Wednesday 29 April 2020

Oecophora bractella turns up at home site

26th April

Rare Oecophora bractella at Chepstow Town


All appeared normal this early morning. Came down stairs for my usual cup-of-tea, however as I did so a small micro flew out in front of me. I thought it was another White shouldered House Moth, as I've had a few already this year, but, as it landed a bright yellow hue caught my eye.
It was vaguely familiar from somewhere but I couldn't quite figure it out at first.


I managed to capture it on the second attempt and it suddenly dawned on me that it was an exciting find of Oecophora bractella (Gold-base Tubic).
I have been despairingly trying to look for this moth again for years at several locations at different times within their flight period, but to no avail!
After my first and only previous find at Grondra Great Wood on 6th August 2016 when I saw 2, I had hoped to find more, however life does not work like that for this micro it appears. It appears when you least expect it and in the most unlikely of places.
After all the excitement, the question now is how it came be here in my house?
Trying to apply some sort of logic I have come with a few facts that could help.
Firstly I believe it was found to the NNE at Wyndcliff  before (correct me if I'm wrong Sam), which is 2.4 miles away which oddly is equidistant to Grondra Great Wood, bearing WNW.


With April being a warm month the moth could have appeared early, but the one thing that I did find out was the wind direction had been blowing for several days in an North-North-Easterly direction to my site which could explain possibly why it could have came from the nearby Wye Valley perhaps.
We had left windows ajar overnight so it had flew in and rested up.
I suppose I shouldn't dismiss the fact it could be here at Chepstow either, given that the moth feeds on dead wood or Fungus, there's plenty of it around here.

Whatever the real answer is, I'm pretty grateful for the 'Mothing Gods' to allow me to see this rare and stunning micro again. Thank you.




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