Early stages: Carcina quercana

Here is a fairly widespread moth, Carcina quercana, with an almost ubiquitous foodplant, bramble.

These are relatively easy to spot right now; the patches of 'windowing' caused by the larvae feeding beneath the leaf can be quite obvious.  On turning the leaves over, the larval spinnings will betray the hiding place of the green larvae.






Definitely one worth keeping an eye out for during the lean times.

Although I'd say this generally about early stage searches and my year list clearly illustrates this as it now stands at 34 species but adult moths total just five species.

Some other micro finds to date this year include:

Metzneria aestivella - larvae in Carline Thistle seed heads
M. lappella - larva in Burdock seed heads
Epinotia immundana - larvae on birch catkins
Ectoedemia heringella mines
Cedestis subfasciella mines
Cochylis roseana - larvae in teasel heads
Endothenia marginana - as above
E. gentianaeana - as above
Limnaecia phragmitella - numerous larvae in Typha seed heads
and cases of Coleophora gryphipennella, C. glaucicolella, C. argentula and C. solitariella.

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

Of Teasel and Burdock

Each winter I like to collect a bag or two of the seedheads of both Teasel and Greater Burdock in hope of rearing the three species of moth mentioned below.

On Teasel, I check seed heads for the larvae of Endothenia marginana and E. gentianaeana - studying the larvae closely allows me to separate the two: http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=1099.  This way I can be sure of an accurate ID of the adults.  These larvae are often very numerous and not at all difficult to locate.


E. marginana - reared ex teasel seed head (larvae examined)


E. gentianaeana - reared ex teasel seed head (larvae examined)

I also always have a bag or two of Greater Burdock seedheads for rearing Metzneria lappella - I don't bother looking too closely, just harvest a few handfuls and then wait...
M. lappella reared ex burdock seed head

Dave