Tags
leaf-mining moth larvae, leaf-mining moths, leafminers, leafmines on willow, moth leafmines, Stigmella obliquella, Willow pygmy, Willow pygmy larval leafmines
As part of my continuing search for the leafmines of the moth Phyllocnistis saligna, I spent part of a recent walk checking the narrow-leaved willows in a Cardiff Park. Though most of the leaves had already fallen, I noticed a lot of leaves with ‘green islands‘, a likely sign of a leafminer but probably not the one I was looking for and, indeed, not one I was familiar with. I took some photos and posted a selection that evening on Twitter.
Leafminerman Rob Edmunds, of the superb British Leafminers website, quickly identified them as the ‘very variable’ work of the larvae of the moth Stigmella obliquella, also known as the Willow pygmy, a rather cute micro moth with an orange top knot. You can find out more about the leafmines on the British Leafminers website, and see the adult moth on the UK Moths website; just click on the links.
earthstar 
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