Hi Mike, That's definitely a Lackey Moth caterpillar... Takes me back to my youth when I used to see loads of these crawling around on trees near my school. If you could see the front end of the caterpillar you would see it has a blue head with what look like black eyes. A bit like Dougal from the M...

Good call Mark. I'll get my coat...

Trev

Hi Susie,
Could it be an adult male glow worm I wonder? I've never seen one "in the flesh", but the general shape and flattened thorax looks right.

Trev

Hi Mike,
I think it could be a Nettle Tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana).

Trev

Spring has definitely arrived in Cambridge... During my lunchtime walk near the river Cam, I saw over 40 Small Tortoiseshells, 11 Brimstones, 8 Peacocks and finally, my first definite new hatchings of 2014... A male Orange Tip and a male Small White

Trev

Many congratulations on the new elver Pete!
I'm sure Edward couldn't have a better guide to all things lepidopteran than you... Good to know another generation of nature-lovers is just emerging.

Trev

Yep, it's definitely an adult caddis - possibly one of the limnephilids? These are the creatures whose larvae make themselves little living tubes out of stones and small pieces of stick and live on the bottom of rivers and lakes. They do look very moth-like as adults, but their wings are covered in ...

Peacock butterfly seen in flight at lunchtime today at Milton Country Park near Cambridge - my first butterfly of 2014

Trev

I've always found skippers particularly difficult to photograph successfully and their characteristic x-wing jet-fighter stance isn't generally conducive to the relatively thin depth of field treatment we may give the other UK species. This shot came as a bit of a fluke on a trip to photograph Marbl...

My favourite shot of a Marbled White was taken on the serendipitous day I discovered a colony of them just a couple of miles down the road from me... I had no idea there were any that close to my house. Fortunately, not only were they present but some had obviously only recently hatched. Due to over...

That's a good idea James - never thought of that! I have one of those devices which I used one night last year to record star trails through the frame of a radio telescope in a nearby village. The sensor in a digital SLR heats up if the shutter is left open for extended periods (a film camera doesn'...

Wow - That is a fantastic-looking fungi - what a cracker!

Trev

Yes David,
I too only got out once looking for Dingies. Devil's Dyke near Newmarket is probably the closest place to me where I stand a chance of finding this species and I was fortunate to spot this very fresh-looking individual...
Trev

Sorry to chip in on your diary Susie, but PJU's plant is exactly what I've been trying to identify. I found some on common land in Cambridge a few weeks ago and had no idea what they were. If Indian Pokeweed is not native, are they notifiable? - ie should they be reported to someone I wonder?

Trev

Absolutely correct!

Trev

You know what they say Gary:
"Grass doesn't grow on a busy street"
and all those brain cells crammed into such a small area doesn't leave much space for follicles

Trev

Yeayyy! Good news Susie.
That's just about everyone who's looked now isn't it?

Trev

Oh Susie, That's so frustrating - sorry to hear you didn't manage to see one :cry: ...Yet! I really hope there are still one or two tucked away there somewhere - and that Lee and his family get to see one today if they get chance to visit before their long journey back to Cornwall. The forecast sugg...

Neil was telling me on Tuesday that the white tips to the tails do soon disappear and you know you have a pretty fresh butterfly if they are intact. The main wing edges may stand up to a few skirmishes with little sign of wear, but the enthusiasm with which the males spar with each other and spiral ...

Wow, that side shot of the female is lush Phil - she truly is a cracker! Neil is going to get very drunk on all the pints he's owed. I wish I lived closer to the South coast as I'd definitely be scouring any suitable areas of coastline which has everlasting pea or similar plants growing at the momen...