Good news stories are always welcome, particularly when they combine children and wildlife. This one was received as background information to an enquiry from Carole Protherough about a caterpillar found on a school playing field in a small village in … Read More
Things are definitely on the up. This 25mm long Scarlet Tiger caterpillar photographed by Joe in Oxford was the pick of recent caterpillar sightings. Found on a watering can pressed against a wall it was probably warming up after a … Read More
Flowering Blackthorn, active overwintered butterflies and migrant birds such as House Martins and Wheatear have all been recorded in the last few days. And if this wasn’t a sign Spring is here then basking Adders certainly are! For me they … Read More
One moth I hadn’t anticipated recording during the winter was the micro Tachystola acroxantha. This adventive species is thought to have been accidentally introduced into Devon on plants imported from Australia in the early 20 century. Now it is a … Read More
An eventful 2014 drew to an end with a walk in bright sunshine on Pendower Beach, near Portscatho in Cornwall. Out of the wind it felt more like a summer’s day than the middle of winter. Poking around amongst lines … 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
At the weekend during a search for the caterpillars of migrant Clouded Yellow Butterflies in fields beside the Helford Estuary we had a most unexpected surprise! My wife disturbed and identified one of the most colourful and rarest migrants moths … Read More
Southerly winds have brought some rare moths to many parts of the Uk in recent days and in particular to south west Cornwall. John Foster on the Lizard, Cornwall attracted this female Golden Twin-spot, Chrysodeixis chalcites, to light. Commonly found … Read More
The weather continues to be unseasonably warm here in Cornwall and migrant butterflies and moths are still around in good numbers. Hummingbird Hawk-moths are one of the species commonly being seen and the caterpillars and moths that emerged in early … Read More
Photos of this extraordinary Regal Moth caterpillar, Citheronia regalis, were sent in by Jonathan Pace. He recorded the caterpillar also known as the Hickory Horned Devil on a tree trunk in a cemetery in North Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. The … Read More
Photographs of several species of Hawk-moth caterpillars have been received in the last few days. Lime, Eyed and Poplar Hawk-moth caterpillars have all been recorded but the commonest by far has been the Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar. Last year this was … Read More
Two interesting images of the Red Sword – grass caterpillar were received in June. Helen Sly recorded a Red Sword-grass caterpillar in the RSPB Arne reserve in Dorset while Mark Jones took the photo shown right of one found by … Read More