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Tag Archives: Horse chestnut tree

Leafmines: Cameraria ochridella

05 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by sconzani in insects, trees

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Tags

British moths, Cameraria ochridella, Horse chestnut leaf-mining moth, Horse chestnut leafminer, Horse chestnut tree, leaf-mining moth larvae

As it’s very common, I’m sure you’ve all seen this damage on the leaves of Horse chestnut trees. These are leafmines, made by the larvae of the Horse chestnut leafminer (Cameraria ochridella) (see my blog Horse chestnut leafminer, 18 July 2018).

240805 Cameraria ochridella (1)

Until last Friday, I’d only ever seen the leafmines, never the adult moth. But, as I walked past this particular Horse chestnut tree, lots of tiny creatures were flitting around its lower leaves. At first, I wasn’t sure what the creatures were – they looked like little flies. Then one of them landed on a leaf in front of me and I managed to get a closer look – a moth, not a fly, and very prettily marked too.

240805 Cameraria ochridella (2)

I must have stood watching for 15 minutes or more, waiting for a moth to settle and snapping a few quick photos before it zipped off … and again … and again. It was a good test of my patience, and I’m really glad I was in the right place at the right time to see these beautiful moths.

240805 Cameraria ochridella (3)

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Horse chestnut leafminer

18 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, nature, trees

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Cameraria ohridella, Horse chestnut leaf-mining moth, Horse chestnut tree, leaf mines, leaf-mining larvae, leafminer, moth larvae, moths

You may well have noticed that many (most?) of the Horse chestnut trees around you are starting to look a bit manky. Their leaves have become covered in white and brown blotches.

180718 Horse chestnut leafminer (4)

Those blotches are actually leaf mines, home to the larvae of Cameraria ohridella, the Horse chestnut leaf-mining moth (the brown blobs in the mines). According to the UK moths website

This species was discovered near Macedonia in 1985, and since then has spread rapidly to other countries in Europe. It was first discovered in Britain at Wimbledon in south-west London in 2002, but possibly had arrived the previous year, as it was quite plentiful. It is thought that the species may be expanding partially due to accidental transportation by man, either by road or rail. It has now been found quite extensively in the south-east of England.

 

180718 Horse chestnut leafminer (2)
180718 Horse chestnut leafminer (3)

Obviously, since that website entry was written, the moths have now spread from south-east England to south Wales and, indeed, to parts much further north. You’re mostly likely to see the blotches between June and September and, though you might not like the look of them, they’re not thought to inflict any permanent damage on the tree because, of course, the leaves are shed in the autumn anyway.

180718 Horse chestnut leafminer (1)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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