Lots of Small Skippers were flying amonst the long grass and feeding on the flowers of Bramble or Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.) and Common Knapweed at Windmill Farn Nature Reserve on The Lizard in Cornwall at the weekend. Insight into … Read More
This worn Clouded Yellow butterfly was seen outside the Minack Theatre near Land’s End in Cornwall. While the hoards of camera-wielding foreign tourists were busily taking shots of the approach to the world famous open-air theatre we were running up … Read More
Silver-studded Blues appear to have a had a very good year at Penhale sands on the North Cornish coast in 2011. Following good counts of caterpillars reported in our searching for butterfly caterpillars post in early May we have in … Read More
The second generation of Holly Blue butterflies in the south west of Cornwall has already emerged and our first was seen last week along the cliff top hedges between Rosemullion Head and the Helford River. Hopefully we will be more … Read More
Lots of these fritillaries were flying in the bright sunshine yesterday at Penhale on the North Cornish coast. As seems often the case they were continually on the move, only fleetingly settling but not long enough to stand any chance … Read More
Our first Grayling of the year (above left) was seen during our eventful trip to Kynance Cove on The Lizard (see Cornwall Moths post). Typically it was sitting with wings closed on the ground, cryptically blending in with its surroundings … Read More
There haven’t been any big influxes of migrant Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies into the south west of Cornwall so far this year. Since April there have been odd ones scattered about and this worn specimen was seen at Windmill … Read More
Walking up a lane from Helford Passage on the Helford Estuary in Cornwall we passed this male Meadow Brown butterfly nectaring on Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris). Insight into Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina): common throughout Cornwall and the UK it has a … Read More
This just goes to show you don’t have to travel very far to enjoy some of the best wildlife moments. This Common Blue butterfly was nectaring on Catmint in Queen Mary Gardens by Gyllyngvase Beach right in the heart of … Read More
These dazzling butterflies have been flying in numbers since the beginning of May here in south west Cornwall. This was one of several seen yesterday at Windmill Farm Nature Reserve on The Lizard. Insight into Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene): … Read More
You won’t believe this but the Green Hairstreak is in fact a brown butterfly! It’s just that you never get to see them settled with their wings open and so always see the brilliant metallic green undersides as shown. Insight … Read More
This male Orange-tip butterfly was showing its beautiful underwing as it sat on Ragged-robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) at Windmill Farm Nature Reserve on The Lizard in Cornwall. There were a good number of both sexes when we last visited on 4 … Read More
Last Sunday, 8 May, we saw our first Large Skipper of the year in the shelter of a hedgerow on the South West Coast Path at the mouth of the Helford River. According to Cornwall Butterfly Conservation this is 10 … Read More
Despite the first real rain we’ve seen for weeks here in Cornwall we found 8 Grizzled Skipper during a quick visit to Penhale Dunes on the north coast. One was of the form taras (below right), an aberration having the … Read More
Along the hedgerows of the South West Coast Path near the Helford River, these beautiful butterflies were seen patrolling up and down the path before settling on a favourite perch. New Speckled Wood species page This is a common butterfly … Read More
The recent fine weather systems pulling warm air up from the continent seem to have brought migrant butterflies into Cornwall. We’ve seen several Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) (above left) and a few Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) (above right) in most … Read More