The Hedgerow Year is a series of twelve botanical pictures, by Sandra Chalton, painted a month apart, between July 2001 and June 2002. The twelve paintings record the plants and insects that could be found in the hedgerows of mid-Devon throughout that year. As well as their aesthetic beauty, these detailed observations will provide a record of the beauty and diversity of the Devon hedgerows at the time of the millennium.

In 2025 the twelve botanical paintings were kindly donated by the artist to the University of Exeter for its Fine Art Collection.

At the University people are able to both enjoy them and use them as a source of information and inspiration for teaching and research, in the fields of conservation, sustainability, botany, the environment, a changing rural landscape, and the creative arts. Indeed Sandra’s inspirational work is already used as a resource for students from the Medical School (Medical Humanities) and those taking the Garden, Community, and Wellbeing module from the MA Food Studies.

As hedgerows disappear these paintings provide a documentation of the Devon hedgerow, and of considerable historical, archival, and aesthetic value, a unique record, a personal view, and an artist’s view. Each watercolour has its supporting text which identifies the plants and insects. A book of the twelve illustrations and texts, also entitled The Hedgerow Year, was published in 2003.

About the Artist

Sandra Chalton, artist, poet and illustrator lived in Devon for over twenty-five years. During this time she practised as a medicinal herbalist and wrote extensively on Devon’s landscape and flora. She was a student at the Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford, and taught art in London for over twenty years before her training in horticulture sparked her passion for botanical painting. Sandra passed away in 2026.

Other published works by Sandra Chalton include:

Birds of the Mid Devon Hedgerows. (2004)

Here’s to Thee Old Apple Tree, (2005) (an ethnographic study of Devonshire orchards)

Butterflies of the Mid Devon Hedgerows (2014)

The Works

The twelve botanical paintings are on display in the University of Exeter and the texts below, written by the artist, which were originally written for the book The Hedgerow Year,2003, accompany them. Please note that these texts are the copyright of the Estate of the Artist. If you would like to make an appointment to view the twelve pictures, please contact artsandculture@exeter.ac.uk.

In the Scented Wildlife Garden, 2001

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in July.

Artist's statement, "This is the picture that started it all. Sitting in our small back garden during the hot, sunny days of July 2001, I became fascinated by all the insects around me. I had always been aware of the number of butterflies that came to the Buddleia, but I now became more conscious of the other nectar-feeding insects. Our garden is almost as high as it is wide, so it is very enclosed and sheltered from the wind. The hedges are made up of shrubs and climbers including, on the 'wild' side: Privet, Hawthorn, Ivy, Rowan, Bramble and two varieties of Honeysuckle; and on the 'cultivated' side: Jasmin, Mock Orange Blossom and Buddleia. It is very fragrant from June to September.

The garden itself is not very flowery in summer, though there are Roses, Hardy Geraniums and several herbs including Lavender, Marjoram and Sage. Red Valerian grows in the stone walls. All the nectar-feeding insects I have painted here are the ones that I observed in the garden in July. I have only included one moth - the day-flying Jersey Tiger, and I have by no means painted all the insects that visited. I pursued them round the garden with a camera and sometimes a magnifying glass; identiying from books those I did not know , then using both the photos and book illustrations to help me paint them correctly. All the plants were painted from life."

Hedgerow Harvest, 2001

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in August.

Artist's statement: "The hedgerow fruits are beginning to ripen. Many species of Bramble are common to hedgerows everywhere. They scramble and sucker and produce masses of sweet Blackberries. These berries are probaby our most frequently picked wild fruit, eaten fresh or in pies, or made into jams. From late summer to October (when the devil is said to have spat on them and they lose their flavour), these fruits are abundant. They are also popular with several species of Butterfly including the Red Admiral, Comma (so-called because it has a white comma on the closed wings) and Speckled Wood, as well as Wasps and Flies, all of which love to suck their juices.

The Hawthorn is one of our most common hedgerow shrubs and will produce masses of flowers in May (its other name), later to be followed by and abundance of dark red berries, which will be ripe by autumn and will usually keep the birds going until January. The berries are a specific food plant of the Hawthorn Shield Bug while the whole plant supports well over 100 species of insect. Hawthorn berries, or Haws, best picked after the frosts have softened them, can be made into a tasty jelly.

The Elder, again common in our hedgerows, also produces a mass of fruit, clusters of small black berries. It is a race to pick these in September before they are demolished by the birds. Elderberries are tart in flavour but rich in Vitamin C, and elderberry syrup or 'Rob' (the syrup with spices added) made from the ripe fruit, helps to ward off colds in he winter.

Rowan (or Mountain Ash) is rare in the hedgerows of Mid Devon, although, as a small tree, it is very common on Dartmoor (where it is dwarfed by wind and weather) - preferring uplands and ancient woodland. However it is easily cultivated in gardens and is considered protective to the home. We have one in our garden hedge and the blackbirds perform acrobatics in their efforts to pluck the clusters of bright red berries in auturmn. A bitter-sweet jelly can be made from the berries to accompany meat dishes."

Garden Hedge in Autumn, 2001

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in September.

Artist's statement, "The 'wild' part of our garden hedge includes Rowan, Bramble and Hawthorn, all of which produce flowers and fruit, as we cut them conservatively, thus encouraging plenty of wild life, particularly insects and birds. The hedge is very attractive in early Auturm with the fruits ripening, and the Honeysuckle, which scrambles over the Privet and twines up the Rowan if given a chance, scenting the garden. The leaves of the Bramble and Rowan are just beginning to turn orange and the late Butterflies, like the Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell are still hovering around. Honeysuckle is particularly attractive to Moths, including the day-flying Humming Bird Hawk Moth (see June painting), which hovers in front of the flower to insert its long proboscis into the petal tube for nectar. Mos of the other Hawk Moths do in fact hover whilst feeding but your are less likely to see them as they feed at night. Honeysuckle releases its scent most strongly at night when most Moths are active. I have seen the Golden Y and Lilac Beauty; both medium-sized, golden-brown Moths, in our hedge t dusk. The caterpillars of these two Moths feed on the foiage on Honeysuckle amongst other plants. So also does the caterpillar of the White Admiral Butterfly, which prefers mature woodland.

The adult White Admiral lovels Bramble flowers. The Bramble just appeared in our hjedge, probably from a seed dropped by a bird. Bramble is a rapid coloniser; its long arching stems rooting where they touch the ground. We let it stay as it produced such a lovely crop of blackberries and because its fruit, flower and foliage support a wide range of wildlife, but we cut it back after fruiting. The Red Admiral, with its striking black, white and red colouration, is a migrant Butterfly.

Spring arrivals produce a new generation in Summer but they do not normally survive the Winter, though new research has shown that they do sometimes overwinter as adults or caterpillars. Small Tortoiseshells, which have bright orange wings with black markings and edged with blue dots, overwinter here as adults, often coming into houses, then waking from hibernation early due to the warmth. The caterpillars of both species feed on nettles and both spin leaves together to make a tent-like shelter for protection while they grow."

Late Hedgerow Harvest, 2001

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in October.

Artist's statement, "It is now that the hard berries, like Hips, Haws and Sloes, are soft enought to harvest. The scarlet oval Hips from the Dog Rose can be used to ake Rose-hip tea; they are very hight in Vitamin C and ake a good Winter drink. Crush the Hips, pour boiling water on to them, leave for ten minutes to infuse and then srain finely to ake sure none of the irritating hairy seeds from the centre of the fruit get through. You can also make Rose-hip syrup. The dark red, round Haws from the Hawthorn make tasty jelly or wine, while the dark blue-black Sloes from the Blackthorn can be used to make Sloe gin. Prick the and add to gin with sugar and almond essence: you will have a cheery, deep red liqueur in tie for Christmas. You can also ake a Sloe and Apple jelly.

Butterflies like the Comma and the Peacock (with 'eyes' on its wings resembling the feather of the Peacock) will soon be hibernating in out-houses and hollow trees, when there is no longer sufficient sunlight to warm their bodies for flight and food is scarce. The caterpillars of both these Butterflies feed on nettles and also Hops, which can sometimes be found twining through the hedgerow. (Commas were at one time associated with Hop gardens.) The female flowers, or strobiles, are covered in bracts and resemble cones; they are collected for use in brewing beer The strobiles also make a sedative tea to aid sleep and can be used in pillows for the same purpose. October is a good month for observing the many 'orb' spider webs. These webs become very visible in Autumn, woven between plants and fences, with the dew like pearls strung on them or the frost making them glitter in the early morning. The Spiders seem to be working over-time to catch the last of the lflying insects befor ethe Winter. A Garden Spider has spun its web betwenn the spines of the Blackthorn, and another small Spider is just beginning to weave its web on some Rose-hips. A Green Shield Bug is basking on the Hpos, soaking up some late sunshine. Its colouring will become more bronzed prior to its hibernating for the Winter. It will emerge again next Spring, bright green. It is a sap-sucker and feeds on a variety of trees and shrubs."

Late Autumn Hedgerow, 2001

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in November.

Artist's statement, "The hedgerows are beginning to lose their berries. Any Blackberries that are left will be destroyed by the frost and damp, some even before they ripen, as the Bramble goes on producing fruit as long as it can. Some of the Bramble leaves are turning orange and red, though others will go through the Winter green and not drop till the new leaves take over.

What is left of the Hawthorn berries are now a dark red/mauve and some of the leaves are turning mauve and purple before falling. The Guelder Rose, not a Rose but a member of the Honeysuckle family, is not common in mid Devon's hedgerows but is occasionally seen, and is also cultivated in gardens. Its berries are a transclucent scarlet, hanging in bunches, while the leaves take on their pinky-red Autumn colouring The Spindle berries are still in evidence, the bright shocking-pink fruit bursting open to expose the brilliant orange flesch surrounding the seed. Although Spindle is not very common in our hedges, it is an ancient woodland hedgerow shrub and I seem to be noticing more each year.

The Wild Clematis has gone to seed and the resulting 'Old Man's Beard' ca be seen trailing over the hedgerows where conditions are favurable, greying more as the season moves into Winter. The ubiquitous Ivy is coming into its own. This clambering evergreen scrambles its way up hedgetes, trees and old walls, providing vauable shelter and hibernation for many invertebrates, and roosting and nesting sites for some birds. The flowers of Ivy, which bloom in late Autumn and Winter, provide precious nectar for the late-flying insects. The flowers can often be seen on sunny days smothered in Hoverflies, Wasps, Bees or the last of the Butterflies prior to hibernation. The Green Lacewing often overwinters in houses to escape the cold weather. It has beautiful transparent wings with bright green vins. In its larva form it is predatory on aphids. The adult is also carniverous; although predominantly nocturnal it is aofen seen in the daytime all year round.

December Hedgerow 'Midwinter', 2001

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in December.

Artist's statement, "The Autumn fruits are fast disappearing from the hedgerows as the birds stock up for Winter. The last of the Hawthorn berries are still hanging on bare twigs. The Spindle husks hang on a little longer after the seeds have dropped. Wild Clematis seeds are dispersing (the Old Man's beard is thinning!). However, red berries still shine brightly amongst the glossy evergreen foliage of the Holly. The fruits of the Ivy are swelling where the seeds have been fertilised. The small yellow sputnik-like flowers which have not developed still cluster round the ripening fruits.

As Winter sets in, most of the invertebrates have died or hibernated. A Seven Spot Ladybird, woken from hiberation by Winter sunshine, searches hopefully for aphids overwintering on the Spindle. The Hazel catkins are beginning to elongate, so that even in the depths of Winter, we can see the signs of Spring developing."

January Hedgerow, 2002

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in January.

Artist's statement, "The Hawthorn is now leafless and berry-less, the thorns which give it its name sharply visible on the bare twigs. Oak has seeded itself into the hedge from one of the standard trees, often left as boundary markers. One or two dried leaves are still clinging oto the budding twigs decorated by Marble galls. These have grown round the eggs of a small Gall-wasp. Blue-tits will often break these galls open to get at the developing larvae.

A few Holly berries have survived the oslaught of the birds and are being replaced by the Ivy fruits, now turning purple-b lack as they ripen, enjoyed by thrushes and starlings but particularly loved by wood pigeons. The tenacious Bramble is still holding on to its weather-beaten leaves, a few with the bright colours reminiscent of Autumn. Some of hte Hazel catkins are quite dangly now, an a warm wet spell has encouraged a Snail to venture out."

February Hedgerow, 2002

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in February.

Artist's statement, "The Hazel catkins (male flowers) are now at full stretch and from the distance look like gold streaks of rain. Their pollen is blown by the wind, to be caught by the stigmas of the tiny crimson, tufted female flowers (although male and female flowers are on the same tree, they generally ripen at different times to avoid self-pollination). The trailing non-flowering shoots of Ivy form decorative curtains , especially where the leaves are bronzed between the bright green veins. Some of the old Bramble leaves are bronzed too and the serpentine trail, where the Larva of the Bramble Leaf Miner has been burrowing, is clearly visible.

The Wild Privet, a semi-evergreen, is losing its old dark green leaves, again now tinged with bronze, as fresh new leaves of a lighter green push through. a few of its small round black berries are still hanging on. The caterpillar of the Privet Hawk Moth will feed on this foliage when it emerges from its pupation below the ground. Several of the Hawk Moths, large striking moths with equally large striking caterpillars, are named after their main food plant.

The male catkins of Pussy Willow, also known as Goat Willow (because goats like to brows it) or Sallow, are busrsting out of their confining brown husks. They are very attractive with their silvery hairs (as soft as cats' fur!). Although Pussy Willow is usually found int woodland and scrub, it does find its way into hedges (especially by water).

A Seven Spot Ladybird has woken with the Winter sunshine and an early Honey Bee gathers nectar and pollen from the Hazel catkins and from the snowdrops now blooming at the foot of the hedge. Honey Bees live in colonies, once wild in hollow trees, now mostly in hives where their honey is 'harvested' by us. It is usually the workers who are seen collecting nectar and pollen to feed the larvae in teh hexagonal waxy cells of the hive. Honey Bees have a complex social structure which has been well studied and documented.

A Brimstone Butterfly over-wintering in the shelter provided by the dense Ivy, has woken early in a warm spell, looking itself like a yellow leaf with its wings closed. It will hopefully find nectar in early flower such as dandelion, coltsfoot, celandine and primrose (all yellow, interestingly!). The caterpillar feeds on Buckthorn, not very common in our part of Mid Devon but often also grown in gardens, thus encouraging the presence of this beautiful insect. It may be its yellow colour which gave rise to the name 'butterfly' from 'butter-coloured insect'."

Spring is Sprung, 2002

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in March.

Artist's statement, "As the days get warmer and longer, approaching the Spring Equinox, the silver Pussy Willow catkin buds burst open; the male flowers looking golden with their pollen-laden stamens and the female flowers, on separate shrubs, a silvery green.

The hedgerows are whitening with clouds of Blackthorn Blossom: delicate white flowers with long pollen-tipped stamens borne on bare, spiky, black twigs. If you look very carefully you may be able to see an Egg of the Brown Hairstreak Butterfly (a little white dot in the fork of a twig). These eggs, laid in ones or twos, overwinter on the twigs and hatch out in Spring, when the leaves appear on the Blackthorn, providing food for the caterpillars. The butterflies themselves are not often seen as they tend to fly high up in trees but do come down occasionally to feed on Bramble blossom.

Some Gorse has found its way into the hedgerow from a nearby patch of scrub. Gorse blooms throughout the year, possibly because, in tis area, it is often a mixture of early flowering Common Gorse and late flowering Western Gorse, and so is a valuable source of nectar for early insects. The flowers have a very evocative smell - a bit like vanilla or coconut. The foliage is very spiky and impenetrable unlike Broom which has similar flowers but no spikes. Despite the thorns, Gorse was used as animal fodder and the dead stems for fuel.

A queen White-tailed Bumble Bee has come out of hibernation and is heading for the Gorse. She will be looking for somewhere, probably a hole in the ground, to set up her nest and lay her eggs to start a new colony (having mated before hibernation). The Peacock, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies have also emerged from hibernation with the warmth of the Spring sunshine and are searching for nectar, provided by the increasing number of Spring flowers, and a mate in order to produce the next generation. The caterpillars of all three feed on nettles."

The Greening of the Hedgerow, 2002

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in April.

Artist's statement, "The hedgerows are now rapidly turning a fresh green with the many new young leaves, particularly of Hawthorn and Hazel. Both, where cut back hard, will produce thick leafy growth. Where the Hawthorn has been left it will produce a large dense shrub which will be a mass of blossom in May. Already the flower buds are developing. Where the Hazel has been left to grow it will produce nuts in the Autumn; the fertilised flowers are already beginning to swell in their leafy cups. A Green Shield Bug has alighted on teh Hazel, which it particularly likes, though it can be found on many plants.

The Elder, whose leaves started to appear in March, is now well foiaged and has clusters of flower-buds developing. The male catkins of Pussy Willow have shed most of their pollen and will soon be carpeting the ground. (The female catkins continue to swell and their seeds will burst out later in the year).

The white clouds of Blackthorn Blossom persist as the green leaf buds start to shoot. Rarely, a Wild Plum will appear in the hedge. Probably originally a garden escape but now naturalised, it has a flower similar to, but larger than, the Blackthorn, and no thorns. It is the same family as the Blackthorn and will produce a fruit similar to the Sloe but larger. The Wild Cherry (or Gean) is usually left to grow to its full size and produces a small, shapely tree, rising above the hedge, its branches decked with clusters of white flowers with a pink calyx on long stems. Holly Blue Butterflies have emerged from teh Ivy, where they over-wintered as pupae, and are now on the wing looking for a mate. The ale is a bright blue on the upperside of his wings; the female has a brown edging to her blue wings. With wings closed they are both silvery blue dotted with black spots. The Holly Blue Buterfly rarely feeds on nectar but can be seen drinking from puddles or feeding on the sap of damaged tress or on carrion. The remaining berries of the Ivy are still being enjoyed by the Wood Pigeons.

Two male Orange Tip Butterflies, which have also overwintered in chrysalis form (pupae), are out and about. The females lay their eggs on Cuckoo-flower (Ladies Smock) and related plants such as Garlic Mustard, which is now blooming at the foot of the hedge. The female lacks the orange tip to its wing but has a larger black tip. Two Green Veined White Butterflies have found each other and are about to mate. They are a similar size and shape to the Orange Tip but an overall white with prominent green veins on the underwing. they favour the same plants as the Orange Tip. The speckled Wood Butterfly has a long season: from March to October. It can often be seen resting, open-winged on leaves, soaking up the sun. It is an insect of dappled woodland, where it is perfectly cmouflaged, utis also very common here in hedgerowws and pgardens. It lays its eggs on grasses, where the caterpillar feeds then pupates on the stem. There are several broods in a year, the Autumn one overwintering in pupa form.

The attractive Red-tailed Bumble Bee is out and about searching for nectar and pollen. It prefers flowers of the labiate family, like the Dead Nettles now flowering at the base of the hedge, but it will feed from other flowers too."

May Hedgerow, 2002

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in May.

Artist's statement, "The Hawthorn or May Blossom is filling the hedgerows now, with its massed sprays of four-petalled white flowers with pink-tipped stamens and pungent scent. The Hawthorn Shield Bug - one of the largest of the Bugs - favours the leaves of Hawthorn but can be found on other plants. The Spindle is arrayed with creamy-coloured, star-like, four-petalled flowers on long stalks. The Two Spot Ladybird, a little smaller than the Seven Spot and not quite so common, is usually red with black spots but there are colour variations, particularly yellow and black. Hopefully this one is on aphid duty, ridding young buds and shoots of sap-sucking aphids.

The common Large and Small White Butterflies are on the wing now. Their caterpillars feed on plants of the Cruciferae family which include cabbages, so they have acquired the nick-name 'Cabbage White'. The Large White is especially mobile and can be seen almost anywhere. They overwinter as pupae, often under windowsills and the eaves of houses. The Orange tip Butterfly is still very much in evidence but is rarely seen after June. The Elder is beginning to bloom and by June will be taking over from the May blossom. Its creamy sprays of tiny flowers also have a rather pungent smell.

Many of the Oaks, which seem to seed themselves quite freely into the hedgerows, are adorned with Oak Apples: large spongy galls caused by the Oak's response to eggs laid by a Gall Wasp on its twigs. These swell quickly to the size of small apples, gradually reddening as they ripen. They are not edible - except to the larvae developing inside - though they look very tempting. The slightly bronzed new leaves are only jut unfolding so the 'apples ' are still very visible; soon to be hidden when the foliage thickens. The Holly has tiny cream-colourd four-petalled flowers in clusters round the leaf-bases. The Holly Blue Butterfly lays its eggs on Holly in the Spring and the emerging caterpillars will feed on the buds, flowers and leaves."

June Hedgerow, 2002

A watercolour study of the hedgerow plants and insects in June.

Artist's statement, "This is the month of roses. The Dog Rose, the most common wild rose, adorns the hedgerow with its arching briars of delicate pink or white five-petalled flowers; they will only last into July - a short but sweet season. Two tiny Pollen Beetles are feeding amongst the stamens of the Rose. These are often found in large numbers in flowers. Many species of Bramble are flowering in the hedgerows now and will continue into Autumn; they are also from the rose family, with white or pink-petalled flowers but smaller and more cup-shaped. Some will still be blooming alongside the ripe Blackberries. They provide nectar for a wide range of Flies, Bees, Butterflies and Moths.

A Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, which differs only very slightly in its colouration from the White-tailed Bumble Bee, is plunging through the bristly stamens of a Bramble flower to reach the nectar, thus collecting plenty of pollen on its hairy body to spread to the next flower and enable pollination.

Two Frog Hopper Nymphs have emerged from some Cuckoo-Spit on the Bramble (so called because it occurs when the cuckoo is here). They suck the liquid from the plant and produce a froth from their back ends to surround and and protect them from drying out until they harden as adults. The Guelder Rose (not a rose but a member of the Honeysuckle family) is not common in our part of Devon but a delightful surprise when seen. It has such an attractive flower with its creamy umbels of tiny five-petalled flowers encircled by larger white, sterile florets. T

he Elder now dominates the hedgerow with its creamy umbels of flower. It too is a member of the Honeysuckle family. Now is the time to pick it for making Elderflower cordials and champagne. Nature is generous in the Elder, it being a virtual medicine chest. The flowers make an anti-catarrhal and immune-boosting infusion, also useful for childhood feverish infections and , with nettles for hayfever. The berries can be used to make a a syrup, high in Vitamin C, to protect against colds and flu; while the leaves ake an excellent soothing poultie for bruises.

Honeysuckle scrambles over the hedges. Its beautiful, hightly scented, creamy yellow and pink trumpet-whorls of flowers attracing those nectar-feeding insects with a proboscis long enough to reach down into the trumpets; though some Bumble Bees, like the Buff-tailed, with short proboscis, have learnt to bite through the tubes of such flowers. Two Humming-bird Hawk Moths are visiting the Honeysuckle. They are fascinating to watch, hovering as they probe the flowers with their long proboscis. They are migrants and becoming more common here staying well into Autumn when it is warm. Another migrant is the Painted Lady Butterfly, somtimes coming here in great droves in Summer, if the weather is favourable, from North Africa and Southern Europe. They produce a second brood here but will not survive the Winter. The Green Hairstreak Butterfly is difficult to spot. Settled, with wings folded, it is bright green with a broken white streak across the underwings. The upperside of the wings being dull brown, in flight the alternating brown and green ensure that it is well camouflaged against the foiage of the hedge. it lays its eggs on, amongt other plants, Gorse and Bramble; in the latter case the larvae feed on the developing blackberries. The full-grown caterpillar pupates at the base of the plant to emerge eight months later, in the Spring, as a Butterfly. Privet is flowering now, with terminal clusters of tiny white four-petalled flowers which have quite a strong distinctive smell. The caterpillar of the Privet Hawk Moth (not illustrated) feeds on the foliage of Privet. This Moth is a night flier but if disturbed in the hedge will fly out sudenly and rather alarmingly (being large and having a 'whirring' flight). The Wild Privet has slender pointed leaves slightly smaller than the more oval leaves of the cultivated hedge Privet (from China).

A Cinnabar Moth has alighted brirefly on the leaves of the Honeysuckle, having been disturbed, as it easily is, from its daytime roost in vegetation. It is sometimes confused with the day-flying Burnet Moth, which is also red and black and a similar size, but the Cinnabar has thinner antennae and its wing pattern is distinctive, with a long broad red stripe and two red spots. The larva of the Cinnabar Moth is the familiar black and yellow striped caterpillar which feeds, often in great numbers, on Ragwort. Red and black or yellow and black are often warning colours in the insect world to deter predators."

All texts are by Sandra Chalton and are the copyright of the Estate of Sandra Chalton.