Left is the goat moth caterpillar. It is in the Cossidae family of which there are just three species in the British Isles. As adults the Cossidae do not have functional proboscids. The eggs are brown, and laid on the bark of ash, elm, willow, oak and poplar. The caterpillar feeds on the inside of the se trees. It takes three or more years of feeding on this low-quality food before it can pupate. During the cold winter months it makes a kind of nest for itself and rests out the winter. It gets its name from the rather unpleasant smell the caterpillars have. The adults fly in June and July, and the females are larger and fatter than the males. It is found throughout the UK, but is more common in the south, in Europe and eastwards as far as central Asia.

In the 19th century botanists were mystified by the Madagascan orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, as they couldn't see how it could be pollinated. They knew something was pollinating it, but what? You se the nectar was to be found only in the last 1 cm at the end of a narrow spur 20 - 20 cm long.

Darwin was shown the flower. It is large and white, and the nectar is thick and fragrant. So this told him that in the thick jungle, the scent and the whiteness of the flower were probably the things that attracted the pollinator. Now white fragrant flowers the world over are often pollinated at night by moths. So Darwin predicted that a moth with a tongue (proboscis) of 30 cm or more was the elusive pollinator.

At that time no such moth had been found, nor was one found in Darwin's life time. But 40 years after he had made his prediction such a moth was found, Xanthopan morgani subspecies praedicta.

Noctuidae family. There are 22 000 species worldwide, and over 400 species in the UK alone. Many are of economic importance as they include the cutworms and army worms. Adults are usually brown or grey, but some have brilliantly coloured underwings which they flash when disturbed. Wingspan ranges from 30 - 50 mm. Adults have a pair of hearing organs (tympana), one of each side of the thorax. The moths themselves do not make any noise, but the tympana allow them to detect the high-pitched souds made by echo-locating bats, which are a major predator.

Left Cerapteryx graminis, the antler moth. It is a member of the Noctuidae family. This is a male. It is found throughout Europe. The eggs are pale and shiny. The caterpillars hatch in spring and as its name suggests food plans are coarse grasses and rushes from March - June. Then they pupate in the soil. It is commonly found on acid moorland. The wingspan is 3 cm. The adults fly in July and August at night, but also during the day.

Right and below right is the Silver Y moth, Autographa gamma. So-called because of the white mark clearly seen on its front wings. It is a member of the Noctuidae family. It is abundant in the UK and Europe, and flies both day and night. Its wingspan in 4 cm. Though it is abundant it cannot overwinter in the UK, and is most commonly seen flying in the autumn. The larva has only two pairs of prolegs and feeds on almost any kind of plant. It pupates in a black silk cocoon attached to the foodplant. It overwinters in southern Europe and as the weather warms migrates as far north as the Arctic Circle. In the UK it has two generations per year. Eggs are laid in May and August, however the the eggs laid in August do not survive to breed as adults. The eggs are pale and shiny and vary in colour from green to dark olive.

Above left is the typical Noctuidae caterpillar body.

On the left are two caterpillars of Noctua pronuba, the Large yellow underwing. It is found throughout Europe, and in the U.K. is common in lowlands. The caterpillar grows to around 50 mm, and is variable in colour from bright green to dull brown. All have dark brown bars along the back, and the head also has dark brown bars. Usually it is found by digging in the soil because it hides there during the day, emerging at night to eat the leaves and stems of dandelion, chickweed, dock, grasses and many other low-growing plants. There is one generation per year. The white eggs are laid in batches on the underside of the leaf of a foodplant in July. They hatch in August, feed until the winter, then hibernate as caterpillars. They emerge next spring, pupate in the soil in May. The pupae are chestnut brown, and the beautiful moth emerges to mate in June or July and flies until October.

Below right is a preserved specimen of Xestia xanthographa, Noctuidea, the square-spot rustic. It is found in open habitats on grasses and low vegetation. Its wingspan is 32 - 35 mm, and the adult is seen flying in August and September. The wings vary from whitish-brown through red and greyish-brown to almost black. The caterpillars are nocturnal and feed in winter, mainly on grasses. They prepare a pupal cell underground in May, but do not actually pupate until July.

Sphingidae Family. This family contains the swift-flying hawkmoths. There are 17 species in the U.K., although some of these do not overwinter here. The front wings can be twice as long as the rear wings. And the rapid wing beating, and habit of many in the family of hovering whilst feeding makes some of these moths resemble hummingbirds. A few species have clear patches in their wings, and are sometimes mistaken for bumblebees. Worldwide the wingspan ranges from 32 - 155 mm.

On the right is a typical pupa. Pupation is usually in the soil beneath the foodplant.

The adults are usually fairly large with rather stout bodies. The forewings are narrow and pointed, see left. Many are nocturnal, but the bee and hummingbird hawkmoths are day fliers.

On the left is Cocytius lucifer, a hawk moth found in Mexico and South America. From this preserved specimen you see that it has an extremely long proboscis. The adult wingspan is 14 - 16 cm, and it flies throughout the year. The females attract the males by releasing a pheromone from a gland at the tip of the abdomen. The caterpillars are green and white and hairless. They grow up to 11.8 cm long.

Below left is Hemaris officinalis, the snowberry clearwing. Found all over the US. Adults are often mistaken for bumblebees. As you can see in the photograph the wings have large clear patches which is where the common name comes from. Even when feeding the wings beat fast, so that they are almost a blur. They feed on lantana, honeysuckle, snowberry, lilac and thistles. The adults are day fliers, and the wingspan is 3.2 - 5.0 cm. The caterpillars feed on snowberry, honeysuckle and dogbane. They pupate in cocoons in leaf litter.

The Death's head hawkmoth, Acheronita atropos, is the largest British hawkmoth, with a wing span of up to 15 cm, and a skull pattern in the hairs of the thorax. The adults are usually immigrants from the continent and arrive in the autumn. Lepidopterists can also buy eggs to rear in captivity.