Thanks for the suggestion Colin. I have looked at the site you suggested and found nothing similar - my eyes went square with all the page scrolling. I had another look in the hedge and failed to find any more specimens (typical), so can't provide a photo. I'm certain they were Celtic-striped, but t...

Thanks for the suggestions Colin - they're not stripey enough!.

Mine look just like they are wearing Celtic football shirts.

I'll have a look to see if I can find one to be photographed. It was three weeks ago and they were pretty plump so may have turned into a pupa.

They seemed pretty specialised for leylandii/conifers - does's this narrow it down?

Whilst trying to tame my leylandii hedge recently, I encountered some rather plump caterpillers - can anyone identify them? They have green and white hoops along the length of their bodies and are very well camoflaged. They appear to be solitary rather than in colonies. Can anyone tell me what they ...

No, it's not a burnet.
Having looked at the other pictures of the Cinnabar, I'm certain it's one of those.

Thanks for your help

Yes, this looks pretty similar. Mine lacked the spots at the bottom of the wings and the red wing stripes near the body.

I take this to be natural variation, or maybe how the animal held its wings.

Is this species the only posible candidate?

My Laylandii hedge has a few fat caterpillers. They are green and white hooped. What are they? Where can I find a picture of the corresponding butterfly?

For the last two or three weeks, I have been seeing a very striking and attractive butterfly (or moth - what's the difference?) in my garden. In flight it is scarlet and flutters. When at rest, the wings are held flat against the body and it appears black with red mangins down the edge of the wings ...