File:Eupithecia tripunctaria (34484566942).jpg

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 its 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