Food Plant: Luzula sylvatica (Greater wood-rush), L.pilosa (Hairy wood-rush)

Egg; laid on a flower

Mine: July-October (then some continue May-August; others do not feed in their second year)

Notes: Have a complex bienniel life cycle with larvae feeding within the seedhead. In a later instar they make a case from a floret, which surrounds an ochreous case, with a distinct neck. Diapause is spent amongst fallen leaves on the ground. They may pupate in this leaf litter or crawl up tree trunks (to a height of 1.25m). The final case is 5-7mm long and is bicoloured, consisting of a darker flower bract covering two thirds with the light silken case the final third (as shown). Cases were found fixed for pupation on a basal leaf of.pilosa (Hairy wood-rush) - a new host and adults emerged from 12.iv.2022-27.iv.2022. Adults were dissected by Peter Hall to confirm this species. There are four cases shown here (centrally) in the habitat - three attached to basal leaves and one on leaf litter.

Data: 11.iv.2022, Bagley Wood, Oxon., VC22

Image:© Will Langdon