Hi Rob, Don't worry - the caterpillars of this butterfly eat stinging nettles (no UK butterfly caterpillar will eat your furniture :) ) The butterflies look for somewhere to overwinter and better choices would include an old shed or within a crevice on a dead tree, but they will come into houses. Un...

I suppose the chances are that these individuals are indeed simply “late”, but as they are males (which tend to hatch early) and there seems to have been a reasonable gap between the previous butterflies disappearing and these ones hatching, could Rob’s original idea still be valid?… Here’s a theory...

Ooh! - That’s a bit of a result… :D To be up there alongside the likes of those pesky Kitely, Kipper and FishiEE triplets :mrgreen: is a real feather in the cap for me and I’m well chuffed! Well done to “Simon2” also – a great shot of the Southern Small White. For the record, my favourite shot was N...

... and it's a "welcome aboard" from me too. Glad to hear from a fellow Trevor - There aren't enough of us around at the moment

Happy butterflying,

Trev

Bonjour Charles,
Looks like a Pine-tree Lappet (Dendrolimus pini) to me.

Trev

That looks like an early instar (i.e. young) Drinker moth caterpillar- Euthrix potatoria. Once he/she has eaten a lot more grass, it will be quite different looking... and quite a bit bigger.

Trev

Gad Zooks!... I almost choked on my cornflakes. That's truly amazing.

Trev

Hi Ian,
I think it's a male Drinker moth, but maybe someone else could confirm?

Trev

Unlikely to be the eggs of a UK butterfly and my guess would be those of a sawfly. I can't see from your photo, but if there are more than 10 velcro-like legs at the back (i.e. if these legs go all the way along the underside of the body) in addition to the 6 pointy legs at the front, it will be a s...

Hahahahahahahahaha! That really made me smile Neil.
Even you and Pete might struggle to get that one, but I look forward to see the image one day on this site

Trev

It's always good to add to the wonderful places where you've seen butterflies before and there's always a better photo to take, so I won't be at a loose end.


Trev

Welcome Graham,
You've come to the right place! Feel free to ask away and someone on here will be able to help you.

Trev

Another sighting of a Yellow-Legged Tort today according to the Cambs and Essex BC sightings page (from Barton near Cambridge), so keep your eyes peeled. See: http://www.cambs-essex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.php NB: I would trust Louise's identification 100%. Nice onshore North-Easterly winds in ...

Looks like an Eyed Hawk Moth caterpillar Lenniew

Trev

Thanks guys, If it hadn't been for UKButterflies, I can safely say that I would never have been enthused to get out and look for those species presumed unattainable in my youth. ... And I know there are countless others who have rekindled a fascination with our native butterflies after visiting this...

After having just one UK mainland species of butterfly left to photograph for the past couple of years, I finally snapped them last week on a trip up North. We found a few (rather worn) ssp. salmacis individuals at Bishop Middleham Quarry on the way up to our accommodation in the Lindisfarne area, b...

Hi Brian, A few years ago, a large number of WLH were nectaring on thistle at Bedford Purleius - I counted more than 100 individuals along one particular ride and I've got a photo somewhere of 12 individuals on one thistle plant. I'm pretty sure that it was due to a spell of very wet weather which h...

Hi Stuarted,
That is a Cinnabar moth. Flies during the day just to confuse you

Trev

Fantastic stuff Neil! Once your antennae get twitching, there really is no hiding place for even the rarest of insects is there? :wink: . You have honed your fieldcraft and observational skills to truly awesome levels over the past few years and are deservedly reaping the ultimate rewards. Well don...

Fantastic stuff Pete - you really are on a mission this year.

Trev