Family Xmas day walk on The Chevin and I managed to sneak in a Lepidoptera fix. Seven Peacock butterflies and a Herald moth hibernating in this small cave. #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

I did a 1hr loop on The Chevin this evening with a torch and net. Spring Usher NFY and the earliest Yorkshire record by 2 days. I’ve previously had one at the same location on 31st December. + Winter Moth x45 and Mottled Umber. #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Headed to the garden centre for some Xmas shopping and spent more time looking at the spiders. Uloborus plumipes (the Garden Centre Spider) was numerous among the hanging plants on the pergola and in areas not easily reached for dusting. #spiders #Otley @ecology-digest.bsky.social

It was good to find Heliozela hammoniella, the Birch Cutter, while it was tipping down with rain. Not one you can guarantee each year in Yorkshire #VC64, The #Chevin, #teammoth

It felt like a proper autumnal trap this morning with Red-line Quaker (left), Yellow-line Quaker (right) and Merveille du Jour all new for the year. 31 of 12 in total #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

It was good to catch Pearly Underwing last night. A bit of a rarity here in Wharfedale with the last record being 19 years ago. Among the other 14 moths was a late Small Fan-footed Wave #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Now that's how I like to see my eggboxes. Clifden Nonpareil was a new moth for me and a first for Wharfedale (there were two). Barred Chestnut on the same eggbox (centre bottom) was also new for me. 570 moths of 49 species #teammoth #VC64 #Otley

Circa 1,000 moths of 91 species in the garden traps last. Mother of Pearl most numerous with 200+. New for me and Wharfedale was Metalampra italica (Italian Bark Moth) #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Mere Wainscot in the garden trap last night. New for the garden and Wharfedale. 20k from the nearest dot on the map. It'll be the most westerly record in Yorkshire. I don't think the habitat exists for it local to me so presumably a wanderer #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Pammene aurana to SKI lure early evening in my garden. A first for Wharfedale and about as far west as records go in Yorkshire #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

One from a busy weekend - Argyresthia pruniella (Cherry Fruit Moth) doing what it does best #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

It had the look and demeanour of a caddisfly - Homoeosoma sinuella (Twin-barred Knot-horn) was new for my garden and Wharfedale this morning #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Busiest night of the year so far with 266 of 76. Highlights were Hedya salicella (White-backed Tortrix) new for me, Beautiful Carpet and the second Obscure Wainscot of the week. #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

With white external walls I often notice interesting bugs. This afternoon it's the turn of Eysarcoris venustissimus (Woundwort Shieldbug). Quite small for a shieldbug and at first glance I thought it was going to be the nymph of another species. Edge of its range W. Yorks #VC64 #Coleoptera #Beetle

198 moths of 67 species in the garden traps last night. Obscure Wainscot was new for me. It's the second record for Wharfedale with the first being in 2012. Perhaps we'd get more local records if I ran a trap among its foodplant down Otley Wetlands #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Good mothing conditions last night. Mompha raschkiella, the fireweed Mompha, was among the 167 moths of 66 species in the garden traps #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

I was pleased I made the decision to run the trap undercover last night as it chucked it down. Numbers down to 28 of 22, but good to see Green Silver-lines, Beautiful Snout and Willow Beauty as all new for the year.

Numbers well down on the previous few nights, but still a respectable 34 moths of 24 species in the garden traps. Streamer was a new moth for me and there were two of them. #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

It's certainly been an April to remember, 113 of 47 in the garden traps last night. New for the year were Lime Hawk-moth, Poplar Hawk-moth, Cinnabar Moth, May Highflyer, Spectacle, Pale-shouldered Brocade, Wormwood Pug, Bright-line Brown-eye and Yellow-barred Brindle #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Things really picked up last night with 94 moths of 27 species in the garden traps. Puss Moth new for me, what a beast. Others NFY were Small Phoenix, Spruce Carpet, V-pug, Shuttle-shaped Dart and Bee Moth. 26 Brindled Pug was more than I caught in the entirety of last year #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

The highlight from this morning's moth trap was a mint Chocolate-tip moth, a new species for the garden #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Phyllonorycter dubitella (Goat Willow Leaf-miner) bred from Grey Willow collected on 7th November at Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits is a new species for the Wharfedale list #VC64 #teammoth

I was expecting a few moths last night with the warmer weather, 23 moths of 8 species, but I wasn't expecting two moths new for the garden. Acleris ferrugana/notana and Acleris literana are both great looking moths #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Possibly the coolest slide I’ve seen in a kids park #LasMellizas #Orthoptera #Entomology #Insects

Moonlighting in Spain - these mines would be an adventive back home

The decent spell didn’t even start in VC64

1/3 I saw the post by @richardfoxbc.bsky.social about the larval tubes of Infurcitinea argentimaculella (Silver-barred Lichen Moth). A moth with few Yorkshire records. I thought I'd see if I could find the larval tubes. It turns out they're in my garden and on the Chevin #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

It was good to pot Early Moth near the trap this morning as it's not a species I can guarantee each year #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

The snow has finally melted. A walk around the Chevin this evening saw me my first moth of the year - a Chestnut. #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

I'm looking forward to telling everyone about the Yorkshire 2024 mothing highlights on Zoom on 17th February. There have been rather a lot! You can book a place on www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/yorkshire-...

Still waiting for that first moth of 2025 and conditions aren’t promising in VC64 #teammoth

Just the one moth in the trap last night. Pale Brindled Beauty - new for this winter and the final moth of 2024. Happy New Year! #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

Two moths in the trap this morning - a worn Red-green Carpet and a Light Brown Apple Moth #VC64 #Otley #teammoth Have a good Xmas

Let’s see if Santa does garden moths #VC64 #Otley #teammoth

A quick loop around the Chevin with my eldest daughter this evening saw us a Mottled Umber and three Winter Moth #VC64 #Otley #TeamMoth

You know what it’s like - head out for the evening and return with two trays of Lepidoptera from 1972 and a tray of Hymenoptera from 1903 onwards. The Hymenoptera are certainly worthy of a good museum collection so now to work out where best to send them for the future.

Last night’s trap saw me December Moth x4, Acleris sparsana x3, LBAM x2, Scarce Umber, Red-green carpet, Silver Y, Feathered Thorn and an Elf. #VC64 #Otley #TeamMoth

I took a group of Wharfedale Naturalists Society members out on the Chevin this evening to count Winter Moth. 100+ Winter Moth was easily the most I’ve ever seen there. Also, four Scarce Umber (pictured) and a Mottled Umber. #VC64 #TeamMoth

Off out for day so all set for this evening ⛄️🦋⛄️

The Norfolk Moth score card for 2024... I will chronologically go through the New for Norfolk 15 in upcoming posts :) norfolkmoths.co.uk #teammoth #norfolkmoths

Spotted a 7-spot ladybird on a sunflower sitting astride a cocoon. Collected flower and ladybird, placed in a box and waited. 5 days later a little green-eyed wasp emerged - Dinocampus coccinellae, a parasitoid. Its larva will have eaten the ladybird's insides. Insects are fascinating!

It’s still dark and I’m down to two December Moth and a Silver Y nestling among the egg boxes this morning - you’ll have to watch me struggle for content over the next four months #VC64 #Otley #moths

I spent Tuesday morning searching for leaf mines down Rodley Nature Reserve. 15 moth species found. Three new for the 10x square including Stigmella plagicolella (Blue-shot Dot) - on blackthorn #VC64 #moths

Perhaps the best marked November Moth agg I've ever had in my moth trap - If only females could be taken to a species level #VC64 #Otley