Look back at.... August
9th August
Wentwood (Kemey's Craig)
A hot afternoon locally transpired into a very warm evening across the tops of the Wentwood hills. The approaching evening was pretty much clear when I arrived and would remain so with only a slow fall of temperature. No winds to speak off here, just gentle stirrings not long after the sun dropped below the horizon. The area I selected today came under the Kemey's Craig section of Wentwood. I had been to this site last year in the autumn season but never followed up until now. A quick scout around the site after setting the light up found my eye diverted to a large caterpillar on a plant stem, upon which two eyes stared back at me, warning me off. This large elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar would be the first of two sightings this evening and unusually for me both adult and caterpillar would be found at the same site at the same time.
Through the rest of evening I would be kept reasonably busy noting and collecting specimens of moths of various sizes whilst into between, lulls in activity would allow me a coffee and a good view of the twinkling lights Newport and Magor and other small hamlets further afield across the Bristol Channel at this advantageous position over 780 feet, 240 metres above sea level. Moth-wise, about 100 moths of 49 species arrived whilst I was there. 8 localised* and 1 Scarce B moth species were recorded. I hadn't really bargained for Black Arches here or Scarce Footman, Rosy Footman and Buff Footman. I especially did not expect Yellow-barred Brindled at such a high altitude. A good cross section of moths arrived mainly in singles with a nice Small Wainscot and an eye catching Gold Spot.
However two other moths classified under microlepidoptera really intrigued me greatly for I felt I had not seen them before. A quick photograph in the dark of both allowed me some idea of what I was looking at, but further investigations would have to take place in the morning light.
The morning photographic session of these moths revealed two new encounters for me at this site in the form of a fabulous Mompha propinquella (Marbled Cosmet), which later I found I had, had encounters before at my home site in 2017 and 2018, feeding on Willowherbs. The other micro looked like an Stephensia brunnichella (Basil Dwarf) which had a few bells ringing when I looked at it's distribution, or lack of it.
This latter micro I felt needed checking with Sam. He agreed with the sighting after returning my mail, stating in was 'only the 2nd county record after one sighting made by George Tordoff in Caerwent in 2016'. After a recent name change this moth is now known as Oxypterx atrella not Stephensia brunnichella. The micro not surprisingly as the name suggests, feeds on Wild Basil which has only small pockets of it about in the county. It may be hard to tell in the photographs but up close, it looks like some artist has brush-stroked liquid mercury across the forewings
A real surprise to me what I came up with up here- I shall return.
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