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
Udea olivalis

Monopis crocicapitella

Dark Spectacle

Netted Pug

Sloe Pug

Tawny Shears

Metzneria lappella

Metzneria metzneriella

Telechrysis tripuncta

Monopis obviella

Luquetia lobella

Aleimma loeflingiana

125w MV Robinson Trap over-looking the chalk grassland

Green & Grey Pugs amongst  others

A small gathering