Ashwell Quarry - Hertfordshire - Field Trip - 21st June

I made a trip to the far north of Hertfordshire on the 21st of June.

It had been a really hot and humid day with highs of nearly 30 degrees, and with plenty of thick cloud cover to keep the temperature up.

 

Storms were a threat, and apart from 5 minutes of light but heavy droplets of rain, it remained dry.

 

The wind was the big issue though, and luckily, knowing a bit about the geology of the land, it was fairly easy tucking the traps out of the southerly breeze that constantly featured through the night.

 

But with the warm winds, I did manage a Silver Y, several Plutella xylostella and 5 very welcome Delicate.

 

Species included the typical chalk/scrub fair with grassland species in the mix as well. 

 

Moth of the night for me and one that seems to be on the increase, a Ruddy Carpet, but not just any Ruddy Carpet, the brightest specimen i've ever taken.

Pugs were common as usual at this reserve, with large numbers of Satyr (30+) with Shaded Pug in second place with 14.  

 

Pick of the micros went to the rather unusual Eidophasia messingiella, a moth i've only taken once before, and a really fresh Metzneria lappella was photo-worthy. 

 

As I got home at half 2, the outside temperature still read 23 degrees, unchanged during the 45 minute drive back, then it was time to go through the home trap.

 

21/06/25 - Ashwell Quarry - Hertfordshire - 1x 125w Trap, 1x 250w Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 20w Bucket Trap

 

Macro Moths

Angle Shades 
Barred Straw 
Barred Yellow 
Beautiful Hook-tip 
Blue-bordered Carpet 
Bordered Beauty 
Bordered Sallow 
Bright-line Brown-eye 
Brimstone Moth 
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 
Brown Scallop 
Buff Arches 
Burnished Brass 
Cinnabar 
Clay 
Clouded Brindle 
Clouded Silver 
Common Carpet 
Common Emerald 
Common Footman 
Common Marbled Carpet 
Common Pug 
Common Wainscot 
Common Wave 
Coronet 
Dark Arches 
Dark Umber 
Delicate 5
Dotted Fan-foot 
Double Square-spot 
Double-striped Pug 
Dun-bar 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Fern 
Flame 
Flame Shoulder 
Garden Carpet 
Green Carpet 
Green Pug 
Grey Dagger 
Grey Pug 
Heart & Club 
Heart & Dart 
Large Nutmeg 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Leopard Moth 
Light Arches
Lime-speck Pug 
Marbled Minor 
Middle-barred Minor 
Miller 
Mottled Beauty 
Mottled Pug 
Mottled Rustic 
Nut-tree Tussock 
Oak Nycteoline
Obscure Wainscot 
Pale Oak Beauty 
Peppered Moth
Phoenix 
Pine Hawk-moth 
Poplar Grey 
Poplar Hawk-moth 
Riband Wave 
Royal Mantle
Ruby Tiger 
Ruddy Carpet 
Rustic 
Satyr Pug 
Scalloped Oak 
Scarce Footman 
Scorched Carpet 
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Shaded Pug 
Silver Y 
Single-dotted Wave 
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 
Small Emerald 
Small Square-spot 
Snout
Spectacle 
Straw Dot 
Swallow-tailed Moth 
Treble Brown Spot
Turnip Moth 
Uncertain 
White-point 
Willow Beauty 
Yellow Shell

Micro Moths

Acentria emphemerella
Acleris forskalleana 
Acleris notana/ferrugana 
Aethes beatricella 
Agapeta hamana 
Agapeta zoegana 
Agonopterix alstromeriana 
Agonopterix arenella 
Aleimma loeflingiana 
Anania coronata 
Anania fuscalis
Anania hortulata 
Anarsia innoxiella 
Ancylis achatana 
Aphomia sociella 
Aproaerema larseniella
Archips podana 
Archips rosana 
Archips xylosteana 
Argyresthia pruniella 
Batia lunaris 
Blastobasis lacticolella 
Bucculatrix frangutella
Celypha lacunana 
Celypha rosaceana 
Chrysoteuchia culmella 
Clepsis consimilana
Cnephasia longana
Cnephasia sp
Cochylichroa atricapitana
Cochylimorpha straminea 
Coleophora alcyonipennella/frischella 
Coleophora mayrella 
Crambus lathoniellus 
Crambus perlella 
Crassa unitella 
Cydalima perspectalis 
Cydia fagiglandana 
Dichrorampha alpinana/flavidorsana 
Ditula angustiorana 
Eana incanana 
Eidophasia messingiella
Elachista stabilella 
Elachista triatomea
Endothenia gentianaeana/marginana
Epermenia chaerophyllella 
Ephestia sp 
Epiblema costipunctana
Epiblema foenella 
Epinotia abbreviana 
Epinotia signatana
Epiphyas postvittana 
Ethmia dodecea 
Eucosma cana 
Eucosma hohenwartiana 
Eudonia lacustrata 
Eudonia mercurella 
Eudonia pallida 
Eudonia pallida 
Euzophera pinguis 
Gelechia scotinella 
Grapholita funebrana 
Gypsonoma dealbana 
Hedya nubiferana 
Hedya pruniana 
Hedya salicella 
Homoeosoma sinuella 
Hypsopygia costalis 
Hypsopygia glaucinalis
Isotrias rectifasciana
Lyonetia clerkella 
Marasmarcha lunaedactyla 100+ around foodplant 
Metzneria lappella
Mompha ochraceella 
Mompha raschkiella
Mompha subbistrigella 
Myelois circumvoluta 
Neocochylis molliculana 
Notocelia trimaculana 
Notocelia uddmanniana
Ostrinia nubilalis 
Pammene aurana
Pandemis cerasana 
Pandemis heparana 
Parornix sp 
Phtheochroa sodaliana
Phycita roborella 
Phycitodes binaevella 
Pleuroptya ruralis
Plutella xylostella
Prays fraxinella 
Pseudoswammerdamia combinella 
Pyrausta purpuralis 
Scoparia ambigualis 
Scoparia subfusca 
Scythropia crataegella 
Sitochroa verticalis 
Spilonota ocellana 
Stenoptilia pterodactyla 
Teloides vulgella 
Udea olivalis 
Yponomeuta cag/mal/pad
Yponomeuta evonynella 
Zeiraphera isertana

 

Satyr Pug

250w MV Clear Robinson Trap

Actinic Trap

Anania fuscalis

Aproaerema larseniella

Ashwell Quarry up on the ridge

Bucculatrix frangutella

Delicate

Eidophasia messingiella

Elachista triatomea

Isotrias rectifasciana

Marasmarcha lunaedactyla

Metzneria lappella

Obscure Wainscot

Ruddy Carpet