and humans differ, male moths have a very good sense of smell, unlike some human males who think that sweaty socks are a real attraction and can't see what we girlies object to!

Camouflage or Conflict..

2008-08-20T23:00:00.005+01:00

So there you are, small, full of wings, looking like you might be a tasty morsel for a pointy beak. What are you going to do about it? You have three choices really, either like this Buff-tip get some really good camouflage and make yourself look like a Birch Twig..

Buff-tip

Or like this Eyed Hawk-moth open your wings and become a bug with eyes so big you terrify the predator!

Eyed Hawk-moth

Failing that RUN!!!! (or fly).

Can you tell it has been raining a lot and limiting the mothing? It's been an abysmal year so far weather wise, yet looking back over the catches we seem to have captured small numbers of a good number of species. Trouble is the rain and floods are arriving at a time when larvae and eggs can get washed away and that will be really detrimental to next years moth prospects. We can only live in hope of finer weather to come.

Widdy Little Moths

2008-08-16T09:56:00.005+01:00

658 Carcina quercana

1036 Acleris forsskaleana

Well it turned out to be less exciting than I'd hoped this morning. There's a definite chill in the air and that tends to put the moths off. That said, there were two little beauties in the trap and by little, I mean just that as they are both micromoths. Now you may be wondering why there are numbers in the names above. Well, all moths and butterflies have a Bradley and Fletcher number as allocated in the first Log Book of British Lepidoptera (I suppose, technically, they should be Bradley, Bradley and Bradley numbers these days as the log book was rewritten in 2000). It serves several useful purposes - firstly it makes my pictures easier to sort! Then as always in our never still world, moth names may change as more is known about them, they may be allocated to different families or what was previously considered to be a single species turns out to be two. While all this goes on, the numbers stay the same. So that Blastobasis lignea that is now Blastobasis adustella is still moth number 873 even though its name has changed. Good eh?

Drunk in charge...

2008-08-16T00:18:00.017+01:00

of a blog - well I thought I might have been but here I am several gin and tonics short of innebriate updating it. Been a good night out, saying a fond farewell to Linda who leaves the NHS after 20 years dedicated service. We will miss her but wish her well in her new role.

It's been a rubbish couple of days weather wise, cold and raining so no moth trapping to be done - we're making up for it tonight though and I've already seen a Dark Arches, at least three Large Yellow Horribles and a Twenty-plume moth on the window so am hoping for something good in the trap later today. Later today..... I've been awake far too long!

It's been a long old week. We're busy fighting developers who want to flatten and build on a lovely area of woodland behind the house. It's home to many species of the moths we trap to say nothing of the butterflies, mammals and insects in our area. Badgers use the land to forage, foxes breed there (there were at least three cubs this year), hedgehogs have babies there, it is home to many species of bird. Roe Deer have been seen and Otters have been recorded fishing in the pond. It's criminal, a wanton, planned destruction of the wildlife habitat and corridor in the name of finance.
Talking of the species seen, meet Jog :o)

Mirror mirror..

2008-08-13T21:00:00.019+01:00

on the wall, who's the prettiest cat of all?

Betsy is :o)

Here she is mesmerised by her own reflection in the wardrobe mirror. She may be almost nine years old but she's never grown into those eyes! She's still as playful as when she arrived, a very tiny, semi-feral kitten aged around 8 weeks. She was never going to be a big cat, but it doesn't stop her being full of mischief.

It was much quieter in the moth trap this morning. The cool wet weather overnight seems to have kept the moths in bed. How do they manage to last without feeding? Their bodies are so small that you have to wonder about their ability to store enough energy to fly in some cases. I suppose it's all proportional. There are moths that don't feed as adults like the Poplar Hawk-moth below. They munch their way through as much foodplant as possible in the larval stage, storing enough energy to pupate and then emerge as an adult. Their life span from that time is around four weeks.

Then there are the moths that nectar at every available opportunity like the Hummingbird Hawk-moth (another migrant) seen here on Red Campion.

It just wouldn't do if we were all the same now would it :o)

One for sorrow...

2008-08-12T18:56:00.013+01:00

.. two for the joy of seeing this beautiful Magpie Moth in the trap this morning. Once a favourite with collectors (that habit no longer encouraged thank goodness ) its caterpillars feed on the leaves of gooseberry and currant bushes amongst other things, giving it a bit of a reputation as a pest. Some pest!

It has rained and rained some more this week but it doesn't seem to deter the moths. Temperature appears to be the limiting factor with fewer moths abroad on cooler evenings. There have been hoards of Large Yellow Underwings (also known as Large Yellow Horribles) in the trap over the past few days with 199 last night alone. They are the wriggliest, most disruptive moths in the universe. They cause all sorts of bother in the trap upsetting the other species in the process and there are just sooooooo many of them!

Our garden is quite close to the river, surrounded by woodland, farmland and a stone's throw from the National Park. As a result, it is frequented by lots of species other than moths.

Regular visitors include a family of badgers and a family of foxes. Last year we had wonderful views of a badger sow with three cubs, they were great fun to watch. This year she has returned with a single baby. The foxes have been equally successful and we've had hours of amusement watching the antics of the three young cubs this year.

We've been amazed by the noises they all made. Listen for that piggy snuffling noise, like someone with a heavy cold and here come the badgers foraging for food. Hear the high pitched squeals and screams and you know the foxes are about. Of course, the cats don't know what to make of it all. That said, the badgers and foxes aren't that sure what to do when they run into each other! They seemed to have worked out visiting rights between themselves with foxes appearing at dusk and badgers at full darkness. It's a wonderful world we live in.

The Migrants Are Coming.....

2008-08-10T21:17:00.011+01:00

Well at least I hope that they are! Every year we see a migration of butterflies and moths from southern Europe or Northern Africa often by way of the continent. It's a remarkable achievement given the size of these creatures. Take the Diamond-back moth, its wingspan is a cool 13-15mm, just how does it manage to flap all that way? The Painted Lady is another migratory species, it too travels across many hundreds of miles to arrive in the UK. Of course, the weather and wind conditions need to be favourable and so far this year they haven't been. It has been pleasing to have reports of the butterfly in this part of the country in the past few days. Not least because it gives me something to write about in the yearly report for the species. None seen wouldn't make a very interesting read!
The weather has been changeable again today so butterfly rambling was given a miss in favour of the excitement of the ironing pile. I could hardly contain myself, the thought of pressing another shirt or skirt... OK so I'm lying! It is the bane of my life, it leads me to think dark thoughts and plot serious revenge on the people who wore the clothes to start with. Even the cats stay clear - they used to help by making a bed of the clean washing when they were younger, meaning it had to be re-washed and the ironing was wonderfully delayed (or you could go out wearing a furry collar when none existed previously, or looking like you hadn't shaved your armpits in months). But not any more unfortunately, why do kittens grow up?!

Small and Sweet...

2008-08-10T00:16:00.011+01:00

This is the Honeysuckle Moth (Ypsolopha dentella) which graced the trap a couple of nights ago. Small because its wingspan is around 20mm. Sweet for the smell of the honeysuckle which its caterpillars love to eat. We have honeysuckle growing in the garden close to the area where the trap is set and I look forward to seeing these moths and the challenge of the macro photography!

The rain held off while we emptied the trap this morning but around 10am the heavens opened and they've stayed open all day. Not good for walking outdoors especially when trying to record lepidoptera - butterflies and moths to you and me. Comes from the Greek lepido - scale, ptera - wings. The intricate designs on these creatures arise from a large number of individually coloured and patterned scales on the wings. That being said, not many of them brave the wind and rain to feed or breed preferring instead to remain well hidden amongst the vegetation until conditions improve.

We were not so ably assisted in recording this morning by the household moggies Boris (he's the black one) and Betsy (she's the tabby one) who thought it great sport to attempt to catch any escaping moths knocking over the trap, book, camera and human in the process! You'd never think that they were twins would you?

Boris (or Boz as he's more often known) is the hunter of the family. Always out and about he regularly brings us gifts.

I find it one of life's little ironies that he does this. We study natural history and there he is, systematically denuding the area of it! Betsy (or Little Tig) is a quieter cat, she stays at home more than Boz but she still enjoys playing with whatever he brings back. I wouldn't be without them as they are a constant source of amusement and comfort.

The Night Time is The Light Time...

2008-08-08T22:01:00.013+01:00

... and the time to indulge in a little moth trapping. The mercury vapour lamp is a powerful weapon which acts as a magnet to hapless moths. The little beasties drawn to the glare fall into the trap and then hide themselves away from the light in the egg boxes contained within. There they lie in torpor until the morning comes.

As dawn breaks, the intrepid humans shake off their sloth and rise to empty the trap, where the moths, still in torpor (who gets the best deal here?), lie waiting to be counted, recorded and photographed. Lights, camera, action, it's a wrap and time to relase them all back into the wild.

No moths are harmed in the making of this production. But who could be interested in moths you ask? They eat your clothes (untrue), their bodies are all furry (some are), they get in your ears (not likely) and they are all little brown jobs, no fun at all - the greatest untruth of all. Just have a taster and marvel at the intricate patterns and glorious colour on the wings of the Herald, look at the matching colours and patterns that extend even to it's legs - better than designer gear! What a wonderful creature it is.

Rambling Jax

2008-08-08T18:51:00.000+01:00

Well it's an accurate description and open to whichever interpretation you choose!

Rambling is what I seem to do best when tired, upset, worried, thoughtful, scared - well most of the time really. Rambling is also what I try to do in the countryside, though not often enough. I'd like more time to indulge in my passion for the natural world and all things wildlife related but, there's that four letter word, work, it just gets in the way some days!

Here's where my rambling starts - Scarborough in North Yorkshire. Enjoy.