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This looks like a very useful site. We bought a moth book to identify the moths on our window at night (especially when my husband is in the study at night with the lamp on).

I will be submitting pictures of a moth I found when I can get my camera sorted out.

Found an Elephant Hawkmoth Caterpillar in Mid Wales Was able to identify it
Thanks for your help

Yesterday I found a moth lodged in a kitchen sponge which I presumed was dead. I placed it in my pedal bin and in the evening the moth flew out and dissappeared. This morning I noticed the shadow of the moth behind my kitchen blind which I tapped and it duly fell onto the window sill. Again I was convinced it was dead but this time I launched it outside and lone behold it duly flew into some conifers. The moth was ugly lookin with horns. Please can you tell me what sort of moth this could be. Also do you think it was just playing dead under threat or was it simply sleeping.

Great site. Great for identification.

Can I become a member, I am starting a course in entomology and hope this site will be helpful. regards Paula.

As next year I will be doing a course in Entomology, the information I can gain from the pictures, written information and any thing esle will be invaluable. I am also looking for clubs, any help would be greatfully received, kind regards Paula.

A great site. I use it often when struggling with micros. Thanks.

at first glance the site looks like it will be a useful reference and advice source

Thanks for a really usful site. I have tried successfully to identify some moths and larvae from photos I have taken, but still have a few I cannot find. I am new to moths and would greatly appreciate a layman's way into the different families. As a beginner it is difficult to know where and how to start identifying.

Is there a way of sending you photos of unidentified moths?

excellent website. The pictures are much better than any book and you helped me identify several that I had been lost on.
One thing. I think I found an Ingrailed Clay, but it has a prominent red mark between its shoulders. Nothing appears to look like it

I had a moth identified for me by a local moth expert and used your site to confirm his identification. I then began to scan through the pages. I shall be back to check out species as I need.
Many thanks for a brilliant site.

stony

Thank you in helping me identify a pale tussock larvae that I have just spotted on a neighbours garage. This is the first time I have ever seen one of these having lived in Kent for almost 50 years & West Yorkshire (BD20) for almost 13 years! I was amazed at it's colouring. The site is great & very informative - one I will use again.

I brought back from the far east over several years some beautiful cashmere tank tops. During the intervening years, I have had to dispose of most of them because of moths eating a series of small holes. What I have not been able to find out is: do moths lay their eggs throughout the year or is the egg laying in clothing a seasonal affair. The companies supplying moth proofing materials do not say e.g. you only require to use these products between September to February or is it that moths lay eggs throughout the year and so these proprietry products are required throughout the year.
I do understand that the large beautiful moths are not the culprits and it is a particular type also that ceder wood is a deterrent to this particular moth. What reliable information is available on this issue.

really great site, thanks for all your hard work. When it has a caterpillar ID search too that will be marvellous! They're a truly amazing group.

If anyone wants a moth or caterpillar identified then please send me a good quality picture of the subject to and I'll do my best for you

A black moth came into my house on Thursday evening. I have not seen one before. Is this usual. I live in Kent.

Julie Milligan

Cool website not sure if it has the one im looking for though!
neither with any website at all!

What a fabulous site.

Am writing you with a query and I was hoping you could shed some light on an identification query I have.
Whilst walking on Braunton Burrows on the North Devon coast in July, I spotted an unusual large caterpillar. Having taken a photo, I thought it would be easy to identify once at home. But having trawled the internet, I am still none the wiser to finding out what this caterpillar is.

The size was approx 50/60mm long, the colour was a dark pinky colour with two black spikes at the tail end and a black head. It also had two white lines with white spots beneath, down either side of its flanks. I have two very good photographs but am unable to attach them, but will forward on recepit of another email address.

If you are able to help me with this, I would be most grateful.

Your hopefully....
Lisa Wilkinson

Glad I came across this very useful facility. Revealed the name of the moth I had come across instantly. Unfortunately, it won't be named after me as it turned out to be one of the commonest species around! Never mind I'll keep my eyes \"peeled\" in the garden just in case and definitely add this site to my list of favorites. Keep up the good work.

I am a caterpillar rearer in Northern Ireland. I have a few different species this year, icluding eyed hawk, narrow bordered bee hawk, the miller, birch mocha, dark tussock (which is very rare in NI - 2 sites in the country), etc.

I have not, however, had much experience with the Pale tussock. I have found 1 last year (which unfortunately died in the pupal stage) and have 3 this year (it is a relatively uncommon moth in NI). The thing is, every time one gets to its final instar, it turns from its normal yellow and green, to black. Every hair turns black, and the Pale tussock is as dark, if not darker, than my dark tussocks. As soon as it throws off the skin, all yellow and red turns to black, the nice green skin turns dirty dark green and black, and its little tussocks on its back are a dark silvery colour. It has happened to all four caterpillars in my cage. I don't think this happens in the wild. What is happening to my Pale tussocks, can you help me?

James

Thank you! I found a HUGE brown caterpillar outside my horse's stable today, it was 70mm in length! All the books I looked at said the Elephant Hawk Moth's larvae was green, but your site helped to settle the arguement! Good luck with adding more larvae to your site (not literally speaking!) and thank you once again!

Josephine

delighted to find this site. excellent! think i'll be visiting quite a bit. thank you.

Hello,

I have an inexplainable terror, not just a fear or phobia, but utter TERROR of moths! And I was recently reduced to a sobbing wreck on seeing what I can only describe as a 'dragon-sized' beastie, coming between me and the door of my toilet - I was trapped!!!! I swear you could have saddled it and rode it - it was gi-huge-eous!!

Anyway, I've been trying to ascertain the name of the damned thing and I can still it in my mind's eye and until such time as I can name it, I think I probably always will!!

Can you please help?

Description: it was, to all intense and purposed a Poplar Moth, however, it had yellowish/cream 'underwings' if they possess such a bodypart? It measured about 6\" across (well, okay, that maybe a SLIGHT exaggeration, but it seemed it at the time!); make that about 3\" wingspan; with a cigar-shaped body (which didn't rise at the bottom like the Poplar Moth) and white leafy things at the front of it's 'face?'. It had really long stick-type things out of it's face also. The wings were not dappled like a Poplar Moth, more a buff-brown colour.

I can't really tell you much more about it as it was very difficult to see through the tears, but I think I've pretty much summed it up!

Oh, it introduced itself as 'Frederick', thought my loo carpet was very nice and spoke perfect English....(and yes, I really think it DID send me over the edge)....

Hope you can put an end to my misery and no, I will most definitely NOT be leaving my loo door window open again at night and with the light on, so there's absolutely NO chance of a repeat performance.

Thanks!

Mrs Crazy Lady
aka Julie Campbell

Ignore last message, the e-mail was found in another file.

Sorry, someone emailed me (from an earlier message on this site)about a caterpillar that they thought was an elephant hawk-moth. The message got deleted accidentally. Could that person please send me those photos again so I can have a look at them?

If anyone wants a moth or caterpillar identified then please send me a good quality picture of the subject to

Wow, it's only when looking through sites like this that you realise how many beautiful moths we have

It is a very comprehensive site and I really enjoyed searching it, although I have not as yet found what I wanted to identify. But I shall try again.

30/8/09, me and my husband have just seen the most amazingly graceful insect in our garden, like a small humming bird, beautiful. i have since learnt it is a hawk moth, blu grey and absolutely fascinating, he didn't seem to mind my husband watching him from about two foot away. We live in ramsgate in the south east coast. regards Jane.

very comprehensive

Anyone who wants a moth or caterpillar identified and can't find it here or in a book just send a picture to me by email and I'll identify it as best as I can. My email is