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sylvia higgins - 30 July 2006

I have been looking at quite a number of hummingbird hawk moths over the past 3 years. The number seems to be rising. They are a magnificent sight to see flitting from the oriental lillies to the verbena. A couple of years ago we sighted a giant hummingbird moth, we all wondered what it was and had to look it up.

Howard Smith - 29 July 2006

I have just released back to the wild a pair of Poplar hawk moths given to me by some friends who found them in their house. The pair had apparently been mating and as a result the female has laid approximately 100 eggs. Any ideas what I can do with them or where I could take them to hatch, or at most what can I feed them on when they hatch. Still think this is the best site for moths, always on here. This is the first time I have seen a Poplar hawk moth. Thank you. Howard.

Jill - 29 July 2006

I live on the south coast and found a very large moth on the post by my back gate yesterday (28/07/06). It stayed there all day allowing me to photograph it. After looking at photos on this web-site, I have identified it as a Convolvulus Hawk Moth which is not surprising really as I have to admit to a front garden currently over-run by convolvulus !
As there are flowers on it at the moment, I expect that the moth is enjoying feeding on them. I was going to clear it all away this weekend too - but maybe I'll leave it a little longer for the moth to enjoy !

jenny wren - 29 July 2006

love this site, been hooked on moths since last month when I watched a humming bird hawk moth feeding on verbena in my garden. out every evening now watching silver Y moths that also feed on verbena,got some cinnabar caterpillars on ragwort in my wild patch. going on a moth evening tonight with local wild life group hope to see some big ones

Abi Mcaleer - 29 July 2006

How exciting....my children and i identified the biggest caterpillar we have ever seen as a \"privet hawk moth\" Thankyou for such a wonderfully easy to use
website.

val hicks - 28 July 2006

Thanks to you for information,now know I had an elephant hawk moth in the kitchen.Fantastic colour!

Denise Welsh - 28 July 2006

Hooray! Using this site, I've identified the cluster of brightly marked winged-things flying around my garden - in London, SE4 - as JERSEY TIGERS. Thank you for this marvellous reference site - it's a real labour of love. I've seen 8 so far, 3 of which were in the house (returned to the great outdoors) and one, this evening, seemed to be working to unfurl its wings.

Catherine Cornish - 27 July 2006

I am delighted to have found this website! I had a beautiful moth in my Taunton garden which I couldn't identify from my own books. It has turned out to be a Jersey Tiger Moth. What a thrill!

isabel - 27 July 2006

Great photos. Enjoyed looking at them. Unfortunately, I could not find the black and white moth I have photographed in my house in June last. It has an orange furry body. Any ideas anyone?

John - 27 July 2006

I have returned to doing moth trapping after many years, mostly in the past on the east coast. It is amazing how much I remember and how many moths fly by my ears as they look interesting! Your site is excellent and has enthused me to send in records locally. In time I will send some photos but few are up to your standards. In the meantime, the photos are great. Much better than the old pictures and much cheaper than the books. As a dipterist, moths are a bit marginal to me, but very happy to contribute all I can. Masses of Silver Ys this year so I hope it is good for other records as well. I am in the Isle of Wight in September so expecting lots of Hummingbird Hawk Moths which amaze the public and enthuse them to be conservation minded.

kate beecroft - 27 July 2006

Hi - I caught a moth, which I'm pretty sure is a Lasiocampa trifolii, and put it in my little son's Bug Habitat. By the time I let her out an hour later she had laid a load of eggs.

I would like to hatch them and after a bit of a web search I think the caterpillars would be happy eating heather?? However, I know nothing about moths, so can anybody tell me how long the eggs take to hatch, where to put them, what to do with the caterpillars etc etc...any advice would be much appreciated!!
Regards
Kate Beecroft

Jane Reynolds - 27 July 2006

Fantastic site. Was able to identify my Old Lady quite easily! Really enjoyed the photos- and haven't they all got fantastic names!

natasha H - 26 July 2006

Excellent site. Very informative with beautiful illustrations. Will definitely be a regular visitor here and I will pass on this link at every opportunity!

Leslie Round - 25 July 2006

Excilant photographs of at rest moths

Peter Young - 25 July 2006

Delighted to be able to identify the little visitors to our mint plants (Pyrausta aurata).
Excellent site - a search by size/location and predominent colour would be useful, if possible, for us novices?
Cheers,
PY

Janet Davidson - 25 July 2006

Once agian you have come to the rescue and identified an Eyed Hawk Moth caterpillar found near the heritage centre. Unfortunately it had been droped by some bird and was on deaths door when we found it.

Alex Booer - 24 July 2006

Thank you for the useful Top 20 Beginners List, now I know the pretty moth I saw on a particularly early morning at work is the (nocturnal!) swallow tailed moth.

Diane Lowry - 23 July 2006

I have had a visit from a humming bird hawk moth a few weeks ago and have only now identified it. It was taking nectar from my petunias and I took a couple of photographs as it was so unusual. It was beautiful in flight and spend about twenty minutes flitting about my window boxes but only took nectar from the petunias.

Jamie Godwin - 23 July 2006

Great website.

I have been a 'mother' since childhood and particularly love Hawk moths. Met Paul Waring at the Nature Conservancy HQ in Peterborough as a kid when he sat for over an hour with my parents and I discussing various moth traps and entomology in general. Top bloke.

Regards.

DAVE BRADDOCK - 23 July 2006

Fantastic website. It will help my moth id bigtime

Eamonn Coffey - 23 July 2006

Have I just seen a macroglossum stellatarum near Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District? At first I thought I could hear a hummingbird and thought it was a hummingbird when I saw it! Is it rare to see one so far north?

ronald leslie sanderson - 23 July 2006

Dear Ian
My wife spotted a large caterpillar, and since logging on to
UK moths, we identified it straight away as being the ellephant hawk
moth it was about 3 inches long. Never seen one before here in south wales. So, thanks for your web site, we shall visit again.
Ron and Joan.

Rebecca Roseff - 23 July 2006

I got up at 2.00 a.m. on Thursday night (about 18 degrees C) and went with a torch to view knapweed, bramble and common thistle in the field, majoram, valerian and niceta in the garden. these plants had all been very popular with butterflies in the day preceding. I wanted to see which moths were feeding on them. the answer none. what do moths feed on and how do they feed. Such big creatures as yellow underwings (hundreds around at the moment)must live off something? it occurred to me that moths cant really hover well like butterflies (except Silver Ys), maybe it is more difficult for them to feed at flowers? Are there any publications on the feeding habits and preferences of moths?
Rebecca

Catia - 22 July 2006

Very useful site. Just come back from a holiday in Northumberland and I wanted to know the name of a very pretty moth I spotted on a costal walk, I think it was the Magpie (Abraxas grossulariata). Thanks. Catia

seavy carr, Meath, Ireland - 22 July 2006

We love moths and think your photos are absolutely brilliant, but how about a few more pages for us young learners? We are only 7, 6 and 4 and if it wasn't for mummy [big moth fan and knows Latin] helping us we'd never identify half the moths we're looking for. We have caught and photographed about fifty different moths so far this year - last night we got a beautiful swallowtail and a burnished brass and a mother-of-pearl.
From: Eoghan, Cathal & Feidhlim.

Ali - 21 July 2006

Hello wondering if you could help me, I found a monster of a moth in my bathroom this morning and I have never seen such a moth before. All the others in the bathroom are brown and about an inch long this one is about two and half inches log, with a large black head and black markings on cream wings.(forgive my lack technical terms), although I am not a moth enthusiast I am very curious about nature and thought I would ask if anyone knew what this might be, I have looked at pictures on this and other sites but am at a loss - hope you can help!

TREVOR GOOSTREY - 21 July 2006

i live on the isle of walney,off barrow-in-furnes,i am intrested in moths, on the island,i am pleased to have found your sight,

all the best trevor goostrey.

Steve Wood - 21 July 2006

Excellent site,

Finally found the moth that the cat brought in last night, scared the living daylights out of me. Just a shame that it was too damaged after chasing the cat off. A beautiful Privet Hawk Moth, with distinctive pink and black baring on the abdomenn. A wingspan of 10cm.

Thanks for the assistance, great site.

PIERRE MANNAERT - 19 July 2006

Fantastic...Great work !!!

charlie - 19 July 2006

hiya, i was wondering, do moths come from caterpillas like butterflys?

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