The first Holly Blues are out. It’s the earliest of the Blue butterflies and is most frequently seen in flight around trees and along hedgerows. When it does settle, to either feed or rest, it almost invariable does so with … Read More
Still no Small Tortoiseshell or Peacock butterflies in the garden this year. Apart from Red Admirals, which are now recorded in every month, these are the two earliest butterflies normally seen in the garden. Holly Blues, Speckled Woods and a … Read More
No sightings of Orange-tip butterflies in the garden yet this year. However, its not going to be long judging by the development of two chrysalis brought inside from the cool garage where they’d been overwintering. The orange wing tips of … Read More
During the winter the only butterflies seen in the garden have been the occasional Red Admiral. With recent warmer temperatures things at last seem to be stirring. A Comma was seen amongst primroses at Glendurgan gardens on the Helford Estuary. … Read More
Numbers of migrant Clouded Yellow butterflies in south west Cornwall have been low this year. Certainly not a Clouded Yellow Year compared to 2014 when we were lucky to witness the spectacular sight of hundreds in a single field by … Read More
This American Painted Lady butterfly, Vanessa virginiensis, a very rare butterfly for the UK, was recorded and photographed by Rowena Castillo-Nicholls and husband Rob at Nare Head on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall on the 20th September. Rowena is a … Read More
Unexpectedly high numbers of Painted Lady butterflies were seen yesterday on a coastal site on the Lizard Peninsula, in South Cornwall. Since the southerly winds that had brought the large numbers of migrant Striped Hawkmoths had been replaced for over … Read More
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
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
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
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
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