Fungi

The late cutting of the waxcaps field has been unfortunate for this years crop. I was hoping that the cut would be in time for the waxcaps to fruit again but amongst the grass were lots of broken up waxcaps including a pink one, golden ones and scarlet ones as well as meadow waxcaps. I was too late - but without my own machinery there was not much I could do to affect the timing. Interestingly I saw also some Crested Coral (Clavulina coralloides)and a new spindly sort of fungi which was an orange colour. I wasn't sure about the ID as it looked like it might be Golden Spindle except for the colour. The books say that Golden Spindle is a bright yellow but this was definitely orangey. I can also add one new fungi species to the site list - a single example of Liberty Cap (Psilocybe Semilanceata)was found on the newly mown field which had either missed the mower or sprung up afterwards. I apologise for the poor photo but I didn't have a suitable lens with me.

Privet Hawkmoth

I was privileged to be present when a Privet Hawkmoth larva was found in a wet meadow very close to The Narth. At the time I took some photographs and through that we were able to positively identify the larva. The surprise was that this was the first record of this species in Gwent for forty years and only the ninth record ever in the county.