Field Trip - Hexton Chalk Pit - 29/08/17

Below is the report from Colin Plant on our night at Hexton Chalk Pit last Tuesday night.

It was great to record two new species for me, namely Hedge Rustic and Mompha sturnipennella (Which looks good for that species but will need to be dissected).

REPORT: 29th August 2017: Hexton Chalk Pit N. R., Herts.

Our impromptu trip to the Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at Hexton Chalk Pit last Tuesday aimed to plug a 9-week time gap in the moth records for the site. Unfortunately, and in spite of the warm and humid day, the weather chose to “break” that evening. Ben set out 4 lights and I set out two, one being the vertical sheet, but almost immediately the wind picked up. Within an hour, said sheet was billowing like the topsail of a fully rigged Man o’ War and moths were having difficulties getting to the lights! We struggled on to the witching hour, but as midnight approached we decided it was no longer worth the effort and we packed up.

However, we did tick off a couple of goodies. We already knew that Agonopterix pallorella was present here, so it was good to see this Nationally Scarce species of chalk grassland again, but the big surprise was good numbers of Hedge Rustic – Tholera cespitis (including females that have laid hundreds of eggs). This is another Nationally Scarce species, but it is also one of those that has drastically declined in the last 50 years. It used to be widespread and numerous in Herts, but more or less vanished in the 1990s before reappearing in the period 2008 – 2016 with sparse reports of low numbers (interestingly, mostly in chalk-based habitats). In many parts of the south-east we were worried that Hedge Rustic might be on the way out, but the Hexton moths probably support the alternative idea that it is just at the lowest point in its natural, cyclical population. We also caught a probable Mompha sturnipennella, another noteworthy species (it is associated with Rosebay Willow-herb), but in the interests of accuracy, until we have confirmed this ID by dissection I have left it off the list.

The full list is below. Many thanks to the Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust for their continuing support for recording moths on their properties.

Hepialidae 0015 Hepialus sylvina (Linnaeus, 1761) Orange Swift Gracillariidae 0321 Phyllonorycter messaniella (Zeller, 1846) Oecophoridae 0658 Carcina quercana (Fabricius, 1775) Depressariidae 0697 Agonopterix arenella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) 0700 Agonopterix pallorella (Zeller, 1839) 0709 Agonopterix liturosa (Haworth, 1811) Blastobasidae 0873 Blastobasis adustella Walsingham, 1894 Tortricidae 0936 Cochylimorpha straminea (Haworth, 1811) 0965 Cochylis hybridella (Hübner, 1813) 0969 Pandemis corylana (Fabricius, 1794) Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix 0998 Epiphyas postvittana (Walker, 1863) Light Brown Apple Moth 1076 Celypha lacunana ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) 1138 Epinotia nisella (Clerck, 1759) 1260 Cydia splendana (Hübner, 1799) Crambidae 1309 Agriphila geniculea (Haworth, 1811) 1336 Eudonia pallida (Curtis, 1827) 1344 Eudonia mercurella (Linnaeus, 1758) 1348 Parapoynx stratiotata (Linnaeus, 1758) Ringed China-mark 1395 Udea ferrugalis (Hübner, 1796) Rusty-dot Pearl Pyralidae 1462 Pempeliella dilutella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) *not yet dissected – so possibly “inscriptella”. Geometridae 1724 Xanthorhoe spadicearia ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Red Twin-spot Carpet 1732 Scotopteryx chenopodiata (Linnaeus, 1758) Shaded Broad-bar 1738 Epirrhoe alternata (Müller, 1764) Common Carpet 1739 Epirrhoe rivata (Hübner, 1813) Wood Carpet 1742 Camptogramma bilineata (Linnaeus, 1758) Yellow Shell 1752 Cosmorhoe ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758) Purple Bar 1759 Ecliptopera silaceata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Small Phoenix 1764 Chloroclysta truncata (Hufnagel, 1767) Common Marbled Carpet 1776 Colostygia pectinataria (Knoch, 1781) Green Carpet 1782 Horisme tersata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Fern 1838 Eupithecia icterata (Villers, 1789) Tawny Speckled Pug 1906 Opisthograptis luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758) Brimstone Moth 1914 Ennomos fuscantaria (Haworth, 1809) Dusky Thorn 1961 Campaea margaritata (Linnaeus, 1767) Light Emerald Lymantriidae 2026 Orgyia antiqua (Linnaeus, 1758) Vapourer Noctuidae 2087 Agrotis segetum ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Turnip Moth 2102 Ochropleura plecta (Linnaeus, 1761) Flame Shoulder 2107 Noctua pronuba Linnaeus, 1758 Large Yellow Underwing 2109 Noctua comes Hübner, 1813 Lesser Yellow Underwing 2110 Noctua fimbriata (Schreber, 1759) Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2111 Noctua janthe Borkhausen, 1792 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2123 Diarsia rubi (Vieweg, 1790) Small Square-spot 2126 Xestia c-nigrum (Linnaeus, 1758) Setaceous Hebrew Character 2131 Xestia rhomboidea (Esper, 1790) Square-spotted Clay 2133 Xestia sexstrigata (Haworth, 1809) Six-striped Rustic 2134 Xestia xanthographa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Square-spot Rustic 2177 Tholera cespitis ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Hedge Rustic 2178 Tholera decimalis (Poda, 1761) Feathered Gothic 2199 Mythimna pallens (Linnaeus, 1758) Common Wainscot 2297 Amphipyra pyramidea (Linnaeus, 1758) Copper Underwing 2299 Amphipyra tragopoginis (Clerck, 1759) Mouse Moth 2306 Phlogophora meticulosa (Linnaeus, 1758) Angle Shades