Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Lepidoptera watch continues...we had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden this weekend. Fabulously exciting insects - large, exotic and scarce - I've never seen one. I didn't get a photo unfortunately as it was a fleeting visit but here's one culled from the BBC. Apparently the mild summer and autumn weather has attracted quite a few migrants from the continent.

Our one was enjoying the nectar available to long-tongued species from the Nicotiana by the back door. This plant has been a great hit with moths all late summer, notably in the evening when its scent is quite heady although this particular visitor was in the morning. It was spotted by my visiting Uncle Bill, rather fittingly, as he was the first person to introduce me to moths and butterflies when I were a lad!

Pupa on the wall.

There are three of these beautiful and distinctive pupa attached to the side of my house and they appeared about 2 weeks ago - 19mm in length. (*photographed with a DSLR, 35-80mm lens and macro extension rings) They are clearly the pupa of a butterfly or moth and are all of the same species. The caterpillars must have crawled quite some distance to get to the side of the house, as the wall is separated from the plants and flowerbeds by a wide concrete walkway, so I can only assume that some genetic trigger in their little brains says that they must find a wall of significant height so that when hatching from the pupa they are well above the ground. Each of the beautiful pupae have a square of 4 highlighted spots, almost as if they have been delicately gold leafed. Q - How does a small caterpillar judge the height of the thing that it is climbing ? What species are these ? - I have so much to learn.

Surface detail:

Jo Donnelly, (Ecologist) - Identified my last caterpillar as probably that of a 'Grass knot moth'
Thankyou Jo.
Note: Thanks Ads - as I note that you had already come to the same ID conclusion in the comment stream attached to blog post, thanks also.

Common Hawker

At RSPB Minsmere - I think a Common hawker Aeshna juncea. Just amazing insect life there on a sunny Autumnal day.

Another caterpillar

Following on from Dunc's caterpillar, this is one I found in the garden. I think it is the caterpillar of the Pale Tussock moth Calliteara pudibunda. Given that it 'used to be a pest of hop', and we have hops growing in our hedge, it would make sense if it were that.

It shouldn't be a suprise that there seem to be a lot of caterpillars around at the moment, as it was an excellent year for butterflies and moths. They are great - such extraordinary things which come in all sorts of amazing variations and colours, and with the added textural delight of hairs and assorted protuberances. This one could be a Jim Henson creation...

What will this become ?

Can anyone out there help me to identify this caterpillar ? It was crawling about on the mint plant in the Strode College Sustainability garden. I have also been working on a blog to track the garden's development and the link can be found here: www.sustainablestrode.tumblr.com

Hedgerow Finding

With autumn's bounty being particularly, er, bountiful this year, we went foraging for blackberries and elderberries in the hedgerows today. As well as getting free food, this also forces us into a very close communion with the fantastic habitats that hedgerows provide. At the moment, the ivy is blooming, providing a welcome late summer burst of pollen for bees and other insects. The fruit that we are seeking also provides a source of nutrition to birds (the purple stained droppings on leaves giving ample evidence of this) as well as invertebrates such as wasps and this shield bug.

Being forced into such close proximity brings one to a more minute engagement with what is going on in such a habitat. After a few minutes of pushing through spiders' webs and commenting on how they seemed to all be in the way of the fruit, I realised that this is probably not accidental; by positioning their webs between the wider world and the fruit, spiders maximise the chances of catching insects that are attracted to the sticky juices.

I also noticed details that I wouldn't were I just walking by, such as this Oak gall, nestling amongst the leaves. I know almost nothing about galls, but a quick google suggests that this may be Andricus kollari, an Oak marble gall, caused by a gall wasp.


After a summer of enforced immobility thanks to my ankle injury, it feels good to be out and about and able to get up close and personal with local wildlife again.

Piano Migrations

Interesting audio-visual work inspired by natural phenomena, such as birds...