Long-jawed orb weavers: Pachygnatha degeeri The name “orb weaver” has a poetic ring to it and the craftsmanship surrounding the design of an orb web is certainly deserving of such a title. The long-jawed orb weavers are known as the … Continue reading
Spiders are not everyone’s brownie in a mug, more often they are deemed hairy, scary and relegated to a life beneath a glass on your bathroom floor. The media are not particularly supportive of these fascinating animals either. Cases of … Continue reading
The Common stinging nettle Urtica dioica, is the most well-known and prosperous example of the Family Urticaceace in Britain. Infamous for its painful sting caused by chemical injection via trichome hairs, this dioecious plant is easily recognised by its opposite, … Continue reading
As we steadily edge into Autumn, the main butterfly you are likely to see on Whiteknights Campus is the Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria). Its third peak of emergence is approximately now, around the last week of August and the first two weeks of September. The … Continue reading
Hi all Last night I carried out a quick moth trap in the Harris Gardens using a mercury vapour lap and white sheet, conditions were not ideal, due to clear skies and rapidly dropping temperatures, but I did get and … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Two butterflies, the Red Admiral (Vanessa atlanta) and the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), are both migrants to the UK from their breeding grounds in Europe, and in the case of the Painted Lady, North Africa and Arabia. Both species can … Continue reading
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) may not be our most charismatic butterfly species however, they can be some of our most abundant, so look out for these this summer when you are out and … Continue reading
This is one of several spectacular and intricately (some would say bizarrely) patterned moths found in the UK, the Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides). The distribution of this species extends north to roughly between Newcastle upon Tyne and Carlisle. Again, this … Continue reading
Garlic Mustard or Jack-By-The-Hedge (Alliaria petiolata), see image 1, is the food plant for a charming butterfly, the Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines), what I feel is a quintessential sign of spring. The butterfly is seen from early April-early June, having … Continue reading
If you are going to see any moth this month (July), it is likely to be the Riband Wave (Idaea aversata), in the Geometridae family. The species is found throughout the British Isles, including a few migrants to the Scottish … Continue reading
