Hexton Chalk Pit Field Trip report - 21/05/14

Another trip out last night, and I was debating for hours beforehand whether to chance it because of the forecast heavy rain, supposedly starting at around 7pm.

I got to Hexton at 8.30pm and the sky was clearing slightly which I thought was odd but the temperature was a steady 15 degrees.

I was quite surprised at how much the vegetation had grown up since my last visit 6 weeks ago, it was lovely seeing all the wildflowers at knee height now.

I proceeded to setup and decided on running 3 lights.
The moths started to fly almost instantly and well before dusk...maybe they knew something that I didn't!
First to the light were loads of Common Swifts, oodles of Green Carpet and swarms of Cochylimorpha straminea.
The species were steady coming to the light, then all hell broke loose and there was some big stuff coming in, lots of Pale Tussocks, a female Poplar Hawk-moth, Lime Hawk-moth, Elephant Hawk-moth and by the end of the session 9 Small Elephant Hawk-moth!

A few chalk specialities turned up, notably Pretty Chalk Carpet and Shaded Pug, and then the heavens opened! Everything was soaked and it was a real mission packing up and using my coat to cover the generator! All good fun and games.

There was also a small flurry of migrant activity with Silver-Y and Plutella xylostella turning up, no doubt off of the South-westerly winds. 

The Light Feathered Rustic did not turn up.


Catch Report - Hexton Chalk Pit - 21/05/14 - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap

Lights run from 9.00pm until 11.00pm

Macro Moths

25+ Green Carpet
1x Common Carpet
1x Barred Hook-tip
2x Silver-ground Carpet
20+ Common Swift
3x Chinese Character
3x Grey Pug
3x Marbled White spot
4x White Ermine
1x Small Waved Umber
5x Small Phoenix
8x Pale Tussock
1x Purple Bar
8x Flame Shoulder 
5x Red Twin-spot Carpet
1x Pretty Chalk Carpet
9x Small Elephant Hawk-moth
1x Lime Hawk-moth
1x Poplar Hawk-moth
1x Elephant Hawk-moth
5x Common Pug
2x Mottled Pug
10x Shaded Pug
3x Treble Lines
1x Angle Shades
1x Oak-tree Pug
1x Setaceous Hebrew Character
8x Brimstone Moth
1x V-pug
5x Clouded Silver
1x Silver-Y
1x Marbled Minor
2x Waved Umber
1x Common Marbled Carpet
1x Light Brocade
3x Shears

Micro Moths

1x Celypha lacunana
10x Elachista argentella
15+ Scoparia ambigualis
1x Monopis weaverella
1x Nematopogon schwarziellus
1x Endrosis sarcitrella
1x Pschye casta
1x Plutella xylostella
40+ Cochylimorpha straminea
5x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
5x Epiblema rosaecolana
1x Metzneria metzneriella

 

Epiblema rosaecolana

Pretty Chalk Carpet

Shaded Pug

Shears

Small Elephant Hawk-moth

Barred Hook-tip

 

Cochylimorpha straminea

Metzneria metzneriella