Mysterious markings by Helen Betts

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23-Jul-2023

Mysterious markings

I seem to recall reading that some insect leaves this kind of trail on leaves, but am not sure and I can’t remember the details.

NOTE Thanks to those who identified it!

‘It’s good to be the queen,’ posted earlier:

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victorswan		17-Sep-2023 20:00
great photo of these Miner corridors hard to name which insect it is, well captured BV

janescottcumming		24-Aug-2023 21:28
Whatever it was couldn’t seem to figure out where it wanted to go. V

Carl Carbone		24-Aug-2023 20:31
Nice observation!

Julie Oldfield		24-Aug-2023 17:24
It is fascinating how something could burrow in a leaf. A fantastic find. V

Jeff Real		24-Aug-2023 01:09
Thisd is really a fascinating find! Something made a very interesting journey! V

Regine L.		24-Aug-2023 00:02
If your plant leaves look like someone was doodling squiggly lines, It's likely that your plant has a leafminer infestation. Leafminers are the larvae of various beetles, flies, moths, and sawflies. The adult lays their eggs on the leaf and the larvae burrow into the leaf and tunnel through it, feeding and leaving a transparent trail of where they've been. If you look closely, you can often see a dark dot at the end of one of the lines.

Nirvan Hope		23-Aug-2023 22:27
I love random patterns made by insects - whether by munching or by tracks. Brings to mind the quote "all who wander are not lost"!

Pierre Martin		23-Aug-2023 20:42
Agree with Larose forest, beautiful picture and observation!

Hank Vander Velde		23-Aug-2023 20:26
Interesting observation and image Helen.

joseantonio		23-Aug-2023 18:34
interesting find and capture.V.

Nick Paoni		23-Aug-2023 18:33
The tracks look it had a hard time making up its mind about where to go.

globalgadabout		23-Aug-2023 18:14
the meanderings of a muncher can certainly be decorative...

larose forest photos		23-Aug-2023 18:09
You're right, there are various leaf-mining insects, mostly moths, but also flies and sawflies, for the most part. They are usually host-specific. The patterns they leave are quite cool, I think! Good shot! V