Food Plant: Dactylis spp., Brachypodium sylvaticum (False Brome), Holcus mollis (Creeping soft-grass), Hordelymus europaeus (Wood Barley)

Egg: Laid near to the leaf tip

Mine: November - May

Notes: Mkaes linear mines which are white and with a narrow line of greyish frass. A very similar mine to E.atricomella but the larva in this case is lemon yellow with a light brown head whereas that of atricomella is a pale yellow with a yellowish brown head. Pupates at the leaf base or in detritus. A widespread species found in roadside verges, woodland rides and edges and waste ground. Mines are extremely slim and subtle. Fresh mines are usually found on the central leaves of the plant and appear whitish, as here on Hordelymus europaeus. The mine will eventually descend down into the base of the leaf and the stem.

Data: 16.ii.2023, Aston Rowant NNR, Oxfordshire, VC23

Image:© Will Langdon