Cinnabar moth
Have you found striped yellow and black caterpillars feeding on ragwort? These are the larvae of a cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae), and their striped football jerseys are a danger signal.
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Jersey tiger
Ian has sent us a picture of a Jersey tiger moth caterpillar with a message:
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Fatal attraction?
Researchers from London’s Imperial College believe they have discovered why moths and other flying insects seem to be so fatally attracted to light.
Continue readingDeath’s head hawkmoth
Message from Emma Kilroy-Grant to FoSCP 22/08/2023:
Walking in Southwick Country Park nature reserve this morning, I came across this mammoth caterpillar on the path. I re-located it into the hedge and Googled it to find it is an African Death’s Head Hawkmoth!!
Still counting
The Big Butterfly Count ends on Sunday, August 6th. Are you still counting?
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Five spot burnet moth
These are five spot burnet moths (Zygaena trifloii), dayflying nectar feeders. Regular contributor Cheryl Cronnie photographed this mating pair at the end of June.
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A day flying moth, beautifully camouflaged on a wildflower seedhead, found and photographed yesterday by Clive Knight, and identified by Ian Bushell: a Silver Y (Autographa gamma).
Two new species
Two new insect species from Clive Knight: a flesh fly identified by Ian Bushell, our entomologist, as Sarcophaga carnaria, and a day-flying moth, Camptogramma bilineata, called yellow shell for the beautful striped pattern on its wings.
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Six spot burnet moth
This is a six spot burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae), a dayflying nectar feeder, photographed on the reserve’s plentiful, nectar-rich, tufted vetch.
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Six spot burnet moth
This is a six spot burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae), a dayflying nectar feeder. Regular volunteer, Clive Knight photographed it yesterday on the reserve’s plentiful, nectar-rich, tufted vetch.
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Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 