Phyllocnistis unipunctella at Shipley Station

More half-term leaf-mining this morning resulted in this Phyllocnistis unipunctella on a Black Poplar in the car park of Shipley Station.

Coleophora lusciniaepennella, Stigmella salicis, Stigmella trimaculella

I went back to Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits to establish exactly which species of willow the Stigmella salicis larvae are mining. I am now confident that this is Salix cinerea. I did also find vacated mines on Salix caprea where I also found another Coleophora lusciniaepennella case-bearing larva.
This morning I found a new species for me in the form of Stigmella trimaculella on the roadside poplars opposite Otley Garden Centre.

Stripping the Willow

I had a productive hour at Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits this morning searching a couple of willow trees for leafmines. I even found a pale brown tortrix moth on the under-surface of a leaf but clumsily failed to pot it.
I think the case-bearer is probably Coleophora lusciniaepennella which is a new species for me.

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The contorted mine with larva still present is likely to be Stigmella salicis.
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The empty cone formed at the leaf tip could have been made by Caloptilia stigmatella?

Grete Herball

Fungi ben mussherooms; there be two manners of them, one manner is deedley and slayeth them that eateth them and be called tode stoles, and the other doeth not.
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These fungi were photographed in Middleton Woods, near Ilkley, today.

To see some much better fungi photographs, have a look at Dean's site here.

A Comma emerges

The long promised sunny spell finally arrived on Sunday 10th October and after watching a Comma nectaring on my Sedum spectabile I noticed another one emerging from its chrysalis on the Hop.