Yorkshire Status: Very common and widespread resident.

This is a widespread and common moth across all of the county. Almost half of our records are of larval mines. This is an extremely polyphageous species, and mines are common on apple, cherry, birch, hawthorn, and rowan, and sometimes on other plants such as blackthorn, whitebeam and cotoneaster. Do not confuse these with mines of Stigmella species. They are less attractive, being long winding, and "dirty" looking, often crossing their own track and making any cut-off "island" die. There is no egg shell at the start of the mine, unlike Stigmella species, and if tenanted, the segmented larva is very distinctive.

Adults are tiny and can be overlooked in the bottom of a moth trap. There is a melanic form, which is rarely seen in summer but is common later in the year, in fact almost all over-wintering moths tend to be this form. I cannot find this documented in any literature, but it is most striking in Yorkshire.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Widely recorded from all five vice-counties and usually common.

Recorded in 177 (89%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1859. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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