[lizard orchid]

Dear All,
Now is a good time to look for stick insects that are in the wild in the south west of the UK as a number of them will be almost fully grown. Malcolm Lee the national recorder is always welcome for updated records from anyone even from the well known areas of the south west such as the Isles of Scilly. There are now at least six species established and the Indian stick insect we all kept on privet when we were young was found recently on St Marys in the Isles of Scilly. It was also a male which even in captivity is a rare occurrance. Areas of human habitation such as towns and villages are good places to look especially where there is bramble, one of the best foodplants to look for these interesting insects. Since 2002 I have been co-operating with Malcom Lee gathering records and when I can checking sites in the south west that need updating especially where there is one record in a particular village.
I will be at the Birdfair in a few weeks with some examples of the species we get here in the UK which will be on the Buglife stand. So hope to see and speak to some of you then.

Brian Laney Northamptonshire.