Elephant Hawk Moth - Here???

[shona]

Hi!
I am visiting my parents at the moment just East of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland, and we came across a very strange looking creature in the garden - after researching it this morning I have identified it as the Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar - this thing was massive!! It matches in every detail I can find - However I have found reference that it is british but is not found in the North East of Scotland - As we are about as far North and East as you can get in Scotland I was wondering does anyone know who I should report this to?
Very Excited!!
Shona

[Alan]

Hello shona, and welcome to WAB

Try the following link. It's the website of The Highland Biological Recording Group. You should be able to find out more, and submit the record there.

http://www.hbrg.org.uk/

Hope this helps

Alan

[henrya]

Report it as Alan suggests - but this is another species that has been increasing its range northwards so it will probably make its way to Wick eventually.

henrya

[DL]

I think Easter Ross is still the farthest north they have been recorded. Definitely it is worth recording.

The Moray Firth Coast has a mild climate for such a northerly location, a number of species can be found in coastal locations that are less common or absent from the higher ground that covers a very large area immediately to the south.

I have seen them in Angus and Aberdeenshire but only once or twice every few years.

Distribution map here -

http://www.searchnbn.net/interactive...NSYS0000006077

[henrya]

Definitely worth recording, but they have been found as far north as Calltuinn (west coast) as the map you mention shows.

henrya

[shona]

Thanks all!!
I have reported it to the local peeps and hoping to get some more info off of them you have been very informative and helpful I appreciate it!!
Regards
Shona!

[Dan Salter]

Good for you shona well done and welcome to WAB

[nightshade]

Welcome Shona,this would seem to indicate that we are indeed getting warmer
or theEHM is getting hardier!

[jezlee]

Welcome to WAB, Shona - and congrats on the find!

Seems to me yet another indication of the global warming we keep hearing about - I've seen several references in the last couple of years to species appearing further and further north in the British Isles ....

[Imaginos]

The link below is a quick precis of some work done at Rothamsted that found that moths in the south are declining and those in the north have shown an increase in recent years. The thinking is that climate change is the driving force for the change.

http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/corporate/PressReleases/Moths.html