Miner miscella-ny

Whilst this was one miner I had been searching chalk downland for for a while, it ended up being a totally accidental discovery...Mompha miscella on Common Rock-Rose (Helianthemum nummularium)



I had noticed various larval spinnings on Rock Rose and had potted some up, I decided to add a few extra leaves as food supply and lo and behold one of these was tenanted by the larva of Mompha miscella.  This appears to be pretty scarce in Kent (or perhaps more accurately, scarcely recorded or looked for).

There are also plenty of Eriocrania mines on Birch now including:

Eriocrania extravaganza

The appearance of many of the Eriocrania leaf mines has been somewhat delayed this year but I finally managed to catch up with several of these over the last couple of days, the first three all on Birch, the last one on Oak:

Eriocrania sangii




Eriocrania cicatricella



Eriocrania salopiella



Eriocrania subpurpurella

Bonsai banzai bonanza

Had an early evening trip to Bonsai Bank and Denge Woods in the Kent Downs yesterday.  A stunning display of Lady Orchids and Twayblades and of course of micro moths (inc. leaf miners).

Denge Woods and Bonsai Bank, sweep netting, 23 May 2012 (5:15 - 7:15 pm)

Pyrausta nigrata - 6


Mompha raschkiella - 1


Micropterix calthella - 45+


Epinotia subocellana




Aethes tesserana




Eucosma aspidiscana


Nematopogon swammerdamella
Eriocrania sangii - 3 mines

E. cicatricella - 3 larva in single mine
E. salopiella

Dave