Food Plant: Silene nutans (Nottingham catchfly)

Mine: September-July

Notes: Found on shingle beaches and also chalk cliffs on the Kent coast. The eggs are laid on the plant in August-September and the larva feeds in the autumn and overwinters. Heckford & Beavan (2022) showed that this initial pre-hibernation larva feeds on the leaves of Silene nutans and that the initial case is not made from seed husks or seeds, contrary to some publications. The pre-hibernation case is constructed of silk and incorporates frass granules and very small pieces of leaf of the host plant (the leaf hairs are indicated)T The final case is about 12mm long and many may be found on a single plant. This case has distinctive longitudinal stripes

Data: 09.ix.2021, Dover, East Kent, VC15

Image:© SD Beavan & RJ Heckford