As per David M's prediction, I saw my first butterfly of '25 today - a glorious male Brimstone in the sunshine here in suburban northeast London.

I was very pleased to see my first painted lady of the year on Sunday, here in north-east London.

Many thanks Allan

I photographed this moth in a rather inaccessible location earlier using my phone (so apologies for the quality). I think it may be a Small Dusty Wave, but looking for confirmation please. It looks similar to the plates in my field guide, and the location (suburban garden) and flight times for the s...

Many thanks Maurice. I disturbed it in the wild shrubby area at the bottom of my garden, so that fits too. That's how it came to be in my shed! I did ensure it was back outside before locking up.

I am wondering if this moth is an example of the bright yellow form of the yellow shell (Camptogramma bilineata). My field guide states the bright yellow form is more common in the south, which is where I am (London). The flight time, distribution and habitat in the field guide all match, and I coul...

Great, thanks Allan.

This moth was attracted to the lights in our kitchen last night. After consulting my field guide I am pretty sure it is a straw underwing, but was hoping for confirmation of that please. It had yellowish hind wings when flying.

Yes, but it was eutyphron that was in Britain before the intervention. Now we indeed do have arion . I liken this to the Victorians introducing vast numbers of Spanish bluebell. Many of bluebells we see in the countryside today are of the Spanish variety Hyacinthoides hispanica , not the native Bri...

I do like that the Brimstone above has chosen to hibernate under a leaf that has a brown blemish on it, just as the Brimstone does on its hindwings.

I realise this is a butterfly forum, but I must say I'm very much enjoying this thread.

And if you still want to protect the front element of your lens, try a clear protect filter rather than a UV filter. The latter are generally an anachronism from the days of film (which could be over-sensitive to UV compared to the human eye, causing some shots to have a misty or blue tint).

Thanks for the confirmation bugboy.

I had noticed your regular reports from Heathrow Dave! I think a lot of people would be surprised just how much wildlife there is around Heathrow, especially to the west (and many other airfields too).

Can somebody tell me what species of moth this is please?
I disturbed it while gardening, and it had bright orange hindwings. I couldn't find it in my field guide.

Is this a common blue please?
Seen immediately to the west of Heathrow while photographing the man-made flying things.

I'm really enjoying all the clouded yellow photos posted in this thread.

Red admirals seem very abundant this year, in my little area on the edge of north-east London anyway. Usually three or so in the garden at any one time at the moment, enjoying the selection of Buddleja I've provided, but ignoring the Sedum spectabile and Verbena bonariensis.

Thank you both very much, both for the detailed id and the field guide recommendation. I had narrowed down my choice to a few books, including that title, but it is now top of the list and will be ordered shortly.

Can anyone identify this moth please? moth.jpg I've been looking through the ukmoths website and elsewhere, and it does look similar to some of the pugs and beauties, but I could not find a particularly good match. I really must buy myself a good field guide to make identification easier; recommenda...

I bought an emperor moth lure a couple of years ago, and not had any luck with it, until today: emperor.jpg Excuse the poor quality photo - it was full of energy and didn't settle, but I was so pleased to see it. I live in suburban London near the Essex border, so quite a treat to have one in the ga...