A RARE caterpillar has been found in a county village which has delighted Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

This hawk moth caterpillar is one of the few larval sightings of the species in Worcestershire and was found at The Christopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve at Upton Warren, a site owned and managed by the Trust.

There have previously been records of adult moths, but the larval sighting has caused a lot of excitement amongst the trust's staff and volunteers.

READ MORE: Woman arrested for shoplifting in House of Fraser

Eleanor Reast, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust's eastern reserves officer responsible for the management of the reserve, said:“Whilst it is uncertain as to whether this larva will cope with the colder, autumnal weather conditions, this is an exciting find and demonstrates how valuable spaces like nature reserves are in providing habitats for wildlife.

“A big thank you to Paul Moseley, our volunteer reserve warden at Upton Warren, who found it and let us know about it.

"We are also grateful for local moth experts Tony Simpson and Oliver Wadsworth for confirming the record.”

Small numbers of adult convolvulus hawk moths arrive in the UK every year and are typically seen in flight in late summer.

READ MORE: Investigation launched into Smart Group Transport taxi parking

Research has suggested the larvae are more common on the south coast of England, with far fewer seen further inland.

Conditions are currently too harsh for convolvulus hawk moths to survive over winter in the UK.

However, with the changing climate contributing to milder weather, these migratory habits could change over time.

You can record wildlife sightings at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust’s website by visiting www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/wildlife-sightings.