File:(1992) Small Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila porcellus) (14244551435).jpg

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 - 09/04/14 - 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 Monpis weaverella 1x Nematopogon schwarziellus 1x Endrosis sarcitrella 1x Pschye casta 1x Plutella xylostella 40+ Cochylimorpha straminea 5x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 5x Epiblema rosaecolana