Hi Mike, It's a Drinker Moth caterpillar. Impressive-looking things eh and they grow to a decent size. They get their name from the fact that the caterpillars drink large drops of water (rain or dew) which accumulates on the vegetation they live on. Trev

A day of better weather at last: Went to Totternhoe Quarry and Ivinghoe Beacon yesterday to try to spot a Duke of Burgundy, but not sure we were in exactly the right place.... Saw plenty of small blues, orange tips, a peacock and a painted lady at the quarry, and some small heaths, a brimstone, moth...

There is hope yet then Pete... I'll keep my fingers crossed that there is some warm sunshine over the next couple of weekends. If I lived a little closer to a site, it would be easier to pop over for a look-see, but it certainly wasn't worth the risk during the past couple of days. My children don't...

Well, here we are in the middle of the Duke Of Burgundy flight season and I was hoping to have made a trip West to see one over the past few weekends... This wet weather is a nightmare and at this rate, it looks like I will have to wait for next year to get a photo of one. So, what effect does a pro...

The Pentax Papilio 8.5 x 21 binoculars mentioned earlier in this thread have a list price of around £120, but with a little digging, it is possible to find them on sale for under £80. I've recently taken the plunge and bought a pair and they really are excellent for close range work - get in close a...

Hoverfly mugging a Brimstone (note the typical burglar's stripey T-shirt)... "Hand over the money and make it snappy... I'm holding an entomologist's pin to your thorax and I'm not afraid to use it!" Trev