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

no images were found

Distribution Map for Coleophora trifolii

Found 42 records
    ↳ 27 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.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


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: 10.11%   |   Total % Change: 96.3%


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 8 (August) 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 – 42 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A03/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N11/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A10/08/20255adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A11/08/20254adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U13/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Chaddesden GardenSK33T13/08/20254adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U15/08/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A15/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U16/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N18/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N20/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK35K22/08/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U23/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U24/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N25/08/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A24/08/20253adultvc57_irecords_extract
Chaddesden GardenSK33T03/07/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N08/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A11/07/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A13/07/20255adultvc57_irecords_extract
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X13/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A13/07/20254adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A12/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A16/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A16/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A13/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A30/06/20253adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N01/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U11/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X23/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X03/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A17/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Staunton Harold Reservoir, DerbyshireSK32S15/08/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U09/08/20232adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R07/09/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R20/08/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R02/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R15/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R01/09/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Havercroft RoadSK38L02/09/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Avenue washlandsSK36Y30/06/20181adultvc57_irecords_extract
Lock Lane Tip, Sawley, Long EatonSK43V04/07/19871adultvc57_irecords_extract

Coleophora albitarsella       Coleophora alcyonipennella

Copyright Tony Davison © 2025 www.derbyshiremoths.org

Scroll to Top