This time of year the Cornish coastline is looking its best. Rugged cliffs and blue seas providing as stunning backdrop to a rich diversity of colouful plants. Not surprisingly these plants support a wide diversity of common and rare insects. … Read More
The last week has seen a large number of magnificent Striped Hawkmoths, Hyles livornica, arrive in the Uk. Assisted by favourable southerly winds blowing in from the continent these fabulous moths first arrived along the south coast and are now … Read More
This pair of Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies, Bolaria euphrosyne, were photographed at Fellover Brake, Tuckingmill, Cornwall during the week. Several others were seen flying low over the bracken when ever the sun broke through the clouds. This is the earliest flying … Read More
Male and female Jersey Mochas have emerged from the overwintered pupae of caterpillars reared last year. The eggs had been laid by a migrant Jersey Mocha attracted to light on the Lizard Peninsular by John Foster. Records of this species … Read More
Red Admiral caterpillars have been busy over the last few weeks constructing their nettle tents in our Cornish garden. Several are fully grown now and it was fascinating to watch a pale form of the caterpillar construct its final nettle … Read More
Hopes are high for the stunning sight of large numbers of brightly coloured Scarlet Tiger Moths later in the summer. This species is prone to sudden explosions in numbers and the many recent reports of their caterpillars from the southern … Read More
This Comma butterfly seen basking in warm sunshine at Penhale Dunes on the North coast of Cornwall was one of several seen in the last week at different Cornish locations. Other March sightings included ones in Falmouth and Glendurgan Gardens … Read More
This cryptically marked Mullein moth was on a granite wall outside a hotel in Falmouth in South West Cornwall on the 21st of March. This is over a month earlier than the species would normally be seen in Cornwall and … Read More
Recent sunshine has enticed a few overwintering butterflies out into the garden. Whilst the odd Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterfly hasn’t been surprising a Hummingbird Hawkmoth certainly was. This early record may have been either a migrant or one … Read More
During last summer several Purple Hairstreak butterflies were seen from the top of a viewing platform erected as part of a moth study beside an oak tree at Trelusback Farm in Cornwall. Although the Purple Hairstreak butterflies frustratingly spend most … Read More
Two Red Admiral butterflies in our Cornish garden were a welcome sight this morning. Earlier in the week a Small Tortoiseshell was our first butterfly of the year. Fortunately a winter flowering heather is in full bloom and providing a … Read More
Recent fine weather has seen the arrival in the British Isles of some large migratory moths from the continent. These have included several Convolvulus Hawkmoths. This species is one of the strongest flying moths and recorded as far north as … Read More