Latest news archive

Items from July to September 2012 appear on this page

Items from previous years have been archived, but can still be accessed by clicking the links below:
2007 | Jan - Jun 2008 | Jul - Aug 2008 | Sep - Nov 2008 | Jan - June 2009 | July - Nov 2009 | Feb - June 2010 | Jul - Dec 2010 | Jan - June 2011 | July - Dec 2011 | Jan - June 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

12/09/2012	Audrey and Bob Turner photographed this Painted Lady at Insh Marshes today - the only one they'd seen this year. They also saw a Small Tortoiseshell, a couple of Scotch Argus and a tatty Dark Green Fritillary, In their garden in Aviemore they also had two Small Tortoiseshells and a Red Admiral on the Buddleia. In Inverness, the commonest garden butterflies appear to be Peacocks and Red Admirals.
11/09/2012	Thanks to Barry Blake for contributing this record of a Convolvulus Hawkmoth (below r) found at Inverewe Gardens today. To date, all records of this moth in VC105 have been from the Lochalsh area, with the last one (a dead specimen) seen in 2006. Another interesting moth record was an Old Lady (below l) found at Laide on 09/08/2012 - only the fourth record of this species in West Ross.

09/09/2012	Graham Crittenden recorded a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in his garden at Melvich on the north coast today - the first since 1983.
08/09/2012	Nigel Richards found this Pale Eggar in his garden trap at Kildary, Easter Ross, today.
02/09/2012	An exciting report from Tony Mainwood at Golspie: 'Helen has been growing tobacco plant (Nicotiana sylvestris) in the hope of attracting Convolvulus Hawkmoths to the garden. I set the trap in the garden on Saturday evening (1st Sept) and, before going to bed, was delighted to find one sitting at the side of a window not far from the trap. I took it inside so I could photograph it in the morning but was really surprised to find another one sitting at the side of the door when I went out in the morning.' Thanks to Tony for the photo. Martin Hind, at Tarbat Ness in Easter Ross, found a number of Silver Ys feeding on the ragwort (probably 20 – 30) along with Peacock, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.
19/08/2012	Near the shore at Findhorn, Small Coppers and Grayling were the most numerous, and there were still a few Common Blue (mostly female) and Meadow Brown.
18/08/2012	Catherine Atkins reports 18th August two Speckled Wood at Upper Ollach, Braes, Isle of Skye.
09/08/2012	George Mair recorded 20 Scotch Argus, 2 Speckled Wood, 2 Meadow Brown and 1 Dark-green Fritillary in the disused railway cutting east of the bridge at Cruats Farm, Portknockie. The Scotch Argus has survived in this location despite disappearing from some woodlands in east Moray in recent years.
08/08/2012	John Kemp recorded a Small Dusty Wave on Benbecula, a new species for the Outer Hebrides. Thanks to John for contributing these reports and photos.
07/08/2012	John Kemp trapped 2 Barred Rivulets on South Uist (also recorded last year on the same site).
31/07/2012	On Raasay, Catherine Atkins observed a Speckled Wood, lots of Scotch Argus and – on the very top of Dun Caan – a Red Admiral. Catherine also photographed this Emperor Moth caterpillar.
27/07/2012	George Mair counted 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Red Admiral, 5 Dark-green Fritillary, 50+ Ringlet, 4 Meadow Brown, 3 Common Blue and 20+ Six-spot Burnet along the braes to the west of Portknockie.
26/07/2012	Following on from his report yesterday, Martin Hind visited Shandwick Bay and saw a good number of Six-spot Burnets (20+), Northern Brown Argus (2) and his first Ringlet for the Seaboard villages along with Meadow Brown, Small Heath, *Eucosma campoliliana, Brown Plume* and Coleophira lixella.
25/07/2012	Martin Hind, Easter Ross Ranger sent us this report: At Achederson Farm, Aultgowrie and further out towards Tighnachrochadair on the 25 July we came across a good number of Dark-green Fritillaries (20+) along with a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (opposite), Scotch Argus (2), Meadow Browns (10+), Common Blue (1), Large Heath (20+) and a few Small Heath. This has been a regular hot spot each year when doing the walk, with the track up to it also having Speckled Wood and Green-veined White. Previous years have also been good for Peacock, Red Admiral and the occasional Painted Lady. At the pond we also saw 5 species of dragonfly with another two further out. Moths recorded included Clouded Border, True Lover’s Knot, *Eupoecilia angustana* (common micro) in flight and caterpillars of Fox Moth and Northern Eggar. For details of Countryside Ranger events in Highland please visit www.highland.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/what-to-see/rangers/countrysiderangerevents.htm
16/07/2012	Thanks to Catherine Atkins for reporting a mass hatching of Peacock Butterfly caterpillars at Braes on Skye; also a Peach Blossom moth.
06/07/2012	Nigel Richards caught these two micro moths (Argyresthia pruniella and Piniphila bifasciana) at Kildary on 6 July, both new County records for VC106.
05/07/2012	George Mair reports 3 Ringlet, 4 Meadow Brown, 3 Common Blue along shore to east of Portknockie - far fewer than in previous years. Also 'very few' Six-spot Burnet, though one looked more orange than the others (f. aurantia?)