Hexton Chalk Pit - Field Trip - 01/07/14

Roger and myself ran 3 traps at Hexton Chalk Pit on Tuesday evening, with Steve turning up at dusk for some moral support and staying with us until midnight.

The reserve is a lovely habitat with a multitude of wildflowers growing on the chalk grassland. There are patches of bare chalk, but there could be more, as Bramble is starting to take over certain areas of the chalk grassland.

The day had been mild and breezy with a high of around 21 degrees, but by dusk the sky was still crystal clear and the breeze was on the cool side and coats were worn pretty much from the off in fact hats wouldn't have felt out of place! with a low of 8 degrees when I was on my way home at 3am we were totally blown away by what we did manage to catch...

For starters I managed 3 new Macro moths for me, Grey Arches, Reddish Light Arches and Royal Mantle (previously seen in Slovenia for the first time).

Even better were some of the Micro's that turned up

Firstly we had two Agonopterix liturosa, which currently is quite scarce in Herts with a handful of records.

Secondly we had I would say 20+ of the Pyralid, Paratalanta hyalinalis. I had two, but one escaped whilst photographing them, typically only a photo of a battered one. One is with Roger.

No records since 1937, confirmed! And a very good moth indeed.

Other notable species included Satyr Pug, Dark Umber, Shark and 5 Wood Carpets (Only having previously seen one before, to record 5 in a single trip is quite overwhelming).

On the Pyralid front we got Paratalanta hyalinalis in great numbers, along with 5 Ebulea crocealis and 5 Sitochroa verticalis.

To round this post off, the session was an incredible insight in to just how important this habitat is despite it's small size and relative remoteness.

A micro-climate indeed... I shall be going back!

Catch Report - 01/07/14 - Hexton Chalk Pit - Hexton - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Suitcase Trap.


Numbers below are approximate

87 Macros and 44 Micros ( 131 species)

Macro Moths

3x Barred Straw
1x Beautiful Golden-Y
20+ Blackneck
5x Bordered Sallow
7x Bright-line Brown-eye
5x Brimstone Moth
5x Brown Rustic
2x Brown Scallop
4x Brown-line Bright-eye
4x Buff Arches
1x Buff Ermine
1x Buff-tip
3x Burnished Brass
2x Cinnabar
5x Clay
10+ Clouded Border
2x Clouded Brindle
10+ Clouded Silver
5x Common Carpet
6x Common Footman
1x Common Rustic
2x Common Wainscot
1x Common Wave
6x Common White Wave
15+ Dark Arches
1x Dark Umber
1x Dot Moth
10+ Double Square-spot
1x Double-striped Pug
2x Dun-bar
1x Dusky Brocade
4x Dwarf Cream Wave
7x Elephant Hawk-moth
2x Fan-foot
25+ Fern
3x Flame
1x Flame Shoulder
1x Freyer's Pug
1x Garden Carpet
2x Green Pug
1x Grey Arches [NEW!]
3x Haworth's Pug
2x Heart & Club
20+ Heart & Dart
1x Iron Prominent
2x July Highflyer
5x Large Yellow Underwing
1x Lesser Yellow Underwing
10x Light Arches
5x Light Emerald
3x Marbled Minor
1x Marbled White Spot
10x Mottled Beauty
5x Mottled Rustic
2x Peach Blossom
6x Peppered Moth
5x Pretty Chalk Carpet
3x Purple Bar
2x Reddish Light Arches [NEW!]
7x Riband Wave
2x Royal Mantle [NEW!]
1x Ruby Tiger
2x Rustic
1x Satyr Pug
15x Scarce Footman
2x Setaceous Hebrew Character
5x Shaded Pug
1x Shark
8x Shears
4x Short-cloaked Moth
1x Shoulder-striped Wainscot
4x Small Elephant Hawk-moth
2x Small Emerald
4x Small Fan-footed Wave
1x Small Phoenix
1x Small Waved Umber
1x Small Yellow Wave
8x Smoky Wainscot
5x Snout
2x Straw Dot
3x Swallow-tailed Moth
2x Tawny Marbled Minor
2x Tawny-barred Angle
1x Turnip Moth
10x Uncertain
3x Valerian Pug
2x Willow Beauty
5x Wood Carpet

Micro Moths

2x Agonopterix liturosa [NEW!] 
1x Bryotropha senectella [NEW!]
2x Epagoge grotiana
1x Stenoptilia pterodactyla
5x Ebulea crocealis
1x Marasmarcha lunaedactyla
4x Udea prunalis
1x Udea olivalis
1x Metzneria metzneriella
5x Celypha lacunana
1x Paraswammerdamia nebulella
1x Elachista atricomella
2x Archips xylosteana
2x Archips podana
2x Eurrhypara hortulata
2x Cnephasia sp
1x Phycitodes binaevella
1x Eucosma hohenwartiana
1x Eucosma cana
1x Cacoecimorpha pronubana
3x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
1x Hedya pruniana
3x Hedya nubiferana
1x Coleophora sp
3x Marasmarcha lunaedactyla
1x Merrifieldia baliodactylus-leucodactyla?
20+ Paratalanta hyalinalis
5x Scoparia ambigualis
1x Tinea semifulvella
3x Acleris forsskaleana
1x Dipleurina lacustrata 
2x Ephestia parasitella
1x Blastobasis lacticolella
2x Ancylis achatana
5x Sitochroa verticalis
1x Phycita roborella
1x Epiblema uddmanniana
1x Epiblema trimaculana
1x Agapeta hamana
1x Agapeta zoegana
5x Eudonia mercurella
4x Chrysoteuchia culmella
2x Pandemis cerasana
2x Pandemis heparana

Agonopterix liturosa

Blackneck

Bordered Sallow

Ebulea crocealis

Turnip Moth

Grey Arches

Marasmarcha lunaedactyla

Merrifieldia baliodactylus-leucodactyla

Paratalanta hyalinalis

Reddish Light Arches

Royal Mantle

Satyr Pug

Shark

Wood Carpet

Sitochroa verticalis