File:125w MV Trap over-looking the chalk grassland (42829567644).jpg

Field Trip - 13/06/18 - Ashwell Quarry My second field trip of the year as to the far North-west of the County of Hertfordshire to Ashwell Quarry. I'm quite fond of this small disused chalk quarry and grassland, and i've had some fantastic species of the last few years that I have been recording here. This night back in mid-june was no different.

In total over 4 lights (Sorry Mercury Blended trap, but I couldn't find your bulb...which I have now found luckily) I recorded 95 species of which only 36 were Macro Moths, leaving the Micro Moths to bolster the list by 59 species!

The day had been warm at 25 degrees and the temperature was holding up nicely at dusk. Unfortunately the wind increased and with clear skies I was cursing the conditions from the offset (Particularly as it had been cloudy, still and muggy all day), there was now a distinct coolness in the breeze but I was determined to see what would turn up.

It turned out to be worth it with one new moth for my records. There were at least 5 examplrs of Sloe Pug! Hardly surprising given the fact that the reserve is bordered by umpteen Prunus bushes, but the fact that I had never seen them before at this time of the year was a nice surprise in itself.

Also Netted Pug made it's annual appearance, not a particularly fresh example mind.

Both common species of Metzeneria turned up giving a nice comparison between the two species.

Other than that, Tawny Shears was most welcome and another two good micros for the night were the distinctive Luquetia lobella and Telechrysis tripuncta, the latter quite scarce in the County.

Below is the full list.

36 Macro and 59 Micro species recorded

Catch Report - 13/06/18 - Ashwell Quarry - 1x 250w Frosted MV Robinson Trap, 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x twin 20w Wemite Actinic + 1x 40w Actinic & 15w LED corn light

Macro Moths

Bright-line Brown-eye Brown Rustic Cinnabar Clouded Brindle Common Wainscot Dagger sp Dark Spectacle Elephant Hawk-moth Eyed Hawk-moth Fern Freyer's Pug Garden Carpet Green Silver-lines Haworth's Pug Large Nutmeg Large Yellow Underwing Light Arches Middle-barred Minor Mottled Beauty Mottled Rustic Netted Pug Pale Prominent Pale Tussock Peppered Moth Poplar Grey Purple Bar Riband Wave Royal Mantle Sandy Carpet Scorched Wing Silver Y Sloe Pug [NEW!] Tawny Shears Treble Lines Wood Carpet Yellow Shell

Micro Moths

Agapeta hamana Agapeta zoegana Agonopterix arenella Anania hortulata Anania perlucidalis Ancylis achatana Anthophila fabriciana Aphomia sociella Argyresthia pruniella Blastobasis lacticolella Borkhausenia fuscescens Bryotropha terrella Celypha lacunana Chrysoteuchia culmella Clepsis consimiliana Cnephasia sp Cochylimorpha straminea Cochylis atricapitana Crambus lathoniellus Crambus pascuella Crambus perlella Crassa unitella Elachista apicipunctella Elachista atricomella Endrosis sarcitrella Ephestia sp Epinotia signatana Epiphyas postvittana Eucosma cana Eucosma hohenwartiana Eudonia pallida Eupoecilia angustana Hedya nubiferana Hedya pruniana Hypsopygia costalis Luquetia lobella Metzneria lappella Metzneria metzneriella Monopis crocicapitella Monopis laevigella Monopis obviella Nemapogon cloacella Notocelia cynosbatella Notocelia trimaculana Notocelia uddmanniana Pandemis cerasana Paraswammerdamia nebulella Phtheochroa rugosana Phtheochroa sodaliana Plutella xylostella Prays fraxinella Scoparia ambigualis Scoparia basistrigalis Scrobipalpa costella Stenoptilia pterodactyla Telechrysis tripuncta Teleiodes vulgella Tinea semifulvella