Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Larval Life

Here's a selection of larvae that I currently have boxed up for rearing:

Feathered Thorn - several munching happily on my lilac bush

Presumed Square-spot Rustic. One I found when at Ketton Quarry a couple of weeks ago - it should be easy to rear on grass and weeds but so far it's hardly touching anything I offer ....

Winter Moth - found several on both hawthorn and rowan

Currently unidentified geometrid found on hawthorn - looks most like Autumnal Moth but seems unlikely

Trachycera advenella - easy to find on hawthorn

Uknown micro round on rowan - looks like a tortrix

Larval web found on Bird-cherry - Bird-cherry Ermine

Pistol Case-bearer Coleophora anatipennella on hawthorn

Found several Coleophorid cases on hawthorn like these - not convinced they are all the same species, probably both Coleophora spinella and Coleophora coracipennella

Another Coleophorid on hawthorn - this one is odd though as the case is very small and probably the first one produced.

3 comments:

Bennyboymothman said...

Hi Mark

Any tips on finding Coleophora cases? I might go looking tomorrow as they look fascinating.

What habitat were yours found in?

Cheers

Skev said...

Hello Ben,

Sorry if you meant looking today. Firstly, I can't be that lucky and I am damn sure that the site I was at is not special.

I simply parked up in a layby at the roadside on the fairly busy A426 that runs south from where I live in Whetstone to Lutterworth. I looked at one big hawthorn for about 40 minutes and found various larvae quite easily, including several coleophorids which were all on flower buds for some reason. The Pistol Case-bearer was found within a quick 5 minute check of another hawthorn hedge down a county lane (the same spot where I watch Little Owls and found the dead Barn Owl) - again not a remarkable site. I was actually looking for T. advenella larvae as I wanted to get a photo.

I think the only skill required (aside from eyesight) is patience!

Good luck.

Bennyboymothman said...

Thabnks Mark

I didn't go today as it happens, I will have a look tomorrow :)

Hoping to get a few Moths tonight as i've put two traps out in Woodland.