Bug FAQWitchhazel Leafminer
Cameraria hamameliella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gracillariidae
The witchhazel leafminer has a wingspan of about 7 mm. It lives in eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Its larvae mine the leaves of witch-hazel plants such as Hamamelis virginiana.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is roughly 7 mm (0.28 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, and throughout the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on leaves of Hamamelis species, including Hamamelis virginiana.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to eastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, New Hampshire.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the witchhazel leafminer eat?
They mine the leaves of witch-hazel plants such as Hamamelis virginiana.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gracillariidae)
Horse-chestnut LeafminerCameraria ohridellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Aspen Serpentine Leafminer MothPhyllocnistis populiellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllocnistis vitegenella complexPhyllocnistis vitegenellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Locust Digitate Leafminer MothParectopa robiniellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Poison Ivy Leaf-miner MothCameraria guttifinitella
Phyllocnistis insignisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameraria_hamameliella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.