Red Damselfly spotted on 22nd May and several Blues on 24th – the Blues not wasting any time but mating already. Also a Poplar Hawkmoth found on the garden fence again on 24th May – possibly a new specimen, although still with the distinctive dark patch on the head, quite unlike the illustration in the reference book.
Edit: Now correctly identified as an Eyed Hawkmoth.
Eyed Hawkmoth Smerinthus ocellata. Previously wrongly identified as a Poplar Hawkmoth. The confusion was due to the fact that we didn’t get a chance to see the ‘eyes’, plus the Chinery illustration for the Eyed Hawkmoth doesn’t show the hindwings projecting forwards, though the text does describe them this way. Thanks James.
We spent a week at this National Trust holiday cottage by the River Teign.
