More commonly known as the Hellebore leaf miner, "Phytomyza hellebori" is a small fly that infests only the 'H. foetidus' plants in the Hellebore family. The leaf miner fly digs tunnels into the leaves of the "H. foetidus." The tunnels create brownish-black blotches on the plant. These will later turn into a nesting ground where the flies will lay their larvae in. The leaves will turn a brownish-white along where the tunnels were dug as time goes on. The larvae will start to eat the inside of the leaves in August, and damage will develop from the late summer to the early spring, with heavy attacks leaving the foliage disfigured by spring.