Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 28th May

I made my second field trip of the year to Chippenham Fen last Thursday night, and boy had it been warm during the day, with highs of 29 degrees and with lows expected to be around 18 degrees and in the low 20's at midnight, absolutely perfect.

A clear sky ensued and a bright moon would be rising from the east (albeit very low) and it was a little breezy at times, a lovely warm breeze directly from the south.

All this didn't matter as the air was so warm it felt almost tropical even at midnight.

The moths were something else, and all 4 traps were heaving with moths by packing up time at 2am, in fact I started packing up from 1am and only finished at a quarter to 3! Seasoned field trip moth'ers will know how hard it is going through a lively catch when tiredness starts to take over.

But it was certainly worth it!

The moths were incredible, and after sorting out the moths well into the next day, the final tally stood at 237 species which is a May record for me (Easily surpassing the 151 species previous best). 

There were far too many good moths to list, but the best moth was another example of Monopis fenestratella, the 3rd i've taken here in Cambs and as far as I am aware, no other records exist. This example was in much better condition than my recent garden one. 

My favourite macro moth was the ever-so dainty Small Yellow Wave, a moth I don't see very often.

 

The hoped for migrants put in a small appearance with loads of Plutella xylostella and 2 Small Mottled Willow.

 

A very pleasing but tiring trip. 

 

 

28/05/26 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Clear MV Trap, 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap

Macro Moths

Barred Straw 
Beautiful Hook-tip 
Bordered Sallow
Bordered White 
Bright-line Brown-eye 
Brimstone Moth 
Broad-barred White 
Brown Rustic 
Brown Silver-line
Buff-tip 
Burnished Brass 
Clay 
Clouded Border 
Clouded Brindle 
Clouded Silver 
Clouded-bordered Brindle
Common Carpet 
Common Marbled Carpet 
Common Pug 
Common Swift 
Common Wainscot 
Common Wave 
Common White Wave 
Coronet 
Coxcomb Prominent 
Cream Wave 
Cream-bordered Green Pea 
Cream-spot Tiger 
Dark Arches 
Dingy Shell 
Dotted Fan-foot 
Dwarf Pug 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Eyed Hawk-moth 
Fern 
Figure of Eighty 
Flame 
Flame Shoulder 
Flame Wainscot 
Foxglove Pug 
Goat Moth 
Ghost Moth
Green Carpet 
Green Pug 
Grey Dagger 
Grey Pug 
Grey-pine Carpet 
Heart & Dart
Iron Prominent 
Large Nutmeg 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Light Brocade 
Light Emerald 
Lime Hawk-moth 
Lime-speck Pug 
Lunar Yellow Underwing 
Maiden's Blush 
Marbled Clover 
Marbled Minor 
Marbled White-spot
May Highflyer 
Middle-barred Minor 
Mottled Pug
Mottled Rustic 
Netted Pug
Nutmeg 
Oak Hook-tip 
Orange Footman 
Pale Mottled Willow 
Pale Oak Beauty 
Pale Prominent 
Pale Tussock 
Pebble Hook-tip 
Peppered Moth 
Pinion-streaked Snout 
Poplar Grey 
Poplar Hawk-moth 
Pretty Chalk Carpet 
Reed Dagger
Reed Leopard 
Riband Wave 
Ruby Tiger 
Rustic Shoulder-knot 
Sandy Carpet 
Satin Wave 
Satyr Pug 
Scarlet Tiger 
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Shuttle-shaped Dart 
Silky Wainscot
Silver Barred 
Silver Y 
Silver-ground Carpet 
Sloe Pug 
Small Blood-vein 
Small Clouded Brindle 
Small Dusty Wave 
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 
Small Mottled Willow 
Small Seraphim 
Small Square-spot 
Small Yellow Wave
Snout
Spectacle 
Spruce Carpet 
Straw Dot
Striped Wainscot
Tawny Wave 
Tawny-barred Angle 
Treble Brown Spot 
Treble Lines 
Turnip Moth 
Vine's Rustic 
V-Moth
White Ermine
White-point 
White-point 
Willow Beauty 
Yellow Shell 

Micro Moths

Acentria emphemerella 
Acompsia cinerella 
Adaina microdactyla 
Aethes rubigana 
Agapeta hamana 
Agonopterix ocellana 
Aleimma loeflingiana 
Anania hortulata 
Anania perlucidalis 
Aphomia sociella 
Argyresthia conjugella
Argyresthia spinosella 
Bactra lancealana
Blastobasis lacticolella 
Blastodacna hellerella 
Brachmia inornatella 
Bucculatrix bechensteinella
Bucculatrix cidarella 
Bucculatrix nigricomella 
Carcina quercana 
Cataclysta lemnata 
Celypha lacunana 
Celypha rosaceana 
Chilo phragmitella 
Chrysoteuchia culmella 
Clepsis consimilana 
Cochylidia heydeniana
Cochylimorpha straminea 
Coleophora alcyonipennella/frischella
Coptoptriche marginea 
Cosmopterix lienigiella
Cosmopterix scribaiella
Crambus lathoniellus 
Crassa unitella 
Cydia conicolana
Cydia fagiglandana 
Cydia pomonella
Dichrorampha alpinana/flavidorsana 
Dichrorampha sedatana/aeratana/plumbana
Ditula angustiorana 
Ectoedemia decentella 
Elachista albidella
Elachista atricomella 
Elachista gangabella
Elachista humilis
Elachista maculicerusella 
Elachista stabilella 
Elophila nymphaeata
Endothenia gentianeana/marginana
Endothenia nigricostana
Endothenia quadrimaculana
Ephestia sp 
Epinotia bilunana 
Epinotia demarniana
Epinotia immundana 
Epinotia nanana
Ethmia dodecea 
Ethmia quadrilella 
Eucosma cana 
Eucosma metzneriana
Evergestis forficalis 
Exoteleia dodecella
Glyphipterix thrasonella 
Gracillaria syringella 
Grapholita janthinana
Hedya pruniana 
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Homoeosoma sinuella 
Hypochalcia ahenella
Lathyronympha strigana 
Luquetia lobella 
Lyonetia clerkella 
Mompha subbistrigella 
Monopis crocicapitella 
Monopis fenestratella 
Monopis weaverella 
Morophaga choragella 
Nemapogon cloacella 
Nematopogon metaxella 
Nemophora degeerella
Neocochylis molliculana 
Nephopterix angustella 
Niditinea fuscella sp 
Notocelia cynosbatella 
Notocelia trimaculana 
Notocelia uddmanniana 
Pandemis cerasana 
Parapoynx stratiotata
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 
Parornix sp 
Phalonidia manniana/udana 
Phyllonorycter leucographella 
Piniphila bifasciana 
Platyptilia gonodactyla
Plutella xylostella 
Prays fraxinella 
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 
Ptherochroa sodaliana 
Ptherophorus pentadactyla 
Ptycholoma lecheana
Pyrausta purpuralis 
Rhyacionia pinivorana
Scoparia ambigualis 
Scoparia pyralella 
Scrobipalpa costella 
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 
Scythropia crataegella 
Sitochroa verticalis 
Spilonota ocellana 
Swammerdamia nebulella
Thyraylia nana 
Tinea semifulvella
Tinea trinotella 
Tischeria eklebladella 
Tortrix viridana 
Triaxomaria parasitella
Udea olivalis

 

Silky Wainscot

Small Yellow Wave

125w MV Robinson Trap

Bactra lancealana

Bordered Sallow

Cydia conicolana

Elachista humilis

Epinotia nanana

Eucosma metzneriana

Hypochalcia ahenella

Monopis fenestratella

Phtheochroa sodaliana

Rhyacionia pinivorana