These beautiful golden yellow flowers were thick around the edges of a wheat field near Land’s End in Cornwall. A stunning sight on a sunny day. Insight into Corn Marigold (Glebionis segetum): formerly known as Chrysanthemum segetum it is native … Read More
What’s that red and black butterfly? It’s that time of year again when we are often asked this question by people we meet whilst out taking photographs. They are the Five (shown above left) and Six-spot Burnet (shown above right) … Read More
Some people will be relieved to see the juvenile Herring Gulls fledged, happy in the knowledge that it won’t be long before the protective parents will stop their dive-bombing attacks. This young Herring Gull, still showing some downy fluff around … 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
These tall, spikes of yellow flowers are popping up on sand dunes on the north coast and in hedgerows and on rough grassland on the south coast of Cornwall this month. We even had them on the mound of sand … Read More
These hoverflies are quite common in Cornwall. This one was busy on the grassland between Poldhu Cove and Church Cove on The Lizard. Insight into Sphaerophoria scripta: a long and thin hoverfly, its marking are very variable although there is … Read More
This digger wasp was resting in the sun on Sea Carrot (Daucus carota ssp. gummifer) on the Lizard peninsula. Insight into Crabro cribrarius: a fly-eating digger wasp, family Sphecidae, it nests in the ground and can be seen throughout the … Read More
Two Sandwich Terns were feeding on sandeels close to the beach at Whitesand Bay, Sennon in Cornwall. The water was crystal clear and the birds seemed unperturbed by the bathers and holiday-makers walking on the beach within only a few … Read More
Lots of the Pyralid moth Synaphe punctalis were disturbed when walking around the well known Porthgwarra coastal bird-watching point near Land’s End last week. Some were very well marked but proved difficult to photograph amongst the grasses until one landed … 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
This plant was found growing on ivy at the bottom of a wall near Carbis Bay beach on the north coast of Cornwall. Insight into Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae): found locally in coastal areas of the south and south west … Read More
This male Eider duck was in the middlle of Carrick Roads, the deep water channel of the Fal Estuary. Small flocks are sometimes seen in the estuary in the winter (see our Eider in Falmouth Harbour post in March) but … Read More