[0726] Metzneria metzneriella

Description:

Hexton Chalk Pit Field Trip report - 21/05/14Another 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 TrapLights run from 9.00pm until 11.00pmMacro Moths25+ Green Carpet1x Common Carpet1x Barred Hook-tip2x Silver-ground Carpet20+ Common Swift3x Chinese Character3x Grey Pug3x Marbled White spot4x White Ermine1x Small Waved Umber5x Small Phoenix8x Pale Tussock1x Purple Bar8x Flame Shoulder 5x Red Twin-spot Carpet1x Pretty Chalk Carpet9x Small Elephant Hawk-moth1x Lime Hawk-moth1x Poplar Hawk-moth1x Elephant Hawk-moth5x Common Pug2x Mottled Pug10x Shaded Pug3x Treble Lines1x Angle Shades1x Oak-tree Pug1x Setaceous Hebrew Character8x Brimstone Moth1x V-pug5x Clouded Silver1x Silver-Y1x Marbled Minor2x Waved Umber1x Common Marbled Carpet1x Light Brocade3x ShearsMicro Moths1x Celypha lacunana10x Elachista argentella15+ Scoparia ambigualis1x Monpis weaverella1x Nematopogon schwarziellus1x Endrosis sarcitrella1x Pschye casta1x Plutella xylostella40+ Cochylimorpha straminea5x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana5x Epiblema rosaecolana1x Metzneria metzneriella