 The larvae of a number of species of moth use the leaves as a food source . These include the sycamore moth ( Acronicta aceris ) , the maple prominent ( Ptilodon cucullina ) and the plumed prominent ( Ptilophora plumigera ) . The horse @-@ chestnut leaf miner ( Cameraria ohridella ) occasionally lays its eggs on the sycamore , although 70 % of the larvae do not survive beyond the second instar . The leaves attract aphids , and also the ladybirds and hoverflies that feed on them . The flowers produce copious amounts of nectar and pollen and are attractive to bees and other insects , and the seeds are eaten by small mammals such as voles and birds . As an introduced plant , in Britain the sycamore has a relatively small associated insect fauna of about 15 species , but it does have a larger range of leafhoppers than does the native field maple . 
