Early summer records

The window box continues to offer a home, or temporary shelter, to new arrivals.  I found a caterpillar that had neatly rolled a leaf of tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum).  This plant is a St John’s wort but there are several micromoths shelter in spun leaves at the tips of Hypericum shoots.  I think the most likely identity is that it is a large purple flat-body (Agonopterix liturosa), but it could be the tortrix Lathronympha strigana, both of which have larvae in spun Hypericum shoots, or one of the polyphagous micros.

Also, I can see no feeding damage on the tutsan leaves, so it might just be using this one for shelter.

On several of the sallow shoots there are colonies of aphids attended by our little brown ants.  I am pretty certain the aphids are the small willow aphid (Aphis farinosa) which favours goat willow (Salix caprea), which is the sallow mine are on.

Also today there was one tiny micromoth perched on a leaf.  It is a small or plain gold (Micropterix calthella), now right at the end of its season.