Caterpillars

Code Name: Dusty Discovered this huge caterpillar one night while checking the moth box, he only comes out at night and hides (very well) during the day in the lower vegataion and dirt. He'll over winter in a pupal case with full grown adult inside, down in the dirt somewhere. Dusty is the green form of a final instar, so pupation is soon. He is about 45mm last time I saw him.

Code Name: Dusty Discovered this huge caterpillar one night while checking the moth box, he only comes out at night and hides (very well) during the day in the lower vegataion and dirt. He'll over winter in a pupal case with full grown adult inside, down in the dirt somewhere. Dusty is the green form of a final instar, so pupation is soon. He is about 45mm last time I saw him.

Probably getting ready to pupate I suspect as he was up on the Bramble.

This is a moth caterpillar, you usually see these things attached to fence posts, walls, leaves, but hardly ever see the caterpillars inside. They move around and this one is actually eating.

My winter sport will be IDing all these things... for now its a NDGC (Non-descript Green Caterpillar), one of many lol Update: I'm nearly sure now that this is a late instar Hebrew Character :)

Earlier instar than I've seen before so grabbed a shot for my records.

On Broadbean

This is a bit later instar feeding on Mullein.

I can not resist these faces, reminds me of betty boop face..lol

Code Name: One of the McMullty Family on buddleia. Update: On behalf of the McMullty family we give thanks to the mysterious flickr explore gods. Hahaha

Early Instar, on Meadowsweet

I was given the best butterfly book of all time recently by my dear friend. (The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland by Thomas & Lewington) So this year I have succeded in finding some of the Orange Tip Larvae. Of course having one on my patio didnt hurt either..lol

This is a spectacular caterpillar, and moth. Doing some gardening for a friend, noticed she had Mullein growing in an area thats all weeds atm. It's covered in these guys. I'm hoping she will let me have the plants and wildlife for my patio :D

On Garlic Mustard I saved from the chop down the footpath. He has moved to feeding on the seed pods now.

Feeding on the Rapeseed. He has since moved to the Plantain I've got growing.

Grey Dagger Moth (Acronicta psi) Code Name: Lumpy While doing garden trap, noticed caterpillar on hedgy red leaved plant near fence, in small amount of webbing. Recognized it as a dagger and brought it indoors. Looked up what to feed, tried Dogwood but no luck, while waiting to get downstairs to get birch, he moulted and was a very bright yellow now. I went down to get birch and he began eating well. He has grown and his lumpyness is showing...

...Approx 2 days later he moulted again, becoming a far paler yellow and larger, and his lumpyness hairer. Replaced birch every two days, he would pick a leaf and eat it to the stem. On July 9 2010, he disappeared in the container, after careful examination I found him in a small crevice between the sponge and glass in the watering tube. I assumed he maybe looking for a place to pupate, because of the small amount of web he had formed and luckily found him early enough to move him back into the container, where I placed two small portions of egg try. I read they crawl under bark or into wood or litter in crevices and pupate, so he has happily gotten between the two. In the early hours of 10 July, I could hear him at work spinning web, and double checked later today and he is inbetween them somewhere. I'll wait about 3 days now and loosen them to make sure he is ok. Few days later I loosened the egg crates and checked that he wiggled for me, he did, I placed him back under the egg crates and left him there in a cold part of the house, checking on him periodically throughout the winter months. In the middle of April I brought him into the warmer room...