Category Archives: leaves

Leafhopper: Ribautiana ulmi

21 Monday Jul 2025

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I’ve found this tiny leafhopper, between 3.5 and 4mm long, a few times now, and hope to see more this year, as the adults are out and about from May through to November.

The trouble is that, as my eyes are not the best and these hoppers are so small, I find them hard to identify in the field. My solution is to take as many photos as I can of the many small green species of leafhopper I spot, noting their location and which tree species I found them on, then I try to work out what I’ve found when I get home.

Fortunately, the five British Ribautiana species have quite distinctive markings, and this one, Ribautiana ulmi, has three black spots that are unique to the species. You might think from the ‘ulmi’ in its name that this species is only found on Elm / Wych elm trees but it has been recorded on several other trees, which can be confusing. It’s a little cutie though, so keep your eyes peeled if you find yourself staring at leaves in the next few months (though I do realise that I may be the only of us who does that 😉 ).

Leaf skeletons

16 Sunday Feb 2025

Posted by in leaves, winter

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I googled ‘leaf skeletons’ and found links to blogs and videos on how to make leaf skeletons, and advertisements for various websites selling skeletons, from locations as distant as Thailand, to be used in art projects and journals.

I found this depressing! Where are the expressions of joy at finding a skeleton when you’re out for a walk, a skeleton that has been produced by natural methods, a combination of weather, perhaps a muddy surface, insect feeding, the natural process of rotting and deterioration? I liken leaf skeletons to feathers, small natural gifts that brighten a walk in dull grey winter weather and always bring a smile.

Lonchoptera larva

07 Tuesday Jan 2025

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In mid December, I was wandering in one of my local woodlands, looking for but not spotting any elfcup fungi, when I found the main path blocked by a fallen tree. Other fungi species seemed also to be absent, bird sounds were minimal, and, as the trees were mostly deciduous, there were no leaves remaining on the branches to check for insects or mines. There was nothing for it but to get down and dirty in the leaf litter. And I’m very glad I did, as I very quickly found something I’d never seen before.

When I got home and found myself unable to identify the creature by googling, I posted my short video clip on social media, asking for help. Almost immediately, Geoff, an expert in fly larvae, popped up with an identification and this very informative snippet:

Another denizen of winter leaf litter is the tiny fly Lonchoptera (Spear-winged flies). The minute larvae feed on microbes found in the biofilm that coats decaying, damp leaves. Measuring just 3 mm in length, they require a keen eye to spot.

250107 Lonchoptera larva

You can read more about the tiny flies of the genus Lonchoptera and see images of some of the species on the iNaturalistUK web page here.

Leafmines: Stigmella atricapitella

02 Monday Dec 2024

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This is the third of the three new leafminers in ‘green islands’ on fallen Oak leaves that I found during one 30-minute period checking leaves in a local park. These are the work of the moth Stigmella atricapitella, the larvae of which you can see inside the mines shown below.

241202 Stigmella atricapitella

This moth breeds twice each year, so the mines can be seen in June – July and again between September and November, though the mines differ slightly each time (see the information on the British Leafminers website). It is possible to confuse these leafmines with those of Stigmella roborella but, fortunately, S. atricapitella has ‘dark prothoracic sclerites’, the dark marks you can see just below the head of the larvae in my images.

Leafmines: Ectoedemia subbimaculella

25 Monday Nov 2024

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This is the second of the three new leafminers I recently found in ‘green islands’ on fallen Oak leaves during half an hour’s fossicking in one of my local parks. And this one, both the adult you can see on the UK Moths website and the mine of its larva, is very similar to the first of the three I blogged about (Leafmines: Ectoedemia heringi, 18 November).

241125 Ectoedemia subbimaculella (1)

Active during October and November, today’s leafmines were created by the larvae of the moth Ectoedemia subbimaculella, and the difference between the mines of the two species is the slit in the lower part of the mine, on the under side of the leaf, of this one. If you want further information and to see additional, better photos, check out the entry on the British Leafminers website.

241125 Ectoedemia subbimaculella (2)

Leafmines: Ectoedemia heringi

18 Monday Nov 2024

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There’s a local park I don’t often visit as it’s a bit too managed for my liking but, recently, when I didn’t have time for a longer walk, I headed in that direction. And I’m very glad I did as, during one 30-minute period of fossicking through fallen Oak leaves, I found three new leafminers, all feeding in the ‘green islands’ their own chemicals had induced in the leaves. This is the first, Ectoedemia heringi, distinguishable from a similar species Ectoedemia albifasciella by the brown head seen here on the larva in the mine. You can read more about this species on the British Leafminers website and see the very attractive adult moth on the UK Moths website.

241118 Ectoedemia heringi

Autumn in Bute Park

17 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by in autumn, leaves, trees

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As mentioned in yesterday’s post, I recently enjoyed a long meander around Bute Park, in Cardiff, delighting in the kaleidoscope of autumn colours.

241117 autumn in bute park (1)241117 autumn in bute park (2)

The 130-acre park is part parkland, part playing fields, part woodland, and part landscaped garden, including an arboretum full of spectacular trees from around the world, so my photos include not only native but also exotic trees.

241117 autumn in bute park (3)241117 autumn in bute park (4)

Leafmines: Gypsonoma dealbana

13 Wednesday Nov 2024

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Two leafmine posts on one week may be a bit much for the uninterested amongst you, but this is really just a postscript to my recent post on the leafmines of two possible Gypsonoma species of moths (Leafmines: Gypsonoma species, 28 October). As I outlined in that blog I hadn’t been able to be precise in my identification as there are two Gypsonoma species that mine the leaves of Poplar. Fortunately for me, there is only one that mines Oak leaves and I managed to find several examples on an Oak sapling at Cardiff’s Grangemoor Park during a walk last week.

241113 Gypsonoma dealbana (2)

I was investigating any signs of leaf damage, which may have been caused by munching beetles or snails or various other hungry mini-beasties but, in this case, I was lucky to spot these four examples of Gypsonoma dealbana, where the moth larvae have used silk and their own frass to spin themselves tiny tubes to hide in (I’ve shown the upper and lower sides of the leaves so you can get an idea what to look for, if you’re so inclined). I’m not sure if the larvae were still present – I didn’t prod them to find out, though it’s likely they’ve already moved down into the soil below the tree, spun a little cocoon, and begun hibernating the winter months away.

241113 Gypsonoma dealbana (1)

Leafmines: Ectoedemia argyropeza

11 Monday Nov 2024

Posted by in autumn, insects, leaves, trees

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The new leafmines are coming thick and fast this year, not because my skills are improving but rather because I’m following the right people on social media and take my inspiration for searching from what they’re finding.

241111 Ectoedemia argyropeza (1)

Today’s leafmines, made by the larvae of the moth Ectoedemia argyropeza, can be found on Aspen (Populus tremula) between July and November. They are easier to spot later in the season when the leaves turn brown and begin to fall as the mines cause the surrounding leaf area to remain green – the so-called ‘green islands’ that some moth species have the ability to create through the chemicals they secrete, which allows them to continue feeding in their portion of the leaf. The other thing to look for with these miners is the brown mark in the leaf petiole, where the mine originated.

241111 Ectoedemia argyropeza (2)

Though I don’t often bring home the mines I find, in this instance I had been unable to get good photos along the busy road so brought home one leaf. I temporarily forgot about the leaf for a couple of days and , when I opened the little pot it was in, found the larva had left the mine so I am also able to show you what it looks like, below.

241111 Ectoedemia argyropeza (3)

Leafmines: Phyllonorycter comparella

04 Monday Nov 2024

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This was a wonderful surprise! I was checking Poplar leaves, not searching for anything in particular, when I turned over a leaf and found this tiny moth, presumably only just emerged from the pupa within its silken mine as its wings had not fully expanded.

241104 Phyllonorycter comparella (1)

I didn’t know what it was until I got home and checked my photos, and then was fairly sure I must have got my identification wrong as the Welsh biodiversity database was showing just four Welsh records, all closer to England, in the county of Gwent. The name I’d come up with was Phyllonorycter comparella (common name Poplar leaf-miner).

241104 Phyllonorycter comparella (2)

The mine certainly looked right, though it was difficult to be certain of the moth from what I had been able to see of its markings. But when I posted photos on social media, one of the moth experts I know almost immediately popped up with a comment ‘Blimey …’ and ‘I can’t think of any plausible alternatives’, and then another expert commented ‘Very good find’. And now my county moth recorder has confirmed my record. You can read more about this Poplar-leaf-mining moth on the British Leafminers website and see better photos of the adult moth on the UK Moths website.