Mark Tunmore of Atropos discovered the migrant moth Thysanoplusia daubei (the Boathouse Gem) at Church Cove on the Lizard in 2014 - the first record for Britain!  
Photo: Mark Tunmore

Adult Buff-tips may be experts at disguise, but the brightly coloured caterpillars can’t be missed.
Photo: Ben Sale

We all love the flowers and scent of Chamomile, but so does the caterpillar of the Chamomile Shark moth.
Photo: Ray Surridge

Cinnabar moths are on the wing from mid-May to early August, and their yellow and black banded caterpillars munch on Ragwort through the summer.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Clouded Yellow butterflies are summer visitors, arriving from May to June. The coast is a good place to watch out for them.
Photo: Amanda Scott 

The delightful Comma butterfly, with its raggedy wings, can be spotted through the summer months and into early autumn.
Photo: Dougy Wright

The Common Blue is one of the butterflies counted annually in Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.
Photo: Amanda Scott

This day-flying moth species is on the wing in June across heathlands on The Lizard.
Photo: Sarah Board

The spectacular Emperor moth is on the wing in April and May. 
Photo: Emily Hobson

Watch out round the coast for the prettily-patterned Galium Carpet moth throughout the summer. Although nocturnal, it can be spotted when disturbed from its daytime resting places.
Photo: Leon Truscott

Garden Tiger caterpillars are known as Woolly Bears, for obvious reasons.
Photo: Steve Townsend

Late July and early August is the peak time for the chocolate and orange Gatekeeper butterfly. Look out for them round hedgerows and scrubby areas.
Photo: Amanda Scott

The sea-cliffs of the south-west, including those of The Lizard, are among the best places to find the Grass Eggar moth, a nationally scarce species. 
Photo: Wikimedia Commons 

Grayling butterflies require plenty of bare earth for basking, so watch out for them in later summer along the trackways of the Lizard Downs. They are on the wing into September.
Photo: Steve Townsend

Hummingbird Hawk-moths are migratory visitors to The Lizard in good summers.
Photo: Ray Surridge

June is the main time of year to watch out for webs of Lackey moth caterpillars: hawthorn and blackthorn shrubs are good places to look.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Watch out for Large Skippers from May to September in meadows, and in woodland rides and glades.
Photo: Steve Townsend

This small and delicate butterfly is a protected species due to its serious decline in numbers, but The Lizard is one of their strongholds. Find them on Mullion Cliffs or Goonhilly.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Orange-tips can be seen on the wing along the hedgerows and verges as the weather becomes warmer in mid- to late spring.
Photo: Andreas Eichler

Peacock butterflies emerge into the sunshine from their winter sleep in the spring.
Photo: © Natural England/Paul Lacey

Poplar Hawk-moth caterpillars will happily munch their way through willow (Salix sp.).
Photo: Ray Surridge

This lovely Privet Hawkmoth was spotted at Caerthillian, resting on a fence.
Photo: Steve Townsend

This pretty butterfly is not uncommon, but hard to spot as it spends most of its time flying at the tops of oak trees. You might see one in July to August, when they occasionally come down to feed on bramble nectar; they have been seen at Erisey Barton on The Lizard.
Photo: Sharp Photography (via Wiki Commons)

The migratory Red Admiral butterfly can be spotted from spring until winter in the milder climate of the south-west.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Ringlets may not be as showy as some other butterflies, but they have their own gentle charm.
Photo: © Allan Drewitt/Natural England

The Silver-washed Fritillary is the largest of the UK Fritillaries. Look out for it at the height of summer, in July and August.
Photo: Ray Surridge

This day-flying moth is a common sight in mid- to late summer, with its flashes of red colour amongst the knapweed and thistles.
Photo: Steve Townsend

The fast-flying Small Copper is on the wing into autumn; watch out on warmer days for its coppery colours.
Photo: Ray Surridge

On the Lizard, this pretty butterfly is mainly a coastal species.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Small Tortoiseshells usually produce two broods in a year, and so a second-generation of adults emerges in August.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Speckled Woods can be spotted in the shadier habitats of The Lizard. Flying from May to October, this is one of the butterflies that brightens the days into early autumn.
Photo: Ray Surridge

Caterpillars of the Drinker moth can be seen emerging in the spring, getting ready to pupate in June. Look for the tuft of hair at each end.
Photo: Charles J Sharp (via Wikimedia Commons)