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-leaved variety that will light up a shady spot like a 100w lamp. The other is Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace', which has lacy purple leaves and flowers with a slight pink tinge.The most famous contemporary reference to the elder comes in Monty Python and the Holy

and fennel just outside the kitchen door.Although markedly different in size from the meadow brown, it's sometimes difficult to identify a gatekeeper, especially in a photograph. However, it has a clear distinguishing mark. In the black eye blob on the front

in my garden are already under attack. Mullein moth caterpillars can grow to up to 5cm in length. They're greyish in colour with distinct black and yellow markings. You'll often find them on plants in large numbers, but even a few can do a lot

see them most summers - I was devastated one year when we saw none, but the following year they were back.We go on regular family outings to a nearby plant-covered mound of soil, which seems to be a five-star glow-worm night spot. The thrill of seeing

stubs, but she is still quite unable to fly. Instead, she emerges from her cocoon and gives off a pheromone scent to attract the night-flying males. These rather unassuming moths are mottled brown with a small white spot on each forewing. She mates