Leafmines: Stigmella obliquella

28 Monday Nov 2022

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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.

221128 Stigmella obliquella (1)

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.

221128 Stigmella obliquella (2)

Leafmines: Phyllonorycter coryli

13 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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leaf-mining moth, leafmines, leafmines on Hazel, moth larvae in leaf mines, moth leafmines, Phyllonorycter coryli

For those of you who are new to leafmines, here’s one that’s appearing on leaves right about now, is common in Britain and easy to identify.

210913 phyllonorycter coryli (1)

These blisters on Hazel leaves are made by the larvae of the perfectly named Nut leaf blister moth (Phyllonorycter coryli) – you can see what the adult moth looks like on the UK Moths website. In fact, if you’re sharp-eyed, you may have noticed these blisters in July, as this little moth has two broods each year. You can get more details and see more images on the excellent British Leafminers website.

Leafmines: Enchanter’s nightshade

03 Saturday Jul 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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British leaf mines, British moths, Enchanter's nightshade, Larval mines of Mompha langiella, leafmines on Enchanter's nightshade, Mompha langiella, moth leafmines

I’ve been lingering over leafmines again and have a new one to show you, this time on the lovely little plant that carpets the woodland floor at this time of year, Enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea lutetiana).

210703 Mompha langiella on Enchanters nightshade (1)

210703 Mompha langiella on Enchanters nightshade (2)

The mines, which start off as galleries but are often subsumed into the later blotches, are made during June and July by the larvae of Mompha langiella, a rather nondescript little brown moth. The larvae, as described on the British leafminers website, are ‘light yellow, with darker thoracic legs’ (see photo left below), and, most fortunately, I also found a pupa (below right), which are located ‘occasionally in a mined leaf or in a cocoon between the leaves or on the leaves’.

210703 Mompha langiella on Enchanters nightshade (3)

210703 Mompha langiella on Enchanters nightshade (4)

Though Enchanter’s nightshade is widespread in the places where I walk, I’ve only found one site with these leafmines so far. Can you spot them in your local woodland?

326/366 Leaf mines: on Beech

21 Saturday Nov 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, leaves, trees

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beech, leaf mines on Beech, moth larvae in leaf mines, moth leafmines, Parornix fagivora, Phyllonorycter maestingella, Phyllonorycter messaniella, Stigmella hemargyrella, Stigmella tityrella

Five species of Lepidoptera larvae can be found in the leaves of Beech (Fagus species) and, with a lot of searching, much head-scratching, some rejections, and the much appreciated assistance of our county moth recorder Dave, I’ve now found and positively identified all five in my local area.

Stigmella tityrella: This moth’s larval leaf mines featured in last week’s post about green islands. The gallery (like a corridor) mine is usually compact and angular and, in particular, the larva stays between the veins when creating its mine – that is the feature I find helps most with its identification. As you can see from the two mines below, the galleries are very narrow to begin with, then broaden as the larvae grow.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Stigmella hemargyrella: These larvae also create a gallery mine, but the mine is most often wider and longer than that of S. tityrella, and the larvae have no issue with crossing over the leaf veins.

Parornix fagivora: This is the mine I’ve found least in my local area, though I’m not sure if that’s a reflection on the moth’s rarity or my finding skills. Look for a blister, where the larva lives at first, and then a folded leaf edge, which it inhabits a bit like a cave.

Phyllonorycter messaniella: Both Phyllonorycter species on Beech create blisters; this one is usually an oval shape, almost rectangular, and quite broad. I’ve found the upper side of the leaf can be almost featureless but the blister on the underside is quite obvious so, if recording these, it’s best to include a photo of both sides of the leaf.

Phyllonorycter maestingella: This blister mine is long and quite narrow, and often placed between leaf veins. By spinning silk, the larva draws the leaf together to create a cosy tunnel, which looks a bit like a crease on the upper side of the leaf.

201121 Phyllonorycter maestingella (1)

I’ve attached to each of the moths’ names a link to the species description on the British Leafminers website, which is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn more.

314/366 Leaf mines: Parornix anglicella

09 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, leaves, trees

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British moths, Hawthorn, leaf mines, leaf mines on Hawthorn, moth larvae in leaf mines, moth leafmines, Parornix anglicella

Here’s another leaf mine to look for in your local hedgerows, a very distinctive mine on Hawthorn (Crataegus sp.) made by the larvae of the micro moth Parornix anglicella, also known as the Hawthorn slender.

201109 parornix anglicella cones (1)

Although the newly hatched moth larva initially creates a corridor mine and then a blotch, it later makes itself a cone-shaped tent, using silk to adhere the bent-over edge to the main part of the leaf, and these cones are very easy to spot. Turn over the leaf to view the underside and you’ll find incredibly beautiful, almost sculptural structures, some resembling miniature latticework pyramids.

You can read more scientific detail about the leaf mine on the UK Fly Mines website here, and see what the adult moth looks like on the UK Moths website here.

201109 parornix anglicella cones (6)

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.

53/366 A new leafmine

22 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British moths, Ectoedemia heringella, Evergreen oak, leafminer, leafmines on Evergreen oak, moth leafmines

I was a woman on a mission today, and these are what I was looking for. They are the leafmines of the larvae of the moth Ectoedemia heringella, found on Evergreen Oak.

200222 ectoedemia heringella leafmines (1)

You’ve probably never heard of this moth and neither had I, until yesterday, when I read a tweet by George Tordoff, Senior Moth Ecologist with Butterfly Conservation here in Wales, that he had found its leafmines on an oak at Barry Island. His find was only the third record for the county of Glamorgan – the first two were found by County Moth Recorder Dave Slade, in Cardiff’s Bute Park. It made sense that the mines might also be found in locations between Cardiff and Barry, so today I went looking and found them on every Evergreen oak in Penarth’s Windsor Gardens. And my fellow Penarthian, Gareth, also went looking today and found several mines on the trees at nearby St Mary’s Well Bay. Success!

200222 ectoedemia heringella leafmines (2)

200222 ectoedemia heringella leafmines (3)

According to the UK Moths website, Ectoedemia heringella only arrived in Britain (in Greater London) from Europe in 1996 and has slowly been spreading out from there. The adult moths don’t appear until mid summer, and I may never see one, but at least now our records can help track their spread across the country.

200222 ectoedemia heringella leafmines (4)