Was at the local indoor tropical garden and noticed extensive leafmining activity on a shrub labeled as Scarlet Bush (Hamelia patens), a species and genus that does not occur in Canada in the wild.

@ceiseman what miners are known from Hamelia? Sorry for the poor quality pics. Generally blotchy mines often with a oval hole punch.

#leafminer #leafmine

@PetraOleum Caterpillar for the win!

I just popped out and had a look. Hungry caterpillar has no time for games. Hungry caterpillar eats right across it's old mine and keeps on feeding.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/159365832

#caterpillar #herbivory #nz #Aotearoa #LeafMine #insects

Zapyrastra calliphana

Zapyrastra calliphana from Christchurch including Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand on May 03, 2023 at 05:47 PM by Jon Sullivan. Here's the same caterpillar I photographed on Friday. Then it had walled itself in between the mi...

iNaturalist NZ