Pillars of the insect community

30 Thursday Sep 2021

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British insects, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, mystery caterpillars, mystery larvae, sawfly caterpillars, sawfly larvae

To showcase their diversity, in colour, size, shape, pattern, habits and hairiness, I’ve been gathering photos of these (cater)pillars of the insect community, the larvae of moths, sawflies, and some mysteries, which could be one of these … or something other. Here they are:

Moths: 5-spot burnet (Zygaena trifolii), Drinker (Euthrix potatoria), and the delightfully named Maiden’s blush (Cyclophora punctaria).

Sawflies: a possible Allantus species (its identity cannot be confirmed as it was on the wrong plant), and the fluffy looking Eriocampa ovata.

Mysteries: if you can ID any of these, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Buff-tip larvae

18 Wednesday Aug 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British moths, Buff-tip moth, Buff-tip moth caterpillars, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, Moth larvae on Oak leaves

I’ve never seen a Buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) except in photographs (they look incredibly like twigs – see images on the Butterfly Conservation website here). But yesterday I found their larvae, lots of them, all huddled together on the top side and underside of an Oak leaf.

210818 buff tip moth larvae (1)

The adult moth, which flies from May to early August, lays clusters of eggs under the leaves of the trees their caterpillars feed on, which, as well as Oak, include Hazel and the various birches and sallows, amongst others.

210818 buff tip moth larvae (2)

The larvae hatch out after 2-3 weeks and start eating. It takes just a month for them to go through their four instars, after which they move down into the ground to pupate. Come the spring, the whole process begins again.

210818 buff tip moth larvae (3)

Spindle ermine

24 Thursday Jun 2021

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British moths, moth larvae, moth webs, Spindle ermine, Spindle ermine webs, Yponomeuta cagnagella

It could be Halloween, with reports of ‘ghostly silken webbing’ that ‘can look rather sinister’ and give trees ‘an eerie appearance’. As well as covering parts of trees and hedgerows, apparently the webs are sometimes ‘so extensive that they can cover nearby objects such as benches, bicycles and gravestones’.

But this is June and in my local woodland, the one I showed you in yesterday’s post, the webs, though plentiful, are nowhere near that dramatic. These are the communal dwellings of moth larvae and, though there are several species of ermine moths, as the caterpillar-filled webs I’ve been seeing have all been on Spindle, I think I’m safe in assuming these are the larvae of Spindle ermine (Yponomeuta cagnagella).

210624 spindle ermine (3)

Although these are the first webs I’ve seen, the Butterfly Conservation website reports that Spindle ermine is a common resident, though it is less common in northern parts of Britain. Look for Spindle trees and you might well see these webs for yourself.

Oak: mothy goodness

27 Thursday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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Brindled green, British moths, Case-bearing moth, Coleophora flavipennella, Coleophora lutipennella, Dryobotodes eremite, moth larvae, moth larvae on Oak, moths on Oak, Oak leaves

As you can see from the last two days’ blogs, there was much to be found on Oak leaves in my local woodlands on Sunday. These are two more finds, both relating to moths. This first was found on the same tree as the Purple hairstreak larva and, thanks to some help from Twitter moth-ers, I can tell you this is the larva of the Brindled green moth (Dryobotodes eremite) (you can see the adult moth on the UK Moths website here).

210527 brindled green larva

The wonderfully crafted cases in the photos below contain the larvae of either Coleophora lutipennella or Coleophora flavipennella – apparently, it’s not possible to determine the species without waiting for the adult moths to hatch and then dissecting their genitalia, which I’m not going to do. I’m happy just to admire their silk-weaving skills.

210527 Coleophora lutipennella or flavipennella (1)

210527 Coleophora lutipennella or flavipennella (2)

210527 Coleophora lutipennella or flavipennella (3)

First caterpillar

06 Saturday Feb 2021

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British caterpillars, British moths, moth caterpillar, moth larvae, Scarlet tiger, Scarlet tiger moth larva

Most unexpectedly, I saw my first caterpillar of the year when I was out walking yesterday. It’s a Scarlet tiger moth caterpillar that was sitting on the stucco wall of a house I passed. According to my Twitter pal George, who’s a senior moth ecologist with Butterfly Conservation, though Scarlet tigers over-winter as larvae, these larvae are not usually seen until the spring. But spring is only a couple of weeks away and, if local bird activity is anything to go by, the wild creatures can already feel it in the air.

210206 scarlet tiger moth caterpillar

George reassuringly told me that caterpillars are tough but I do hope this little one finds somewhere a bit more sheltered to weather the cold spell that’s forecast for the coming week. I’d love to see it again when it emerges as an adult as they’re so beautiful and I’ve only ever seen the adults twice. The photo below, of a Scarlet tiger moth, was taken locally in June 2019.

210206 scarlet tiger moth adult

331/366 Leaf mines: Phyllonorycter leucographella

26 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, plants

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British moths, Firethorn leaf miner, leaf mines, leaf mines on Pyracantha, leaf-mining larvae, leaf-mining moth, leafminer, moth larvae, moth larvae in leaf mines, Phyllonorycter leucographella

I stumbled across these leaf mines by accident but I simply can’t resist including them … because the tiny striped larvae are so darn cute!

201126 phyllonorycter leucographella (1)

These are the larvae of the moth Phyllonorycter leucographella, the adult of which is also rather striking – you can see photos of it on the UK Moths website here. As the website reports, this moth is a recent arrival to Britain, first spotted in Essex just 40 years ago, but for such a small creature – its wingspan is only 7-9mm – it’s managed to fly and settle far and wide, from Yorkshire in the north of England to Pembrokeshire in the west of Wales, and all points in between. This may partly be due to the fact that its larvae feed on many garden plants: I found an abundance of leaf mines on an orange-berried variety of Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea), which explains why the moth’s common name is Firethorn leaf miner.

201126 phyllonorycter leucographella (2)

201126 phyllonorycter leucographella (3)

201126 phyllonorycter leucographella (4)

201126 phyllonorycter leucographella (5)

As you can see from my pictures, the larval ‘mine’ is like a blister, centred over the midrib on the upper side of the leaf. The larva, which, with black blobs on a white body, is very distinctive, can often be seen through the membrane of the mine, especially when it’s feeding at the edge of the blister. You can read more about this leaf miner, its life cycle and preferred larval plants on the UK Fly Mines website here.

201126 pyracantha

307/366 Leaf mines: Tischeria ekebladella

02 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects

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blotch mines on Oak, British moths, leaf mines on Oak, moth larvae, moth larvae in leaf mines, moth leafmines, Tischeria ekebladella

I mentioned in a recent post (Gone galling, again, 28 October) that October was a good month to find galls and mines on leaves and, in fact, that also extends into November, or until the deciduous trees have shed their leaves and those fallen leaves have turned to mush, and the leaves of wild plants have also become unrecognisable in the mud under our feet.

201102 Tischeria ekebladella (1)

So, let’s start this mini series on leaf mines with a look at the blotch mines made on Oak (and sometimes Sweet chestnut) by the larvae of the micro moth Tischeria ekebladella. The blotch starts off looking quite white but often browns, from the centre, with age, giving it a look that one astute observer described as a fried egg. The larva creates a cocoon within the blotch and remains there until its ready to pupate in the springtime. The adult moth emerges from pupation and is on the wing in May and June.

By holding leaves up to the light, I managed to photograph larvae within a couple of mines, though, one of our local moth experts, George, who’s a senior moth ecologist with Butterfly Conservation, told me that the larva in the photo on the right below looks to have been parasitised and a different creature’s larva seems to have emerged from the Tischeria larva. Such is the way of Nature.

255/366 Knot grass larvae

11 Friday Sep 2020

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British moths, Knot grass larva, Knot grass moth, Lavernock Nature Reserve, moth caterpillar, moth larvae

When I spotted this caterpillar yesterday, I didn’t think I’d seen one like it before but, when one of my Twitter pals later identified it for me, I realised I had seen one previously, though a younger model.

These are the larvae of the Knot grass moth (Acronicta rumicis), a moth I’ve never seen (you can see what the adult moth looks like and read more about it on the UK Moths website). I think the larva above, found munching on Dyer’s greenweed at Cosmeston on 4 June, is an early instar, whereas the larva below, found feeding on Common ragwort at Lavernock Nature Reserve on 10 September and a real stunner, is almost ready to pupate for the winter.

200911 knot grass larva (3)

217/366 Lep larvae

04 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British butterflies, British moths, butterfly larvae, Cinnabar moth, Lepidoptera, moth larvae, Small tortoiseshell

Last week we had a closer look at a couple of butterfly eggs; today we have some Lepidoptera larvae. First up, the caterpillars of the beautiful Small tortoiseshell butterfly, which has two generations of eggs and larvae each year – these will be second generation. The eggs are laid in batches and, when they hatch, the caterpillars stay together to create a communal web where they shelter when they’re not out basking in the sun or munching on nettles. The caterpillars go through five stages (instars) before pupating – these look to be 3rd instars.

200804 small tortoiseshell (1)

In total contrast to the Small tortoiseshell larvae, which are subtle and subdued in their colour and patterns, the larvae of the Cinnabar moth are vibrant, even flamboyant. Their bright orange and black stripes are designed to be seen, warning predators not to eat them as they are poisonous.

200804 cinnabar moth (1) 200804 cinnabar moth (2)

Looking daggers at me?

09 Tuesday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, nature

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British moths, caterpillars, dagger moths, Grey dagger, Grey dagger caterpillar, Grey dagger larva, moth larvae

Yesterday, when I was checking out some local Oak trees for leaf mines, I came across this vibrant character. It turns out this is the larva of the Grey dagger moth (Acronicta psi), a very colourful creature when compared with its parent (you can see images on the UK Moths website here).

181009 grey dagger (1)

The larvae are about from July through to November and can be found on a wide variety of food plants. They are much easier to identify than their parents: the Grey dagger is almost identical to the Dark dagger moth and an examination of their genitals is required to tell them apart. I’m so glad I found the caterpillar not the moth – and I don’t really think it was looking daggers at me!

181009 grey dagger (2)