Elm Mines

Having found an active mine of Stigmella ulmivora (green larva) but little else on our garden's English Elm Ulmus procera back at the end of August, I had another look today and was pleased to locate those of the other two nepticulids which feed on it, Stigmella lemniscella (yellow larva) and Stigmella viscerella (green larva).  The gut-shaped mines of viscerella are easy to identify even when vacated, but it helps to have the larva present for the other two because the mines and frass pattern can be rather similar and you need to decide which side of the leaf the larva has exited (the cut-outs are not always that easy to see, in my experience anyway).
 

Mine of Stigmella ulmivora, Westcott 27th August

Mines of Stigmella lemniscella, Westcott 6th October

Mine of Stigmella viscerella, Westcott 6th October

The other regular corridor miner on our elm is Bucculatrix albedinella, of which I had an adult in the trap back on 29th July.  Two months later I managed to locate half a dozen vacated mines, all on the same leaf:   

Mines of Bucculatrix albedinella, Westcott 29th September

Lyonetia clerkella is also supposed to mine English Elm but that's about the only food-plant in the garden that I've never found it on!  Of the other elm-feeders, a single active blister mine of Phyllonorycter schreberella was found today but they seem to be in short supply this year and I've not yet found any of Phyllonorycter tristrigella.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks