UKMoths What people are saying...
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J Martin - 20 September 2002
My son found a large caterpillar on the garden path,we put it in his \"bug box\" and tried to identify it.It is some sort of Hawk Moth (we found an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar last year). It is brown with \"eye spots\" behind the head and although we have looked on this site we can see nothing quite right.The nearest is the Willowherb Hawk-moth,it has now decided to coccoon itself in the leaves we gave it so if it becomes a moth maybe we will be able to identify it before release.Meanwhile, any suggestions please.Leave message in the guestbook.Thanks.
graham balcombe - 19 September 2002
very useful site - helped identify a huge 'caterpillar' in our garden. thank you
Catherine Lloyd - 17 September 2002
What an excellent site - recommended by the Moth Officer for Wales who has helped identify a moth for my mother based in Wales. Excellent! Now I know what she's seen - and I'm in a different country!
A very clear, concise site, easy to get round. Thank you.
A very clear, concise site, easy to get round. Thank you.
ABI BOND - 17 September 2002
THANK YOU
Phil - 17 September 2002
I'd like to submit reviews eg of the forthcoming \"Moth Atlas of Cornwall\"
Peter - 17 September 2002
What a pity there isn't a fieldguide (or is there now?) with such good pictures - both in quality
and quantity. Skinner is very complete but the poses are somewhat unnatural to say the
least!
and quantity. Skinner is very complete but the poses are somewhat unnatural to say the
least!
John Watson - 12 September 2002
Super Site! My Thanks for the open access to all your Work. Specially like the natural (Unpinned) Format.
prasad kashikar - 12 September 2002
Its a fascinating site with good information & nice pictures
Peter Larner - 10 September 2002
Have just found your site. Am likely to spend hours checking up on all those unidentifiable moths I catch. Wonderful photos.
Bob Hall - 9 September 2002
Great site thanks for all the info.
My wife this morning got the fright of her life when she saw the largest moth we have ever seen.
I captured it in a jar with air holes, and have just identified it on your site as an Deaths-head Hawk-moth(linnaeus,1758).
I have been instructed to take it to work and release it with the hope she does not see it again.
I think its ok.
Many thanks, Bob.
My wife this morning got the fright of her life when she saw the largest moth we have ever seen.
I captured it in a jar with air holes, and have just identified it on your site as an Deaths-head Hawk-moth(linnaeus,1758).
I have been instructed to take it to work and release it with the hope she does not see it again.
I think its ok.
Many thanks, Bob.
MR P J CREASEY - 9 September 2002
A VERY GOOD QUALITY SITE-EXCEPTIONAL PHOTOS-MAKES IT VERY AESY TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENT TYPES
Den - 4 September 2002
Have just set up a moth trap this year and this site will help me
A great site, well done. I will be a frequent visitor.
A great site, well done. I will be a frequent visitor.
neil edmondson - 4 September 2002
What a wonderful find ! I have immediately \" bookmarked\" it. A most comprehensive site and with great photographs and descriptions. Moths have interested me since 1943 when I found a Deathshead Hawk Moth in a potato field in Perthshire.It squeaked at me ! I shall be back to your site many times. Thanks !
phil price - 2 September 2002
Approx 20 yellow and black tartan catterpillars were found at the top of one of my home grown selessy oak trees I am growing and plan to take up to the land I have in the Highlands from south cheshire. Between Crewe and Nantwich I couldn't leave them they would have stripped the tree 6' high 5 years old so I collected them up and put them on another oak tree in our local woods where they began to march to the top of the tree 40 year + {had acorns on it forming) thanks to your excellent site I was able to identify them as a Buff tip not the best looking moth but important I suppose all the same many thanks.
Roberta - 1 September 2002
I sent an e-mail to ian regarding caterpillars found on my rose bushes - forgot to say I live in West Sussex.
Excellent site but rather a lot to trawl through when trying to identify something. I will be back!
Excellent site but rather a lot to trawl through when trying to identify something. I will be back!
Christine - 31 August 2002
Wow, this is the most informative moth website ever!! I always wanted to know about with moth is the most boring!! Woah, it makes me feel more complete when I read it!! I always needed a website to use to plagerize from when I have to write that though report about moths!! I hope who ever wrote this website gets help and succeeds in life. I hope for the best for all of you.
Des Ewers - 31 August 2002
Great site. Saw an article in a Gloucester paper ref. the Elephant Hawk Moth. We also have them in our garden in Caldicot, Mon, S Wales. They seem to like the Raspberry plants...
Alex L. - 30 August 2002
A fascinating site - it's obvious that a lot of careful work has gone into its construction. I live in a cottage in Devon and since I am awake at night a lot, I get a lot of uninvited guests arriving at the kitchen windows. During May-July I saw a lot of large brown moths with triangular-shaped wings and feathery antennae that looked a little like directional radio aerials. I'm sure that these are very common but I haven't been able to find an exact match for them on here (but then, there are many moths to choose from). After flying in confusion around the kitchen light, the moths usually settle on a dark-coloured surface. I put them outside in the morning.
Ali Cox - 29 August 2002
I have found an elephant hawk moth caterpillar on one of my fushias in the garden. We live in the midlands and I have only ever seen one in North Devon before. How can I be sure it will survive to adulthood? I would love to see it hatch, is that likely to be next Spring?
Ros - 29 August 2002
I've found some caterpillars I can't identify. They were in a group of about 20 on birch. They're about 2.5 cm long, slim, shiny black with yellowish legs (prolegs and forelegs). When they're startled, they bend their rear ends over their heads with the very tip pointing upwards.
I wonder if they're sawflies or something, not moths? Does anyone have any idea? This is in Sheffield, by the way.
I wonder if they're sawflies or something, not moths? Does anyone have any idea? This is in Sheffield, by the way.
Florrie - 29 August 2002
Found a privet hawk moth caterpillar in my front garden on the Essex/Cambridgeshire borders. It was on a lilac leaf in a lilac which is right beside some wild privet. He/she has buried him/herself in the soil to pupate.
NICK CLARK - 28 August 2002
i feel this site is going to be a regular site i visit as years ago i used to breed months to release back in to the wild
Brian Sutton - 28 August 2002
A great site, well done. Our entomology group will be frequent visitors.
Kathyrn Barrett - 27 August 2002
We gave two caterpillars currently feeding on a Fushia bush in our garden.
They are approx 3 1/2 inches long, brown in colour with spots from head to tail and lines on the underside.
Having looked at your site they would appear to be Convolvulus Hawk-moth Caterpillars. We live above the cliffs at Dover on the Western Side.
We have never seen caterpillars in our garden like this before and have lived here for well over 20 years.
We found your site very interesting and will try to photograph the caterpillars and send a copy on if you would be interested.
Kind Regards
K.Barrett
They are approx 3 1/2 inches long, brown in colour with spots from head to tail and lines on the underside.
Having looked at your site they would appear to be Convolvulus Hawk-moth Caterpillars. We live above the cliffs at Dover on the Western Side.
We have never seen caterpillars in our garden like this before and have lived here for well over 20 years.
We found your site very interesting and will try to photograph the caterpillars and send a copy on if you would be interested.
Kind Regards
K.Barrett
Peter Coviello - 26 August 2002
I have found a caterpillar that closely resembles your photo of a Willowherb Hawk-moth lava. I will photograph it. I would appreciate an identification. Please send me an email address to send it to. I can not get it to feed either on willow herb or bedstraw(on which I found it.)
dave - 25 August 2002
nice, erm... moths?
Brenda Jolley - 24 August 2002
We found the following larva in our garden and wondered what it was. I've tried looking on your website but gave up after the first 100 or so.
I would appreciate someone putting me out of my misery!
Found August 24th 2002 on a lichen covered brick wall in Lancashire approx 0.5 miles from the coast (may have fallen from an overhanging deciduous tree)
6cm long
typical \"caterpillar\" shape
mid-brown body with multiple small bright green spots along its length.
pale/creamy underside
bright blue tail spike
bright yellow and green head and tail parts.
We took a photo but don't know how well it will turn out.
I would appreciate someone putting me out of my misery!
Found August 24th 2002 on a lichen covered brick wall in Lancashire approx 0.5 miles from the coast (may have fallen from an overhanging deciduous tree)
6cm long
typical \"caterpillar\" shape
mid-brown body with multiple small bright green spots along its length.
pale/creamy underside
bright blue tail spike
bright yellow and green head and tail parts.
We took a photo but don't know how well it will turn out.
Martijn Coenen - 23 August 2002
A wonderfull site, with a lot of usefull data.
I was wondering if there is a separate list of species only occuring in marshes and reedbeds.
I'm doing a research project on moths in marshes and reedbeds for De Vlinderstichting in the Netherlands, for my graduation on Nature Conservation. I would like to create an European network of Butterfly specialists (specific on moths). If you are interested, please let me know.
Greetings Martijn Coenen
I was wondering if there is a separate list of species only occuring in marshes and reedbeds.
I'm doing a research project on moths in marshes and reedbeds for De Vlinderstichting in the Netherlands, for my graduation on Nature Conservation. I would like to create an European network of Butterfly specialists (specific on moths). If you are interested, please let me know.
Greetings Martijn Coenen
Nick Holding - 22 August 2002
Is anyone else looking at moths in Stirlingshire? Or adjacent areas like south Perthshire? I'd be interested in comparing notes. I seem to be recording a number of species for which we are right on the northern limit of distribution and I wonder how widespread they really are locally.
Gill Coombs - 20 August 2002
I saw a caterpillar in my hometown and contacted another website to try to identify it. The chap who replied then gave me your email address and I was able to look at a photo of the adult moth, which was very interesting.
Thankyou so much. Incidentally it was a lime hawk-moth caterpillar, but it had turned a pinkish colour, so was hard to identify (for us anyway!!)
Thankyou so much. Incidentally it was a lime hawk-moth caterpillar, but it had turned a pinkish colour, so was hard to identify (for us anyway!!)