I fear yesterday's best find will have to go down as unproven - frass extruded from small holes in the stems of Mugwort at The Nedern seems likely to be European Corn-borer (Ostrinia nubilalis). Unfortunately I didn't cut a stem open to examine the larva. There don't seem to be any references to other Mugwort stem borers though.
Otherwise my protracted searches of Mugwort stands were unproductive, with a couple of Red Herrings. I couldn't see any Coleophora cases (wrong time of year?) or larvae of The Wormwood (ditto); forgot that Leucospilapteryx omissella mines the leaves (although I did see several obvious fly mines I think/hope I would have spotted the blotches of this Micro); and got unnecessarily excited by an Elachista maculicerusella and three Emmelina monodactyla as I hoped that both originated from the Mugwort. There are several Mugwort specialities that should be in Gwent, but I failed on them all!
Two caterpillars - a Vapourer and a Knot Grass - were also noted.
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