Monday 10 August 2015

Check your local fleabane

I found 11 Apodia bifractella sitting around on flower heads of the foodplant, Common Fleabane, at Hailey Park meadow at the weekend. I also found a similar number at Slade Wood (VC35) last week.




There are only about 20 VC41 records in my MapMate, so well worth checking any fleabane you come across to try and put some new dots on the map for this species.

5 comments:

  1. Looks widespread but perhaps under-recorded. I shall be inspecting any fleabane I see!

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  2. Good record George.worth checking any Inula too, including garden taxa. Given the minor influx of Tebenna earlier in the year, perhaps worth keeping an eye open for larvae on Fleabane - I've never seen these, but UK Moths states 'The gregarious larvae feed in a loose web on the underside of the leaves and create blotches on the leaves, visible from above.'

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  3. The Fleabane flowers aren't open up here yet, but when they do, it'll be something to look out for.

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  4. Found them fairly easily when checking Fleabane on my local patch a few years ago. Coincedentally, I saw 2 this evening too.

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  5. Found a few on Fleabane at Llandegfedd Reservoir today.

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