Week 58: Wild Cherry ('Prunus avium')

Wild Cherry was @SpeciesofUK from 14^th to 20^th April, 2014.

The wild cherry is one of our native UK trees. It is known for its beautiful flower blossoms and edible ripe fruits.

Wild Cherry in Flower
[Wikimedia Commons © BenHur]

Week 42: December Moth ('Poecilocampa populi')

The December Moth was @SpeciesofUK from 18^th November to 8^th December, 2013.

The December moth is a fairly common species of moth found across the UK.[1]

December Moth
[Wikimedia Commons © Walter Schön]

The flight time of the December moth, as its name suggests, is late in the year. It can be found from late October to December.[2]

Week 30: Hummingbird Hawk-moth (‘Macroglossum stellatarum’)

The hummingbird hawk-moth was @SpeciesofUK from 28^th July to 3^rd August, 2013.

There are over 2,400 species of moth in the UK.[1] The hummingbird hawk-moth is one of the most unusual-looking.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © wnd.andreas]

The hummingbird hawk-moth is a member of the Sphingidae family, alongside 1,450 other hawk moths, hornworms and sphinx moths worldwide. Most Sphingidae are found in the tropics, but seventeen are seen regularly in the UK.[2] 

Week 13: Sallow (Salix caprea and Salix cinerea)

Sallow was @SpeciesofUK from 24^th February to 2^nd March 2013.

Sallows are species of willow. Willows form the genus Salix. There's about 400 species of willow in total.

'Sallow' is the common name used for “Old World” (European) broad-leafed species of willow. In the UK, there are two species known as sallow, Great Sallow (Salix caprea) and Common Sallow (Salix cinerea), and these form the subject of this blogpost.

Great Sallow Catkins
[Source: juergen.mangelsdorf]

Great sallow and common sallow have various other names. Both are commonly known as ‘pussy willow.’