Field Trip - Ashwell Quarry - 11/05/17

I made my 3rd trip of the year to Ashwell Quarry last Thursday and after a day of mainly cloudy skies but very mild temperatures with air pushing up from the continent, the evening looked perfect with little wind and complete cloud cover (something that a true moth'er relishes!)

I set-up 5 traps in anticipation of staying until around 2am.

2 hours in at approximately 11pm it started to drizzle, then it rained a little harder, so I started to pack up the open vulnerable traps (namely the two skinners) and checking to see if all of my cables were still under plastic bags and then 20 minutes later it stopped...bugger.

I was now down to 3 traps and I persevered until 12am when another deluge came down.

Despite the rain (moths never seem to be put off by it) I managed a healthy list of late Spring early Summer species, nothing rare.. but to be honest it was just nice to see some moths in numbers once again.

Highlights for me were a further two Depressaria radiella, after catching one on my last outing. Still my only records of this species. 

Also 3 Phtheochroa rugosana were very welcome, such a pretty moth with it's bumps and tufts and protruding scales.

Argyresthia trifasciata was also a moth  don't see very often.

There were also 7 examples of the migrant moth Plutella xylostella.

Once again this little micro-habitat in the middle of an arable desert came up trumps!

Catch Report - 11/05/17 - Ashwell Quarry - North-west Herts - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap 1x Synergetic Skinner Trap & 1x 40w Actinic Trap

56 species

Macro Moths

1x Angle Shades 

10x Brimstone Moth

2x Brindled Pug

6x Chinese Character

2x Common Carpet 

3x Common Pug

100+ Green Carpet

3x Double-striped Pug

4x Flame Shoulder

2x Hebrew Character

6x Least Black Arches

3x Mottled Pug

2x Nut-tree Tussock 

1x Oak-tree Pug

2x Pale Mottled Willow

1x Pale Prominent

1x Purple Bar 

3x Red Twin-spot Carpet

1x Rustic Shoulder-knot 

2x Scorched Carpet

2x Shuttle-shaped Dart

2x Silver-ground Carpet

1x Small Waved Umber

1x Spectacle

2x Streamer

4x V-Pug

1x Waved Umber

3x White-spotted Pug

2x White Ermine

2x Yellow-barred Brindle

 

Micro Moths

1x Agonopterix arenella

1x Argyresthia trifasciata

1x Cameraria ohridella 

1x Cochylis atricapitana

1x Cochylis hybridella

1x Coleophora alcyonipennella

1x Coptotriche marginea

2x Crambus lathoniellus 

3x Depressaria radiella 

1x Depressaria sp to check (TBC)

1x Elachista argentella

1x Emmelina monodactyla

1x Endrosis sarcitrella 

2x Epiphyas postvittana 

1x Glyphipterix simpliciella

2x Hedya pruniana

1x Mompha epilobiella

1x Monopis laevigella

4x Monopis weaverella

1x Nematopogon schwarziellus

2x Parornix sp

3x Phtheochroa rugosana

7x Plutella xylostella 

1x Prays fraxinella

4x Syndemis musculana

1x Tinea trinotella

White-spotted Pug

160w MBT Robinson

125w MV Homemade

Elachista argentella

Argyresthia trifasciata

Chinese Character

 

Coleophora alcyonipennella

Tinea trinotella

Phtheochroa rugosana

Parornix sp

Depressaria radiella

Coptotriche marginea