I didn’t expect to post about any leafminers for a while but saw these mines on a Cherry laurel hedge I passed yesterday and realised this was one I hadn’t shared before. Though the mines are now empty and the moth pupae tucked up cosily in their cocoons for the winter, the mines created by the larvae are still visible.

These are the mines of the Apple leaf miner moth (Lyonetia clerkella). As the name suggests, the larvae of this moth mine the leaves of Apple and other fruit trees, as well as quite a long list of other plant species. You can read more about them on the British leafminers website and see the tiny adult moth on the UK Moths website.