Jersey Tiger Moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria)

G and I went for a walk where I had never walked before in the next valley behind us.  It turned out to be quite a trek as the temperature rose especially out of the shade! Very hot!  Managed to arrive back at her house just about in one piece having drunk all the water in the water bottles!

It was worth it because we found this Jersey Tiger Moth which is scarce in this country and its colonies are only found in Devon, Dorset and Hampshire, coastal counties in the south. (We are near the Dorset border).  Isolated findings might have arrived here from the Continent.  The underwings are yellow, orange or red with black dots. This one was orange.

A little further on another finding!  The caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk Moth (see extra).  It is supposed to look like an elephant's trunk and has two large eyes. This one was chomping away on a green leaf. (Deilephila elpenor). The moth itself is much prettier!

Later on in the afternoon, K, little I and me, we went to visit nearby friends as their son is a great friend of T's and they were down from Bristol for the week-end.  Unfortunately T couldn't be there as he was combining the field beans.  A good time sitting in the shade and drinking Pimms and eating tasty nibbles!