Skeletons

Apple-leaf Skeletoniser (Choreutis pariana) on Common Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)

While munching my breakfast on our "raptor lookout" the other morning, I happened to spot this tiny moth (which measures about 1/4-inch) resting on some nearby Alexanders flowers. It's an Apple-leaf Skeletoniser (Choreutis pariana), and it's a new one for the garden. The adult is a nectar feeder, which explains its presence on the flower head. The species gets its name from its caterpillars, which feed on the leaves of apple trees, and also occasionally on the leaves of pears, rowans and hawthorns. The larvae spin a silk web on the upper surface of a leaf, and feed on that surface, leaving only the veins untouched — e.g. skeletonising it.

Though it occurs across much of Great Britain, the Apple-leaf Skeletoniser is a localised species, particularly in Wales and in the north. According to our copy of Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, its habitats include woodland, scrub, gardens, and urban trees. It can be very variable in colour, with individuals ranging from shades of bright orange (like this one) through reddish-brown to greyish-brown. Many show a wavy dark line towards the base of the forewing (i.e. closer to their head) and another black or reddish-brown line five-sixths of the way down the wing. It's a double-brooded species, with the first brood typically flying June-July and the second brood from late-August to March. They overwinter as adults, so ours has presumably recently awoken from its hibernation.