Red Birch Slender - Caloptilia betulicola
Phylum: Arthropoda - Class: Insecta - Order: Lepidoptera - Family: Gracillariidae
Red Birch Slender is one of two very similar species of moths which are very difficult to tell apart, the other being Caloptilia elonga
As the name suggests the Red Birch Slender feeds on Birch leaves, first 'mining' them and then living inside a rolled leaf in later instars.
Their habitat is woodlands with Birch trees.
The wingspan of the Red Birch Slender ranges between 14 and 16mm.
Distribution
In Britain and Ireland this moth is widespread but localised.
Lifecycle
Two generations of the Red Birch Slender moth fly each year: the first in June and July, and the second in September and October. This later generation over-winters as an adult and often reappears early in the following spring.
The larval foodplant of the Red Birch Slender is Birch leaves
Picture: Rob Petley-Jones
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