The Common Footman caterpillar is, thankfully, one of the easier species of British caterpillars to identify. There are over 2,500 British moths species and some larvae have to be reared through to the adult moth stage to be sure of … Read More
Digital photography has transformed amateur botany. When you come across a plant that’s unfamiliar you can take photographs of all the features to study in the dry, warm comfort of home. Sitting at the computer screen with identification guides is … Read More
This male Orange-tip butterfly was showing its beautiful underwing as it sat on Ragged-robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) at Windmill Farm Nature Reserve on The Lizard in Cornwall. There were a good number of both sexes when we last visited on 4 … Read More
Yes, you’re probably thinking Blue Shark (Prionace glauca), Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) and Porbeagle Shark (Lamna nasus) that do frequent Cornish waters but I’m talking about these sharks that were attracted to a garden light! The Chamomile Shark (Cucullia chamomillae) … Read More
This digger wasp, thought to be Podalonia hirsuta, was seen and videoed dragging a caterpillar across the slope of a sand dune at Penhale Dunes in North Cornwall. We have witnessed this huge feat of strength on behalf of a … Read More
All these colours could describe the Flower Crab Spider (Misumena vatia). This species of spider is a stealth predator that will sit motionless in a flower head and wait for an unsuspecting insect to arrive and start taking nectar. It’s … Read More
Last Sunday, 8 May, we saw our first Large Skipper of the year in the shelter of a hedgerow on the South West Coast Path at the mouth of the Helford River. Latest Large Skipper species page According to Cornwall … Read More
Cockchafer, or May Bugs as they are often known, are on the wing at the moment. They really can make a lot of noise as they buzz through the air at night. It always seems to me that the accuracy … Read More
It’s a frequent question asked at this time of year when spring migration is in full flow and small warblers seem to be everywhere. Fortunately some of the most difficult warblers to identify have very distinctive songs such as the … Read More
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) The easiest way to identify these common plants in the field is to know that Blackthorn (above left) flowers appear before its leaves, unlike Hawthorn (above right). Blackthorn flowers Hawthorn flowers Blackthorn also flowers … Read More
This image of the tiny moth Incurvaria masculella says it all. The trouble you take to first find your tiny creature, then get it to behave and finally get the camera to perform, only to find once the images are … Read More
Oak Eggar (Lasiocampa quercus) Fox Moth (Macrothylacia rubi) This is a question holidaymakers in Cornwall often stop and ask us when we’re out photographing wildlife. So to help identification here are four of the most likely caterpillars to be seen … Read More