Hairy Greenweed is a very rare plant, only found in west Cornwall and Wales, so it was a bit of a surprise to find so much of it on the slopes above Kynance Cove on The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. … Read More
A very fresh male Silver-studded Blue was flying amongst the Common Blue and Brown Argus butterflies at Glanville’s (Pennans) Field near Penhale Dunes on the 1st of June. This stunning butterfly stood out boldly from the already fast fading other … Read More
Two Diamond-back Moths, one of the most common migrant moths to visit the UK, were disturbed while weeding the garden yesterday. The zig-zag dark pattern on their backs, after which they derive their English name, were fairly well defined although … Read More
Cockchafer or May Bug are a large flying nocturnal beetle that are attracted to light and consequently appear regularly in moth traps. Insight into Cockchafer or May Bug (Melolontha melolontha): Identification of these large brown beetles and determining their sex … Read More
This juvenile newt was discovered when weeding the flower bed. But which of the three British newts is it? Having excluded the Great Crested Newt because of its rarity status in Cornwall and darker colouration, it was down to trying … Read More
Jersey Mocha may be a very rare British moth but one of the joys of moth trapping is that you never know what will turn up. Please see updated life cycle information and sightings page for Jersey Mocha This Jersey … Read More
The Common Lizard, like this one seen at Windmill Farm on the appropriately named Lizard Peninsular last week, are the only lizards likely to be seen in Cornwall. However, we bumped into a chap the other day who said he’d … Read More
The identification of many British hoverflies is not easy and many require good views of various parts of the anatonomy that aren’t always possible in the field. This hover was photographed as it paused briefly over some early flowering heather. … Read More
This is the appropriately named Orange-tip butterfly which is on the wing at the moment. It’s only the male Orange-tip that has orange tips to its forewings and the plainer female can easily be mistaken for either a Small White … Read More
“When a species flies during the day” seems the obvious answer. However, although there are moths that fly and feed exclusively during the day, there are also many species that are easily disturbed during the day causing them to fly. … Read More
The Heather Ladybird has been common in our garden for the last few weeks and doesn’t seem to show any great preference for any particular shrub despite there being abundant heather. This image is taken on a Bottlebrush Tree. Insight … Read More
One pair of Moorhen on Swanpool Local Nature Reserve are feeding three chicks at the moment. Many bird species have suffered from one of the wettest and coldest Aprils on record with failed nests widespread. Most species appear to have … Read More