An afternoon spent searching amongst the huge expanse of sand dunes at Penhale on the North Cornish Coast was most rewarding. As well as finding the hoped for Grizzled Skippers and Dingy Skippers we came across this pair of magnificent … Read More
Red Admiral and Silver Y caterpillars overwintering in Cornwall UK Three Red Admiral butterfly caterpillars, Venessa atalanta, and one Silver Y moth caterpillar, Autographa gamma, were found on nettles alongside the Helford Estuary in Cornwall on the 30th of January. … Read More
While enjoying the sunshine at the National Trust managed Kynance Cove on the Lizard this Painted Lady butterfly was warming up on the rocks nearby. There doesn’t seem to have been so many this year although we have found a … Read More
Clouded Yellows and a Stick Insect! The Helford Estuary has again come up with some interesting sightings. Last year we recorded over 200 Clouded Yellow butterflies in one field in October and the same location had four over the weekend, … Read More
On the 9th April, 15 over wintered migrant Red Admiral caterpillars were found at a coastal location on the Lizard Peninsular, Cornwall. Although unusual to find the caterpillars of a migrant species at this time of year it wasn’t entirely … Read More
Winter is a quiet time for us butterfly and moth enthusiasts with few species on the wing. But it needn’t be so. As part of a survey to improve our knowledge of over wintering butterfly and moths in Cornwall the … Read More
It’s that time of year when everything seems to be happening at once. Butterflies and moths are emerging from over wintered pupae, caterpillars are feeding voraciously, while others are pupating – and that’s just inside the garden shed! It’s not … Read More
Well, what a ‘hurricane’ season this has been for Cornwall – weeks of heavy rain, gales, flooding and mountainous seas. And then suddenly, a brief interlude and 5 Peacock butterflies (inachis io) miraculously emerge from hibernation to bask in the … Read More
The Clouded Yellow Butterfly (Colias croceus) caterpillars being reared from collected eggs are growing rapidly and have been joined by an unexpected arrival. Clovers brought in from the garden three weeks ago to feed them happened to have a tiny … Read More
The one disappointing thing about seeing lots of Clouded Yellow Butterflies, Colias croceus, is that they rarely sit still with wings open. This is a real shame as they really are magnificent butterflies. Well, for once, a wings open moment … Read More
In recent days the influx of Clouded Yellow butterflies from the continent has increased further. Counts in the hundreds have been had at coastal sites in south west Cornwall. The arrivals have included a number of the female form helice. … Read More
In recent days many parts of the south coast have seen the arrival of good numbers of Clouded Yellow butterflies. This one was one of four sighted at the mouth of the Helford Estuary, in south west Cornwall. This included … Read More
One butterfly that appears to doing well is the stunning Red Admiral Butterfly Despite comparatively low numbers seen earlier in the year the nettle tents containing the caterpillars seem to be quite common now. The Red Admiral Caterpillars are seldom … Read More
These photographs of well marked male and female Dark Green Fritillary butterflies help show the differences between the sexes The images were taken at the weekend at Porth Joke on the north coast of Cornwall near Newquay. Several of these … Read More
The Orange-tip butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines, caterpillars reared from collected eggs are beginning to pupate. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times I see any caterpillar undergo this extraordinary change it never ceases to amaze me. Having selected a suitable … Read More
The largest number of Painted Lady butterflies possibly recorded in the British Isles this year was our reward for a trip to Poldhu Cove on the Lizard at the weekend. Of the total of 13 seen during the day 8 … Read More