Leafmines: Elachista cinereopunctella

14 Monday Apr 2025

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British leafmines, Elachista cinereopunctella, Glaucous sedge-miner, leafmines, leafmines on Glaucous sedge, leafmining moth larvae, leafmining moths

These two leafmines, in the leaves of Glaucous sedge (Carex flacca), may look quite boring and nondescript but scroll down to see what lies within.

This is the stunning little larva of Elachista cinereopunctella, a moth that can be found throughout Britain but only in areas where its larval plants can be found (mainly Glaucous sedge, but some other sedges are also used). And the moth’s not actually that common in Wales, with just 13 records showing in the national biodiversity database. This may be because the adult moth is also rather nondescript (see a photo on the UK Moths website here) and few people look for and record the leaf-mining larval stage. I was lucky to be directed to the presence of these mines by my friendly local moth expert, George, though it still took some poking about the sedges in a local area of woodland to find them.

Leafmines: Gracillaria syringella

04 Monday Dec 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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British leafmines, Gracillaria syringella, leafmines, leafmines on privet, leafmining moth larvae, Ligustrum vulgare

These finds date from early November but it’s taken a while to get their identity confirmed. These are the larval leafmines of the gorgeous little moth Gracillaria syringella, shown here on Wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare) though they can also be found mining the leaves of Lilac species (Syringa, hence the epithet in their scientific name), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Jasmine (Jasminum sp.).

231204 Gracillaria syringella (1)

Once hatched from their eggs, the larvae initially feed within a gallery mine (difficult to see in my images so I’ve marked them with a red arrow), then broaden their horizons into a large blotch. My finds were late in the year – the mines of Gracillaria syringella can usually be found in June and then again during August-September.

231204 Gracillaria syringella (2)

Leafmines: Lyonetia prunifoliella

09 Monday Oct 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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British leafmines, British moths, leaf mines, leafmines on Blackthorn, leafmining moth larvae, leafmining moths, Lyonetia prunifoliella

For over 100 years, the lovely little micro moth Lyonetia prunifoliella was thought to be extinct in the UK until it was rediscovered in the 2000s in southern England. It took a while to spread across the country but was found new to Wales, near Holyhead, last autumn and, soon afterwards, found here in south Wales, at Kenfig National Nature Reserve, though just one larval mine was found despite much searching by Butterfly Conservation’s senior moth ecologist George Tordoff.

231009 lyonetia prunifoliella (1)

This year, though, George says, it’s really taken off in south Wales: he’s found it in various Cardiff parks and at Lavernock Nature Reserve. When I heard this news last Sunday, 1 October, I immediately decided to go searching, focussing in particular on the suckering growth of Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), the tree this moth appears to favour locally for its larval leafmines (though it is known to use other roseaceous trees elsewhere).

231009 lyonetia prunifoliella (2)

Last Monday I found Lyonetia prunifoliella mines immediately at the first place I looked, and have since found it at six locations in my surrounding area, sometimes in abundance, other times just one or two mines, despite a plentiful supply of young Blackthorn leaves. The mines are relatively easy to identify, as the larvae eject their frass from the mines in a ‘string of black pearls’, a rather poetic description from someone on Twitter but easy to remember. (The photographs above show the upper and under sides of the same leaf, with the larva apparent above and its frass ejected below.)

231009 lyonetia prunifoliella (3)

Although most mines I’ve seen have been empty (this moth overwinters as an adult), a few have held larvae, and I was particularly delighted last Thursday to find a group of five cocoons, strung like hammocks on the underside of leaves with silk produced by the larvae before they pupate. I’ve yet to see an adult moth but will definitely share that exciting moment when it happens.

Leafmines: Phyllonorycter ulicicolella

13 Monday Feb 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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British leafminers, leafmines, leafmines on Gorse, leafmining moth larvae, moth larva, Phyllonorycter ulicicolella

I have a new leafminer to share at last, the moth Phyllonorycter ulicicolella, which mines the stems and spines of Gorse plants. The British Leafminers website notes that this mine is rarely found, and I can certainly believe that. I’d had a look before at a few Gorse bushes but not found any mines, until a posting on Twitter by local Butterfly Conservation senior moth ecologist George led me to make a more serious effort. For me, finding new leafmines is often a matter of getting my eye in – once I’ve seen something, I find it much easier to find again. George directed me to a local Gorse bush where he’d recently found some mines – I didn’t actually check that bush but knew there were other bushes that had recently been flailed further along the same road, and bingo! The mine and larva pictured here came from a cut branch lying on the ground.

230213 phyllonorycter ulicicolella (1)

The larva is incredibly tiny – about 3mm when fully grown – so it was difficult to get clear photos. According to the UK Moths website, where you can see images of the attractive adult, this moth is ‘nationally scarce’, and can be ‘found in heathland and grassland in southern England and also northwest England’. I guess they need to update that now to include south Wales, thanks to George’s efforts in finding it locally, in various parts of Cardiff and the nearby town of Barry. I will also be continuing my search for the mines in my area.

230213 phyllonorycter ulicicolella (2)

Leafmines: Bucculatrix ulmella

05 Monday Dec 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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British leafminers, Bucculatrix ulmella, cocoon on Oak leaf, leaf-mining moth, leafmining moth larvae, moth cocoon

This new-to-me species was the result of a recent session turning over Oak leaves to see what might be lurking beneath. I didn’t actually find the leafmines for this creature but rather, on adjacent trees, two empty cocoons – the tiny moths (pictured on the UK Moths website) that were metamorphosing inside had already hatched and flown (you can see part of the pupal case poking out of one cocoon). The ribbing on the cocoon points to this being one of Bucculatrix genus of moths and the fact that these were on Oak gives a positive identification of Bucculatrix ulmella (don’t be fooled by the specific name ulmella, which would appear to indicate the larvae feed on Elm – the species has apparently been misnamed).

221205 Bucculatrix ulmella

Leafmines: Coleophora albitarsella

14 Monday Nov 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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blotch leafmines, British leafmines, case-bearing larva, Case-bearing moth, Coleophora albitarsella, leafmines on Ground-ivy, leafmining moth larvae

For months, both earlier this year and in recent weeks, I’ve been casting an eye over all the patches of Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea) I’ve noticed so I was delighted, last Friday, to finally find what I’ve been searching for, a new leafminer. Even better, as well as the tell-tale blotches on several leaves, when I turned over one leaf there was also an empty larval case.

221114 coleophora albitarsella (1)

These are the feeding signs for the larvae of the little moth Coleophora albitarsella (also known as the White-legged case-bearer, you can see the rather non-descript adult moth on the UK Moths website here), which munches on a wide variety of different plants (see full list on the British Leafminers website here). This moth species is relatively scarce in Glamorgan, with just a few sightings this millennium; in fact, it’s not very common anywhere in the UK, with just 109 records currently showing in the NBN Atlas (110, when mine is added) , so I feel rather privileged to have found these leafmines.

221114 coleophora albitarsella (2)

Leafmines: Phyllocnistis saligna

03 Monday Oct 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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British moths, leaf-mining moth, leafmines on narrow-leaved willow, leafmining moth larvae, Phyllocnistis saligna, Phyllocnistis saligna leafmines, Willow bent-wing leafmines

A new month, a new leafmine challenge, and it’s got off to a very successful start for me. But let’s start at the beginning …
Our locally based Senior ecologist with Butterfly Conservation, George, kickstarted the challenge with a couple of tweets and some photos last Friday evening:

Ok #TeamLeafmine here’s another recent S. Wales colonist to look for; an easy one to identify too. Phyllocnistis saligna mines narrow-leaved willows, unusual because it mines both leaves & young stems. 3 recent records by the Taff in North Cardiff, must be out there elsewhere!

Cocoons are formed in a turned over leaf edge, see 3rd photo in original tweet. Quite a few Gwent records from the Levels and Monmouth/Abergavenny, also new to Carmarthenshire in 2021. Must be in & around Cardiff Bay! More info here: http://leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/P.saligna.htm

221003 Phyllocnistis saligna (2)

I didn’t have any firm plans for Saturday’s walk so wended my merry way along the edges of the two local rivers, the Ely and the Taff. I soon realised that this challenge will be a little more difficult than previous ones, as narrow-leaved willows were few and far between and, when found, often inaccessible. However, I did manage to find mines in two locations along the River Taff, which has encouraged me to continue my search further up the river very soon. And, though I hope to find more mines, I doubt I’ll find one of the very lovely little adult Phyllocnistis saligna moths, the wonderfully named Willow bent-wings, which you can see on the UK Moths website.

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Leafmines: Stigmella speciosa

20 Tuesday Sep 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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Barred Sycamore pigmy moth larval mines, British leafmines, leafmines on Sycamore, leafmining moth larvae, Stigmella speciosa, Sycamore leafminer

While searching out Sycamore tarspot fungi on local Sycamore trees, I’ve also been keeping a look out for leafmines, specifically for the mines of the Barred Sycamore Pigmy moth, Stigmella speciosa. (You can see the very attractive adult moth on the UK Moths website by clicking here.)

220920 stigmella speciosa (1)

Although I’ve found the tarspot fungi, in varying quantities, on almost every Sycamore tree I’ve seen, the leafmines, though supposedly common, are not so easily spotted. Despite checking over a hundred Sycamore trees now, I’ve only found Stigmella speciosa mines in one location, where there were just three mines within the limits of my visibility. Perhaps more will turn up as I continue my search for Sycamore tarspot.

220920 stigmella speciosa (2)

Leafmines: Stigmella microtheriella

29 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, leaves, trees

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British leafminers, Hornbeam, leaf-mining moths, leafmines on Hornbeam, leafmining moth larvae, Stigmella microtheriella

Hornbeam is a tree that’s somehow escaped my attention but, at this time of year, when its leaves turn gorgeous and vibrant shades of yellow, I can’t help but notice how widespread it is and, while admiring its autumn colour, I’ve also spotted some leafmines on its leaves.

211129 Stigmella microtheriella (1)

Reading the mine description on the British Leafminers website, I thought I had found Stigmella microtheriella (egg laid, so mine starting, on or near a vein but not in the axil) but, as there was potential confusion with another moth, Stigmella floslactella, I checked with the experts. Rob, one of those behind the British Leafminers website, kindly confirmed that my identification was correct and also commented that ‘Although S floslactella is said to mine Hornbeam I don’t know anyone who has found it on that host. It’s a very doubtful record.’ Now I – and you, if you see mines like these – can record them as Stigmella microtheriella with confidence!