Monthly Archives: June 2014

Another moth night the trap was up and running again after an unexpected breakdown for a couple of week, what had happened I don’t know. The trap was stripped cleaned, fuse checked and was ok, put back together battery charged and was found to be okay!!!! So we had a new moon min temp was 9°c it was cloudy with a 4mph Northerly wind and a things were going right for a chance I was expecting a good number of moths…..two

• (2107) Large Yellow Underwing (1) new for the year
• (2170) Varied Coronet (1) New Species and a grade 3 moth for VC63 [info can be found here at Yorkshire Moths Site (PRESS)

So the numbers were rubbish but the Varied Coronet more than made up for it

Varied Coronet

Varied Coronet

It had come to the point were I needed time out from life again so I decided on a new venue and  since the weather was good and hot that venue was to be Leven Canal [Website Location] a good place for Dragonflies apparently and it delivered.

I pulled into the small car park at about 9am and made my way along the footpath (which is off the car park area not across the bridge) keeping my eye out for various things, the best dragonfly area is about a 20-30 mins walk off, the footpath is in good order with the vegetation kept in good order the walk was no problem.

Various warblers could be heard as I made my walk Skylark, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer and a Cuckoo. The birds overhead were Swallow, Swift, Common Buzzard. It was a fair walk in the morning heat be I was soon at a point where I could look out for various dragonflies Four Spotted Chaser was the first and they were here in abundance, then it was down to looking for the target species.

I was glad I brought my scope, the Opticron Mighty Midget, light and packable. I scanned the lily pads for Damselflies and once you’ve seen one you wonder why you struggled, Azure was the first along with Blue tailed then the one I was looking for, a bigger damselfly by far compared to an Azure next to it, Large Red eyed Damselfly [New species], easy to pick out with the black thorax and of course  lacking any antehumeral stripes, and always staying far enough away from the camera. Common Blue  Damselfly was also found but alas the other target species was not, the Hairy Dragonfly escaped me for today,but I did find Brown Hawkers and Emperor Dragonflies.

Birds in the reeds which I had great views of all were Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler , Reed Bunting and Moorhens with Pheasants calling in the nearby fields

A few butterflies were seen during the day Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Large White, Small Skipper, and Ringlet

Four Spotted Chaser

Rutpela maculata Longhorn Beetle

Mullein moth catapillar

Red Admiral

Leven Canal

I decided on an early evening outing to the old colliery site at Bullcliffe and wish I hadn’t, the hay fever kicked in really bad, but the nature was good which more than made up for it.

On arrival  I started in the first right hand field and here I found Common Blue, Azure and Blue tailed Damselflies along with the newly emerged Meadow Brown and Ringlet Butterflies also with Common Blue Butterfly, Small Heath and Large Skipper Butterflies. A fewmoths were seen Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Shaded Broad Bar and a species of Plume Moth [Stenoptilia zophodactylus??]

Birds were about with Yellowhammers, Goldfinch, Chiffchaff,  and Common Whitethroat and with a Hairy Sheild Bug and a Golden bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle seen, so I was off home with a smile a very runny nose, sneezing, eyes itching and tears, roll on winter 😉

Small Heath Butterfly

Azure Damselfly

Sloe Shield Bug

Plume Moth

With me finding very little time to get out and about at the moment due to family and work it was Yes another moth night again in the back garden tonight’s forecast was light cloud at 12° with a 8mph North East wind with a waning moon at 99%. Light Brown apples were once again active before bed but nothing else was showing.

5:30am I was back and looking at my first trapped Hawkmoth the Small Elephant (what a beauty), having a quick look thru the trap there wasn’t a lot but the Hawkmoth had made up for that.

So what else was in the trap, I could see Small Magpie (1) which, a couple of Pugs, looking like the same species, a Garden Carpet (1), a couple of Light Brown Apple Moths (2), Barred Fruit-tree Tortix (1) [new species], Riband Wave  (1) [new species], Middle barred Minor (1) [new species], and a Garden Grass Veneer or Chrysoteuchia culmella  (a micro moth) [new species] and Scorpion Fly Sp

Small Elephant Hawkmoth

Middle barred Minor

Riband Wave

Barred Fruit-tree Tortix

Yep another moth night again in the back garden tonight’s forecast was light cloud at 12° with a 7mph east wind and a half-moon. Light Brown apples were once again active before bed but nothing else was showing.

5am I was back and looking at my first Scalloped Hazels, going thru the trap I could see Brimstone (1) which became very photogenic unlike the last one, a couple of Pugs, looking like the same species, a Bright line Brown eye (1), a few Light Brown Apple Moths (5), Silver ground Carpet (1) , Clouded bordered Brindle (1) (of a different form than previous nights catch), Knott grass (1) which is a  new species, Ingrailed Clay (1) which is a new species

Knott Grass

Ingrailed Clay

Brimstone

Bright-line Brown-eye