Beyond Birdwatching

James Lowen shares some other wildlife highlights for the New Year

EARLY DOORS We think of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) as being creatures of summer – lovers of warmth. But a fair number of moths fly during winter, too. One such is the appropriately named Early Moth. Although climate change means it is now starting to fly in December, this has historically been a moth that took to the air shortly after the calendar clicked forward into a new year. Its larvae love munching hawthorn and blackthorn, so this is very much a moth of the wider countryside, and one that ranges north to southern Scotland. PLANT The first buttercup As its name suggests, Winter Aconite is the first member of the buttercup family to flower each year. By the end of this month, its yellow blooms atop a collar-like frill…

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Bird Watching (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2025

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