Leaf-mines of some uncommon micro-moths...

 The rather unsuitable night-time weather, with northerly winds and clear skies has prompted a cessation in trapping so, in the last couple days, I have been leaf-mining with some success and  a selection of some are offered below. In the general Burry Port area, Phyllonorycter acerifoliella (not shown) is frequent on field maple plantings, but Ectoedemia louisella is much scarcer and it took quite a bit of searching to find a mine on a samara (winged seed) hanging on field maples at the edge of one of the Millennium Coastal Park car parks.

Above: the curving mine of Ectoedemia louisella can be viewed on the left-hand side, travelling to the central darkened area. Indeed the egg can be seen at the very start (click on pic to enlarge). All records are from the Llanelli general area.

Nearby I had been aware of a group of broom for some years and intermittently checked them, but this week I was pleased to have finally `clinched` Trifurcula immundella, of which there are very few vc44 records.

Above: the darkened linear mine of Trifurcula immundella, the shiny dark disc on the right-hand termination is the egg.

Another county scarcity is Gypsonoma oppressana, which occurs on poplars and it was encouraging to easily find this species on planted true black poplars Populus nigra var. betulifolia near the eastern edge of the Millennium Wetland at WWT Penclacwydd.

Above: Gypsonoma oppressana - note the reddish brown larvae (x2) - one in the main vein and the other in the lateral vein to the left - click on pic to enlarge.

At the `east of Burry Port` site larval cases of Coleophora argentula were noted on dried inflorescences of yarrow; they are well-camouflaged. Now is the time to look for them.

                                     Above: the larval case is visible `mid-top` in the photo.

At the same locality near Burry Port about a dozen rush veneers were flushed whilst walking through rough grass and a rather placid comma butterfly allowed a close approach for photography.