Early stages: Ectoedemia heringella

It is still worth checking Quercus ilex for leaf mines: I found dozens of these tenanted mines (and hundreds vacated) yesterday evening, here in East Kent. This moth is known to be spreading from London and the South East, so worth keeping an eye out. On the same tree also watch out for Phyllonorycter messaniella, Stigmella suberivora and old mines of Acrocercops brongniardella - these were all present on the trees I searched yesterday.

Check your evergreens

Whilst the winter wind and rain have swept most leaves from the trees and with it any chance of finding leaf miners, it is still worth checking any Evergreen Oak (Quercus ilex) you happen to be passing as there are mines, both vacated and tenanted, still to be found...

Ectoedemia heringella 

This species is known to be expanding its range, so definitely one worth keeping an eye out for, mines can be plentiful, as illustrated below

Stigmella suberivora


Dave

Early stages: Fowlmead Country Park

Made the most of a lovely spring afternoon with an hour at Fowlmead Country Park near Deal hunting for mines and larvae. The trip turned out to be very fruitful with the following:

 Larvae

Limnaecia phragmitella on Typha
 

 Endothenia gentianaeana on Teasel (larvae examined to separate from E. marginana and will be reared through)

Mines - all on Quercus ilex, and dozens of each of the species listed below:

Ectoedemia heringella 



Stigmella suberivora 



and Phyllonorycter messaniella.


Dave

Check your evergreens

It's also worth having a close look at any Holm Oak as there are several species whose mines can be found at this time of year.

Here in East Kent I have recently found:

Stigmella suberivora - the leaf around the mine quite often dies and turns brown (visible in the picture above), making the mines quite obvious, holding up to the light will confirm presence of a mine.

Ectoedemia heringella - often many mines in each leaf, with affected trees visible from some distance due to the sheer number of mines; I have seen literally thousands of mines on a single tree in Hyde Park, London.  This one is certainly worth watching out for as, since it was discovered in London in 2002, it is known to be spreading (albeit not quite as quickly as Cameraria ohridella).