06/08/2025
A great day out for all the family
SUMMER TREE TOURS AND BUG SAFARIS THIS AUGUST
This gnarly and knobbly creature, photographed on a birch tree leaf in Sherwood Forest at the weekend, is a Scalloped hooktip moth caterpillar (Falcaria lacertinaria).
It takes its name from the scalloped edges of the moth's wings. The hooktip types of moth are so-called because of the hook-like shape of their wingtips.
Male Scalloped hooktip moths are grey-brown in colour, while females have a more yellow-orangey hue.
Given their colouring, the moth can often resemble a dried leaf when resting with its wings folded over its body like a tent.
It's a common species to find in a UK woodland, especially where there are plenty of birch trees to feed on.
And it's a reminder of the the fabulous array of wildlife that the forest's trees support and how much there is to learn from this landscape.
In fact, if you'd like to learn more about trees and insects, we have the perfect events for you later this month.
There are two guided Summer Tree Tours (Saturday 16th and Saturday 30th August), as well as two Bug Safaris for children on the same dates.
🌳 Our tree tours are a brilliant introduction for anyone who was always wanted to know about how to identify different varieties, as well as the myriad birds, mammals, invertebrates, mosses, lichens and other organisms which depend upon them.
🦋 Our Bug Safaris are a fun exploration experience, ideal for children aged 4-14, using sweep nets and magnifying glasses to safely and carefully find, identify and understand more about some of the forest's smallest residents.
🎟 Places are still available for the tours and safaris and can be booked here: https://visitsherwood.co.uk/events/
Photo by Peter Calvert
