Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 13/08/24

Well behind with my field trip reports.

Below was a super catch at my local nature reserve back in mid-August.

I arrived a bit late as thre sun was just disappearing below the horizon. The evening started very warm and humid and perfect for bountiful moth activity.

And then it rained... quite a bit.

So much in fact that I had to turn 2 of the traps off, because of the risk of them getting water-logged, which isn't very fair on the moths.

The last remaining trap was moved under the slight awning of the shed, shielded mostly from the rain, which eventually stopped.

The moths were still piling in and it was a busy trap come emptying time.

 

The biggest shock of the night was a really strange Plusiinae, a relative of the Silver Y for sure, but nothing fit in any books that I had with me, or lepiforum, as I frantically scrabbled around with limited phone signal.

The moth had to be retained and duly dissected recently to confirm it's identification.

It was indeed just a Silver Y (As Colin Plant and myself both peeked down the microscope), but what an extreme oddity!

The specimen now resides in my collection alongside a typical Silver Y specimen.

After that initial shock, it was time to see what else had been attracted to the last remaining trap.

Lots was the answer, with a county first? Mompha langiella being the best.

Other quality micros included a stunning and large Acleris cristana, Caloptilia cuculipennella, Elachista bisulcella and lots of Epinotia ramella.

A Dingy Shell was the first i've seen all year, usually a regular moth for me.

Another very succesful night and plenty more records for the site list, that continues to grow.

13/08/24 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x 250w Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

Angle Shades    
Bright-line Brown-eye     
Brimstone Moth     
Burnished Brass     
Cloaked Minor     
Common Carpet     
Common Rustic     
Common Wainscot     
Common Wave     
Common White Wave    
Copper Underwing     
Coronet     
Dingy Footman
Dingy Shell     
Double-striped Pug     
Drinker    
Dusky Thorn     
Ghost Moth     
Gold Spot     
Green Carpet     
Grey Dagger     
Gypsy Moth     
Iron Prominent     
Jersey Tiger     
Large Emerald     
Large Yellow Underwing     
Latticed Heath     
Least Carpet     
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing     
Light Emerald     
Lime-speck Pug     
Maple Prominent     
Mere Wainscot     
Mouse Moth     
Nutmeg     
Oak Processionary     
Orange Swift     
Pale Prominent     
Peach Blossom     
Pebble Hook-tip     
Pinion-streaked Snout     
Poplar Grey     
Pretty Chalk Carpet    
Riband Wave    
Rosy Footman     
Ruby Tiger     
Sallow Kitten     
Scarlet Tiger     
Setaceous Hebrew Character     
Shaded Broad-bar     
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Y    
Six-striped Rustic     
Small Blood-vein     
Small Fan-footed Wave     
Small Rufous     
Small Square-spot     
Snout     
Spectacle    
Square-spot Rustic     
Straw Dot     
Straw Underwing     
Straw Underwing     
Swallow Prominent     
Tawny-barred Angle     
Tree-lichen Beauty     
Turnip Moth     
Vine's Rustic     
White-spotted Pinion     
Willow Beauty    
Yellow Shell     
Yellow-barred Brindle     
Yellow-tail

Micro Moths

Acentria emphemerella
Acleris cristana
Acleris emargana
Acleris laterana/comariana
Acleris variegana
Acrobasis advenella
Adaina microdactyla
Agapeta hamana
Agapeta zoegana
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Agonopterix arenella
Agonopterix purpurea
Agriphila geniculea
Agriphila straminella
Agriphila tristella
Anacampsis blattariella/populella
Anania perlucidalis
Apotomis betuletana
Archips podana
Argyresthia albistria
Argyresthia goedartella
Argyresthia pruniella
Bactra sp
Batia lunaris
Batrachedra praeangusta
Blastobasis adustella
Borkhausenia fuscescens 
Calamotropha paludella
Caloptilia cuculipennella
Caloptilia rufipennella
Caloptilia stigmatella
Cameraria ohridella
Carcina quercana
Cataclysta lemnata
Catoptria falsella
Chilo phragmitella
Cnephasia sp
Cochylimorpha straminea
Coleophora alcyonipennella/frischella
Coleophora vestianella
Cydalima perspectalis
Cydia splendana
Dichrorampha simpliciana
Elachista bisulcella
Elachista stabilella
Elophila nymphaeata
Emmelina monodactyla
Epinotia nisella
Epinotia ramella
Epinotia tenerana
Epiphyas postvittana
Eudonia lacustrata
Eudonia mercurella
Eudonia pallida
Euzophera pinguis
Evergestis forficalis
Grapholita janthinana
Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Hypsopygia glaucinalis
Limnaecia phragmitella
Lyonetia clerkella
Lyonetia prunifoliella
Mompha langiella
Monopis weaverella
Neocochylis dubitana
Neocochylis molliculana
Pammene aurita
Pandemis corylana
Pandemis heparana
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella
Parornix sp
Patania ruralis
Phalonidia manniana/udana
Phyllonorycter froelichiella
Phyllonorycter rajella
Plutella xylostella
Prays fraxinella
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
Pyrausta aurata
Scrobipalpa acuminatella
Scrobipalpa costella
Sorhagenia sp
Swammerdamia pyrella
Tinea semifulvella
Tinea trinotella
Yponomeuta rorrella
Ypsolopha scabrella
Zeiraphera isertana

Swammerdamia pyrella

Acleris cristana

Calamotropha paludella

Caloptilia cuculipennella

Dingy Shell

Elachista bisulcella

Epinotia ramella

Mompha langiella

Scrobipalpa acuminatella

Silver Y