Tag Archives: Pike

Elephant Hawkmoth. Photo: Mark Pike

Another alternative view of a moth, an Elephant Hawkmoth from Mark’s Motcombe trap on 10/07/25. He tells us:

Elephants seem to be prolific this year, a couple of weeks ago I had 31 in the trap!

I’m sure Mark means moths and not actual elephants😂

 

Winter Moth. Photo: Mark Pike

Mark had a visitor to his Motcombe home on 29/12/24, this Winter Moth.

Initially he was unsure of the ID as it looked so ‘defined’, but it was verified as being one exceptionally well marked specimen with extremely strong crosslines.

A brown, black and part orange butterfly with a white marking

Comma. Photo: Mark Pike

Mark was rather surprised to see this butterfly in his Motcombe garden earlier today, 11/11/2024 and he sent us this photo saying:

It is pretty rare for me to be sending you any images at this time of year but this Comma actually came to me today.

I was in the sitting room this morning when I spotted this individual come past the window and crash into the side of the house and it just stayed there! As I write this it is getting dark and it is still clinging to the side of the house!

A yellowish white butterfly with black markings on a blue flower

Small White. Photo: Mark Pike

A yellowish white butterfly on a purrple flower

Small White. Photo: Mark Pike

Two photos from Mark sent in telling us:

Suspect these will be last shots I send in 2024 (worst for 20 odd years for me) as I turn my attention now to fungi.  There have been quite a few Small Whites around over the last few days in my area, these two were taken in the front garden at Motcombe this afternoon, 03/09/2024

Two brown and orange butterflies with black and white markings on a purple flower

Small Heath. Photo: Mark Pike

A blue butterfly with black, white and orange markings on a purple flower

Common Blue. Photo: Mark Pike

Mark sent in these photos taken on another visit to Ballard Down yesterday, 25/08/2024 telling us:

This time I counted 11 nice fresh Adonis Blues, another lovely marked female Common Blue and a pair of Small Heaths.  A tad better than my last visit a couple of weeks ago but still not the numbers of any species one might expect.