Searching for caterpillars is a very accessible way of recording moth distribution. In 2023 we were encouraged by the number of observations of moth and butterfly larvae posted on the Curracag and OHBR Facebook group pages, and it seemed to be a good idea to launch a small recording project to help us fill in some of the gaps in our distribution maps. We have chosen four species with very distinctive hairy caterpillars – the drinker, fox moth, northern eggar and garden tiger, which are fairly easy to identify. We have very few records of the caterpillars of these species from Harris, Lewis and Barra, but you can still take part on other islands – all records are important.

We have produced simple guide containing photographs and descriptions of four target species, distribution maps and a calendar to show when they are most abundant. All you have to do is post your observations on the Facebook group, together with the date and locations (OS map reference, what3words, latitude/longitude or location name and post code). If you get very enthusiastic and collect lots of records, you can use the OHBR recording form (full details in the recording section of this website).