News and blog

Student stakes out site to learn more about the Drab Looper

UK's most threatened butterfly thrown a lifeline with new reserve

As we’re all being encouraged to spend more time in our homes and feeling the worry and anxiety of 24/7 news coverage of the global pandemic, Butterfly Conservation is suggesting a way to look after your mental health by spending time in your garden or local outdoor spaces.

Moth recorders in the West Midlands are celebrating the completion of an online atlas covering Birmingham & the Black Country, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

Around three quarters of the UK population (74%) have some negative opinion of moths, with many people believing the majority eat clothes and are pests, a study has revealed.

UK braced for influx of rare continental moths looking for ivy to feed upon

* THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED*

Join us on 9 September at 10am for an ink-tastic online drawing class with illustrator Kate Moby. Inspired by the natural world, Kate’s work sits in two categories, inky animals and inky botanicals. Stocked in stores both on the high-street and online, many of you will have already spotted her wonderful designs out and about.

PURCHASE YOUR CRAFT KIT HERE HERE

The focus of this exciting class will be moths you can see in your garden at home. We will be focusing on two common species, the Elephant Hawk-moth and the Garden Tiger. Both of these moths can be spotted throughout the summer, with the Elephant Hawk-moth on the wing from May through to July and the Garden Tiger July and August. Kate will begin by showing you how she creates the hand carved pens in the craft kits, before then guiding you through creating a moth masterpiece using the powdered inks in the kit.  

With a focus on sustainability, Kate grows her own bamboo which is cut and hand carved by her into dip pens. These are then used in the ink to create her wonderful designs. Championing eco friendly British manufacturing in a sustainable way the kits you receive from Kate will be plastic free and contain only FSC certified paper materials.

In your kit you will receive:

·         X1 Hand carved bamboo pen in illustrated recycled card sleeve (please specify whether you are left or right handed on your order form)

·         X3 Glassine sachets of powdered ink in Prussian Blue, Red and Yellow. Glassine is made from PEFC certified pine resin which makes them fully biodegradable yet archival and waterproof

·         Sheets of Cold Pressed, acid-free cotton watercolor paper to draw onto

·         Worksheets and reference materials

·         A voucher for katemoby.com worth £5

  PURCHASE YOUR CRAFT KIT HERE - Please note kits will be dispatched within 14 days of the event.