1) (f) – Comma (Polygonia c-album)

2) (b) – Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

3) a) Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

4)(e) – Orange tip (Anthocharis cardamines)

5)(c) Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus)

6) (d) Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)

7)2) – This is a speckled wood caterpillar. Apparently the two little ‘horns’ at the back differentiate this caterpillar from the millions of other green stripey ones. Well done if you got this right!

8) (1) – Comma caterpillar. The larvae are said to resemble bird droppings!

9)5) – Holly blue caterpillar. Rather a scrunched-up little chap, I thought.

10) 6) Gatekeeper caterpillar

11)(3) Small tortoiseshell caterpillars

12) 4) Orange tip caterpillar. It is said to be especially well-comouflaged when laying flat along the seed-pods of its foodplant.

13)4) – Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is one of the main foodplants of the orange tip butterfly, along with lady’s smock (Cardamine pratensis)

14) 1and 3- Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is the main food of both comma and small tortoiseshell caterpillars.

15) 2) Speckled wood caterpillars feed on woodland grasses such as false brome ((Brachypodium sylvaticum) shown here: they also feed on Cock’s-foot (Dactylis glomerata); Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus); Common Couch (Elytrigia repens).

16)6) Gatekeeper caterpillars feed on fine grasses such as the common bent (Agrostis capillaris) shown here. They also like fescues and meadow grasses.

17)5) Holly blue caterpillars feed on the flowers and buds of holly when the first brood emerges in spring, while the second brood feeds on ivy.