Grass ID guide needed

John Langmaid joined me for some fieldwork on Wednesday so, inevitably, having a grown-up present, I saw a couple of species I've not seen in the larval stage before. Spring is the best time to look for most Elachista species as larvae and as most of them rarely seem to come to light, this is the best way to record them.

The down side is that most Elachistas mine grasses, sedges or rushes! So, get your grasses book out or hire a tame botanist and have a look for:

This is Elachista humilis and the larval foodplant is Tufted Hair-grass Deschampsia cespitosa.

The Nationally Scarce Elachista obliquella produces a simlar mine on False Brome Brachypodium sylvaticum although the leaf is somewhat more twisted by the mine.