Zelleria hepariella

Wingspan around 12 mm. The combination of the rufous or chestnut forewing colour and the 'nose-down' Argyresthia-like resting posture make this species quite distinctive.

Around Ash.

There is one generation, the adults emerging in July or August and overwintering, usually in thick cover, reappearing again in the early spring.

The larva feeds on Ash sometimes gregariously, in spun leaves.

A widespread but locally distributed species throughout much of Britain. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

It appears to be uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland, where there are few records. L&R Moth Group status = D (rare or rarely recorded).