37.033 BF516 – Melilot Case-bearer – Coleophora trifolii – (Curtis, 1832)
Adult Micro: CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Leaf-miner: CAT A – Recorded accepted without the leaf or a photo – Larval Case: C1 – Distinctive Species –
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Generally Common / Widespread 
– Leaf-miner
** This moth species page is currently incomplete **
– 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
General Comment: None Mine Period Additional: Forms a case from Melilot seedpods
Mine ID Difficulty:
– Mine cannot be identified without breeding through and then adult may need to be examined by Gen Det Prep. Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
*** Last updated on 3 January 2026 by RP ***
Blue-coded] moths is not displayed/updated in this tab. However, all verified records for this moth are listed in the RECORDS tab below. Selected Images:
Melbourne (2024) – Tony Davison©; Belper (2024) – Dave Evans©
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 1987 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
This chart summarises all available historical occurrence records collated by ISO week of the year. It reflects recorder effort and sampling distribution as well as true biological activity, and should be interpreted as an indicative pattern of seasonal occurrence rather than a statistically controlled abundance or phenology model.
Distribution Map for Coleophora trifolii
Found 51 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 48 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 3 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 48 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 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.
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.
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: 9.48% | Total % Change: 88.6%
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Coleophora trifolii
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora trifolii
Coleophora trifolii
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 2020-2026.
Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora trifolii
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 2020-2026.
Records Behind the Map and Charts - Coleophora trifolii – 51 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belper | SK34N | 25/08/2025 | 2 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44784914 |
| Findern, Derbyshire | SK33A | 24/08/2025 | 3 | adult | Hallam, Brian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44820524 |
| Belper | SK34U | 24/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44784415 |
| Belper, Derbyshire | SK34N | 23/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Newcombe, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC50608550 |
| Belper | SK34U | 23/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44731359 |
| Glossop, Gnat Hole Rough Fields | SK09L | 22/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Heintzen, Christian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC48744685 |
| DWT Wyver Lane | SK35K | 22/08/2025 | 2 | adult | Evans, Dave, Dave Newcombe, Richard Taylor & Chris Brown | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44718053 |
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 20/08/2025 | 2 | adult | roome, martin | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44679158 |
| Belper | SK34N | 20/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44652394 |
| Belper | SK34N | 18/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44651929 |
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 16/08/2025 | 1 | adult | roome, martin | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44572898 |
| Belper | SK34U | 16/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44535960 |
| Findern, Derbyshire | SK33A | 15/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Hallam, Brian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44527419 |
| Belper | SK34U | 15/08/2025 | 2 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44511881 |
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 14/08/2025 | 3 | adult | roome, martin | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44572097 |
| Chaddesden Garden | SK33T | 13/08/2025 | 4 | adult | loverock, neil | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44493612 |
| Belper | SK34U | 13/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44470877 |
| Findern, Derbyshire | SK33A | 11/08/2025 | 4 | adult | Hallam, Brian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44470656 |
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 11/08/2025 | 1 | adult | roome, martin | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44422760 |
| Belper | SK34N | 11/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44395316 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 10/08/2025 | 5 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44438002 |
| Findern, Derbyshire | SK33A | 03/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Hallam, Brian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44180542 |
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 16/07/2025 | 2 | adult | roome, martin | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44184568 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 13/07/2025 | 5 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43433280 |
| Melbourne, Derbyshire | SK32X | 13/07/2025 | 1 | adult | Davison, Tony | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43439983 |
| Findern, Derbyshire | SK33A | 13/07/2025 | 4 | adult | Hallam, Brian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43447664 |
| Findern, Derbyshire | SK33A | 11/07/2025 | 2 | adult | Hallam, Brian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43392129 |
| Belper | SK34N | 08/07/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43252936 |
| Chaddesden Garden | SK33T | 03/07/2025 | 2 | adult | loverock, neil | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43007672 |
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 03/07/2025 | 2 | adult | roome, martin | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44157057 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 30/06/2025 | 3 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43042266 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 16/06/2025 | 1 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC42447633 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 16/06/2025 | 1 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC42447685 |
| Findern, Derbyshire | SK33A | 13/06/2025 | 1 | adult | Hallam, Brian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC42597460 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 12/06/2025 | 1 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC42283049 |
| Belper | SK34U | 11/08/2024 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC37850758 |
| Belper | SK34N | 01/08/2024 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC37620966 |
| Melbourne, Derbyshire | SK32X | 23/07/2024 | 1 | adult | Davison, Tony | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC37309857 |
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 18/07/2024 | 1 | adult | roome, martin | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38322127 |
| Melbourne, Derbyshire | SK32X | 03/06/2024 | 1 | adult | Davison, Tony | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC36264713 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 17/05/2024 | 1 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC39954991 |
| Staunton Harold Reservoir, Derbyshire | SK32S | 15/08/2023 | 1 | adult | Davison, Tony | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33088271 |
| Belper | SK34U | 09/08/2023 | 2 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35296812 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 07/09/2021 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33499526 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 20/08/2021 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33499318 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 15/06/2021 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33498416 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 02/06/2021 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33498233 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 01/09/2020 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33502214 |
| Havercroft Road | SK38L | 02/09/2018 | 1 | Adult | Tait, Malcolm | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC36367581 |
| Avenue washlands | SK36Y | 30/06/2018 | 1 | adult | Bryce, Marion | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC10555654 |
| Lock Lane Tip, Sawley, Long Eaton | SK43V | 04/07/1987 | 1 | adult | Anona Finch | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35106953 |