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Tim Knight

@timknightwriter

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Writer, editor, father, music fan, Leeds fan, Mull fan, wildlife fanatic - not necessarily in that order.

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Always a thrill to find Garden Tigers in the moth trap, but this foursome also illustrated how variable their forewing markings can be: just as unique as a zebra’s stripe pattern or a human fingerprint. Other favourites pictured here are Lesser Swallow Prominent, Gold Spangle, Lempke’s Gold Spot, Beautiful Golden Y - with that trio bolstered by a Burnished Brass in the final frame where they’re holding a moth meeting. #mothmonday #nationalmothweek #mothsmatter by @timknightwriter

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6 days ago

A few highlights from the pleasingly informal annual inspection of the machair behind Calgary Bay: Pyramidal Orchid, Field Gentian, Knotted Pearlwort and some jaunty Harebells. Plus a new flower for me - Bog Pimpernel - that I stumbled on during a random butterfly quest that also produced this year’s first (and second) Grayling. Their underwings are so brilliantly camouflaged that they’re very hard to pick out on the ground unless you see them land - and even then they have a habit of disappearing. One of my favourite UK butterflies. by @timknightwriter

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6 days ago

Took advantage of the warm, dry spell and put out the moth trap. How can anyone even begin to describe moths as dull? Seen at close quarters, the fine details of their markings are exquisite. And the endless variations on the theme of cryptic camouflage never cease to amaze me. Here we have, for your delight and delectation: Sallow Kitten (smaller and more subtle than the Puss Moth); Drinker (named for its caterpillars’ fondness for dew); Burnished Brass (a marvel of metallic magnificence); Grey Arches (defiantly decorative for one so drably named); Spectacle (doing its best not to make a spectacle of itself); True Lover’s Knot (delicate and dainty); a brace of Campions (silently signalling their identity: ‘We Are The Campions’); Pebble Prominent (eschewing prominence to blend in with the bark); Peppered Moth (perfecting its disappearing act); Sallow Kitten again, just because (is that a Snow Leopard’s face on your thorax, or am I seeing things?) #mullwildlife #mothsmatter @bc_scotland by @timknightwriter

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11 days ago

Mango taking her deep-rooted hatred of all things cat to new extremes: chewing and crushing all the Common Cat’s-ear in our wildflower meadow. #baddogsofinstagram by @timknightwriter

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12 days ago

Spent Friday at Wimbledon watching the Men’s Singles semifinals on Centre Court as a belated birthday treat for Ben (left of picture, next to the handsome, stylish chap). Huge thanks as ever to @karenlouisecass for making this possible and for the five-star treatment. We were particularly looking forward to seeing Sinner lock horns with Djokovic. Feels like the end of an era, but it’s incredible how a 39-year-old is still producing such a high standard of tennis and competing with the best. Enough of me, though; let’s talk about Djokovic. A privilege to watch him perform in this wonderful arena (preparing to receive here with Sinner serving for the match, and exiting stage right). #wimbledon2026 by @timknightwriter

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14 days ago

A few snapshots from a day out on Ulva that was meant to take advantage of the one ‘decent’ weather window this week. Could count the sunny spells in seconds not minutes, which meant that most things were hunkered down. Still, Painted Ladies aplenty including a few females laying eggs on thistle (look carefully). Scroll for Bumblebee Hoverfly mimicking its namesake, plus bee-roll of an actual bumblebee giving herself a full facial. Freshly emerged Dark Green Fritillary being battered by the breeze and showing its (not very) dark side. Slightly chilly Cinnabar and dusty Chimney Sweeper moths. Red-breasted Carrion Beetle with its own personal parasite hitchhikers. Emerald Damselfly dazzling in a damp ditch. Marsh Skullcap - a new flower for me. Big Brown-eye Shingle and other, nameless lichens growing on hazel host in a remnant of temperate rainforest. Regrettably no photos of the Golden and White-tailed Eagles or the confiding solitary Harbour Seal that kept calling hauntingly from the shallows. Or the scrumptious cake and coffee consumed in a flash at the @theboathouse.ulva . #ulva #mullwildlife by @timknightwriter

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23 days ago

Here’s a trio of wild wonders with wilfully misleading names. First up is the New Forest Burnet, which went extinct in the New Forest in the 1920s and is now confined to a single tiny but glorious site on the west coast of Scotland, which I had the privilege of visiting on Sunday. I had to be blindfolded and helicoptered in, obviously, but I’m enormously grateful to the people who granted me access to the inner sanctum. Next is the Dark Green Fritillary - named for the distinctive shading on its underwings, but this newly emerged specimen - the first of the year for me here in Calgary - is displaying the full glory of its gilded upperside as it basks briefly in the last of the evening sunshine. And, finally, here’s a snapshot of the weather this evening to mark the first of July, which signals the start of so-called summer on Mull, otherwise known as early winter. I guess you can’t have it all. by @timknightwriter

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24 days ago

The forecast was favourable so we set the alarm for 7 (on a Sunday - what commitment) and meandered to the south coast of Mull for a spot of beach-combing(Meg), butterfly-hunting (me) and scavenging (Mango). Meg found some rope, Mango found a desiccated seal carcass, and I found the Marsh Fritillaries - a Mull first - so we all went home happy. The day was bookended by a sighting of a Pine Marten - another Mull first - nonchalantly trotting across the road, and an adult White-tailed Eagle being repeatedly buzzed by a pair of buzzards that looked sparrow-sized in comparison. #30dayswild #mullwildlife by @timknightwriter

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a month ago

Glorious ending to this year’s first attempt to track down one of the UK’s rarest moths, found only at a handful of sites on Mull. It was a Glengorm of two halves, though. Two hours of fruitless searching, followed by a frustrating false alarm. Finally caught sight of a burnet moth that was nectaring on Bird’s-foot Trefoil, and managed to photograph it before it buzzed away, but it looked strangely familiar, especially in flight, which it fact it turned out to be: a Six-spot Burnet, common in England and apparently now crashing the party in Scotland. Not what I was after. After another hour of failing to find the target, I’d resigned myself to ignominious defeat, but with time ticking away the star of the show, the Slender Scotch Burnet, popped up out of nowhere to save the day and posed obligingly for the paparazzi as the crowd of one celebrated wildly. Special mention for the incredible orchids that also put on an impressive display and for the foursome of mystery moth eggs laid under an overhanging rock. #30dayswild #mullwildlife @bc_scotland @glengorm by @timknightwriter

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a month ago

Still no sign of Transparent Burnet moths in their supposed hotspot in Calgary Bay, but the sunbursts between the showers coaxed out a couple of Common Blues - both dazzling males - plus a handful of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, some freshly emerged, but at least one looking worse for wear after the recent rains. #30dayswild #mullwildlife by @timknightwriter

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a month ago

Please pardon the plethora of posts, but I’m playing catch-up after a frantic few days away from Mull and couldn’t resist jumping on the #mothmonday meme. Here’s a trio of my photogenic favourites from last night’s moth trap: the ever-popular Poplar Hawkmoth briefly showing his true colours; a Light Emerald that showed a marked preference for the only egg box where it could blend in perfectly; and a Buff-tip doing its best impression of a broken birch twig. #mothsmatter #30dayswild #mullwildlife by @timknightwriter

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a month ago

Well, who saw that coming? Cabo Verde’s minnows keeping the mighty Spain at bay. Except they’re sharks, not minnows. Blue Sharks, to be precise. And they’ve joined forces with @faunafloraint and our local partners in Cabo Verde to help promote our shark conservation work. We couldn’t be prouder of the brilliant veteran goalkeeper @vozinha1 and his heroic teammates. And we’re pretty impressed with their performance on the pitch too 😂. They will have gained many new fans tonight, which is good news for Cabo Verde, good news for us and great news for the threatened sharks and rays whose plight they’re helping to highlight. #bluesharks #capeverde 🇨🇻🦈🇨🇻🦈 by @timknightwriter

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a month ago