Species of the Month: August 2018

Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella

 

First discovered in the UK in 2002, the Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner is a small micro moth which has a big effect on Horse-chestnut trees. The caterpillars "mine" the leaves, causing brown blotches to appear as they eat leaf tissue from the inside. The adults are a tiny but handsome moth (shown below) which may be observed around trees and in light traps, but the leaf damage is likely to be the most obvious sign that the species is present.

The species is likely to be found throughout south Wales on Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum, distribution map), but we have just 227 records in the SEWBReC database. You can view the Welsh distribution of Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner on Aderyn.

More information about Horse-Chestnut Leaf-Miner is available from NatureSpot and UK Moths.

If you spot the leaf mines or the moth during August (or at any other time of year), please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.