15: GRACILLARIIDAE: 22 - 39

15.022 Apple Nymph (Callisto denticulella) mine in apple at Skircoat Green allotments on July 9th 2017. An initial gallery opening out in to an orange blotch.

15.025 Birch Parornix (Parornix betulae) to MV light at my garden in Luddenden Foot on July 28th 2022. It's nice to finally see an adult Parornix in the flesh after all this time. Unfortunately it died a few hours after capture before I could get a decent photo.

15.025 Birch Parornix (Parornix betulae), feeding signs on birch at Maple Dean clough, North Dean wood on June 17th 2020. At first a brown Phyllonorycter type mine is formed and then the larva exits the mine to feed in a folded leaf edge. 

15.028 Hawthorn Parornix (Parornix anglicella) mine (left) and folded leaf edge on Hawthorn by the towpath at Elland Bridge, Aug. 10th 2017. A very common species whose feeding signs are easily found.

15.029 Hazel Parornix (Parornix devoniella) mine (lower left) and folded leaf edge on Hazel at Hollas Lane, Copley, Aug. 13th 2017. An angular blotch mine against the mid-rib, lower left and then on to a small, folded leaf edge at the top. Quite easy to find once familiar with these two signs.

15.029 Hazel Parornix (Parornix devoniella), mine and feeding larva on Hazel, Aug. 19th 2019. Found at Shibden Dale two days earlier.

15.029 Hazel Parornix (Parornix devoniella), exposed larva, Aug. 22nd, from the mine pictured above.

15.029 Hazel Parornix (Parornix devoniella) on July 2nd 2025. It was reared from a mine in Hazel found at Lower Scarr wood on June 15th. It had a short pupal stage of just 10 days.

15.030 Rowan Parornix (Parornix scoticella) larva and feeding signs on Rowan, North Dean wood, Sept. 20th 2010. The larva initially makes a blister mine (top centre) and then feeds externally in a folded leaf edge (right of photo).

 

15.032 Southern Blackthorn Parornix (Parornix finitimella) mine (bottom) and folded leaf edge on Blackthorn, Park Wood crematorium, July 18th 2017.

15.032 Southern Blackthorn Parornix (Parornix finitimella) to a LepiLED light at North Loop, Cromwell Bottom on June 29th 2025. The trap was situated right next to a good patch of Blackthorn.

It was most satisfying to get a half decent photo of a Parornix at last and then to successfully identify it. 

15.033 Blackthorn Parornix (Parornix torquillella), a tenanted (see below) folded leaf edge on Blackthorn found at the southern edge of Midgley moor on Aug. 18th 2022.

15.033 Blackthorn Parornix (Parornix torquillella), final instar larva inside the folded leaf pictured above. Its legs are concolourous with its body which rules out P. finitimella.

15.033 Blackthorn Parornix (Parornix torquillella). Three days later and the above larva had spun a yellowish cocoon to pupate in - which it did successfully.

15.034 White Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter harrisella) pupa found on oak at Norland village on Feb. 2nd 2012. As the moth forms inside the pupa the eyes begin to darken and the wing pattern slowly develops. Moments before emerging the exarate  nature of the pupa becomes apparent, this is where the appendages are free from the main body of the pupa.

After wriggling and writhing for some minutes the moth broke through  the pupal case and emerged in a matter of seconds. It was quite some performance extracting all its delicate limbs and antennae from the casing. This photo shows the wings around half way free.

Half way out and already you can see there is hardly a scale out of place. As I've already got a satisfactory photo of this species (to me at any rate) this one was left in peace to fly off to its well earned freedom.

15.034 White Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter harrisella) New Lane, May 3rd 2010. One of two flying in the early morning sun - captured by hand!

15.035 Beautiful Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter roboris) pupa found in oak at Clifton Fishing lake, Brighouse on July 15th 2025. The larva has spun a silken cocoon with the frass off to one side.

15.035 Beautiful Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter roboris), found in Bankhouse wood, May 5th 2014. 

15.035 Beautiful Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter roboris), a mating pair on oak, North Dean wood, June 1st 2010. Captured by day.

15.039 Common Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter quercifoliella) mine (left) along with a Stigmella mine in oak, Eaves Top wood, Stainland, Nov. 23rd 2016.

15.039 Common Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter quercifoliella) pupa in oak, Tag meadow, Dec. 14th 2013. With the autumn generation the pupa is surrounded by a  U shape of frass.

15.039 Common Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter quercifoliella) on oak, Long wood, Apr. 26th 2014. There were good numbers of these resting on oak trunks in the mid-afternoon sun. It's very refreshing to be able to photograph these moths in their natural setting for a change as oppose to trying to get reared moths to stay still on a staged substrate.

15.039 Common Oak Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter quercifoliella), a mating pair on oak, Bankhouse wood, Apr. 30th 2014. A field observation.