Coleophora albitarsella       Coleophora alcyonipennella
37.033 BF516  –  Coleophoridae – Coleophora trifolii – Melilot Case-bearer – (Curtis, 1832) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Coleophoridae
** This moth species page is currently incomplete **
Other Name/s: Large Clover Case-bearer
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Coleophora mayrella (Clothed Case-bearer); Coleophora alcyonipennella
(Clover Case-bearer)
ID pointers: A metallic green sheen to the forewings and white tips to the antennae – one of the largest of the Coleophoridae
Distribution:  Widespread – probably under recorded
Flight Period: June /  July /  –  one generation flies in the daytime but also attracted to light Mine Period: January /  February /  March /  April /  May /  July /  August /  September /  October /  November /  December /   – Forms a case from Melilot seedpods Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison; Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 27 July 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 15-20mm
 Food Plant: Melilot
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.
IMAGES BELOW:  

Melbourne (2024) – Tony Davison©; Belper (2024) – Dave Evans©

Coleophora trifolii - 3rd June 2024 - Melbourne - Tony Davison
Coleophora trifolii – 3rd June 2024 – Melbourne – Tony Davison
Coleophora trifolii - 1st August 2024 - Belper - Dave Evans
Coleophora trifolii – 1st August 2024 – Belper – Dave Evans
Coleophora trifolii - 3rd June 2024 - Melbourne - Tony Davison
Coleophora trifolii - 1st August 2024 - Belper - Dave Evans

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Distribution Map for Coleophora trifolii

Found 31 records
    ↳ 16 from After 2025
    ↳ 12 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 3 from Before 2020

If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Coleophora trifolii

⚠️ Please wait for the map to load fully – do not click the link shown.


Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however, the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Coleophora trifolii
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Coleophora trifolii
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Coleophora trifolii
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

Click the colour discs below to Select/De-select as Required

Recordings By Year: Coleophora trifolii
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Coleophora trifolii
AGR: 10.41%   |   Total % Change: 100%


CUSUM Analysis: Coleophora trifolii
About this chart: CUSUM (Cumulative Sum) charts track long-term trends in moth populations [ filtered by 'Adult' and 'Mine' life stages ] by showing whether each year’s counts are above or below the historical average. Even small shifts build up over time, making trends of growth, stability, or decline easier to see. CUSUM highlights trend-consistency — asking: “Across the years, have moth counts mostly stayed above or below average?”
The data sample has 20 gap year/s here (zero records) between 2000 and 2025. The moth may have been present in those gap years, but no data was available. Too many year-gaps may exaggerate or skew the chart.

Counts for the current year (2025) are pro-rated based on data available up to month 7 (July) to provide a full-year equivalent.

ⓘ Purple line rises = years better than average; falls = years worse than average.
Peak (best year) Trough (worst year) Growth periods Decline periods
Population peaked around 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2024, showing a significant decline.

What the Y-axis "Cumulative Deviation" means: Cumulative Deviation shows the running total of how each year’s moth population count differs from the long-term average. i

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Coleophora trifolii
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora trifolii
( data includes Adult Stage only )

Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora trifolii
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Mine Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's mine periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen mining, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Coleophora trifolii – 31 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Coleophora trifoliiFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202503/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiBelperSK34N202511/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMidway, Derbys.SK32A202510/08/20255adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiBelperSK34U202513/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiBelperSK34U202515/08/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiChaddesden GardenSK33T202503/07/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiBelperSK34N202508/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202511/07/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMidway, Derbys.SK32A202513/07/20255adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X202513/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202513/07/20254adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMidway, Derbys.SK32A202512/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMidway, Derbys.SK32A202516/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMidway, Derbys.SK32A202516/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202513/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMidway, Derbys.SK32A202530/06/20253adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiBelperSK34N202401/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiBelperSK34U202411/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X202423/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X202403/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiMidway, Derbys.SK32A202417/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiStaunton Harold Reservoir, DerbyshireSK32S202315/08/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiBelperSK34U202309/08/20232adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiWoodland AveSK43R202107/09/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiWoodland AveSK43R202120/08/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiWoodland AveSK43R202102/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiWoodland AveSK43R202115/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiWoodland AveSK43R202001/09/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiHavercroft RoadSK38L201802/09/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiAvenue washlandsSK36Y201830/06/20181adultvc57_irecords_extract
Coleophora trifoliiLock Lane Tip, Sawley, Long EatonSK43V198704/07/19871adultvc57_irecords_extract

Coleophora albitarsella       Coleophora alcyonipennella

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