LEAF MINES FROM OCT.16TH

Had quite a productive walk around Tag meadow yesterday adding around another ten species or so to this year's moth list.


My highlight was several mines of what will probably be Large Midget (Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella) in Snowberry, not one I've recorded before. A long, underside mine causing the leaf to fold longitudinally with upper surface mottling. I'll try and rear some through.

Perhaps more uncommon is the Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora). It mines the fronds of Harts-tongue Fern using the sporangia to build a case out of which provides pretty good camouflage. Not recorded in Yorkshire until 2008 but has spread somewhat since.

A more abundant species were a few of these Large Birch Pygmy (Ectoedemia occultella) in Birch. You can see one of the larvae feeding in the right hand side mine.

Other mines found were (for Barry's use mainly):

Tischeria ekebladela

Ectoedemia albifasciella

Stigmella glutinosae

Stigmella continuella

Stigmella atricapitana

Parornix devoniella

Phyllonorycter rajella

Nice to see a bench planted on the meadow for us weary travellers!

Charlie.