Tuesday 20 November 2012

Pistols at dawn

The larval cases of Coleophora anatipennella, aka the Pistol Case-bearer, or at least the feeding signs it leaves behind, can be relatively easy to find at the moment, for as long as the leaves last anyway.  The examples below were found on Blackthorn.

Coleophora anatipennella feeding signs on Prunus
Coleophora anatipennella feeding signs on Prunus

Coleophora anatipennella feeding signs

If you do manage to find the feeding signs, and the case is not present on the leaf, it is worth a close inspection of the nearby leaves and particularly in the leaf axils, as the case can often be found here.

Coleophora anatipennella larval case on Prunus
Coleophora anatipennella

Coleophora anatipennella

Dave

Sunday 4 November 2012

Stigs to the power of 5

Still plenty of leaf mines to be found - here's a quartet of Stigmella species from recent days...

Stigmella samiatella
Stigmella samiatella leaf mine on Castanea

Stigmella perpygmaeella
Stigmella perpygmaeella larva and leaf mine on Crataegus


Stigmella floslactella
Stigmella floslactella leaf mine on Corylus

Stigmella lemniscella
Stigmella lemniscella leaf mine on Ulmus

Stigmella hemargyrella
Stigmella hemargyrella leaf mine on Fagus

Dave