I forgot to post the caterpillar below, from the 19th. October.
It looks a little like a brown Angle Shades cat, it was 4. 5 cm long. Every time I looked at it, over a 15 hour period, it had moved a little. Then it was gone. It's "face" seems odd, flat, or truncated. Along with the off-white patch on the top of it's head and the strange "crease" along its side, suggest it isn't an Angle Shades. It's not in my butterfly book, so must be a moth. Note the brownish bands on it.
I have NO idea what it is. ID please.
Santa is bringing me the "Field Guide to the Caterpillars of Great Britain and Ireland". Next year it should be a lot eaiser for me to ID caterpillars.
ID please.(I'ts head is on the right).
Detail showing off white patch.
23rd October.
In spite of the rain and wind, two moths arrived during the night. A Silver Y and what I think may be Spruce Moth. If so, it will be yet another first for me, I've been doing well with firsts this year. My second options as a Common Marbled Carpet but I've not seen one in this colour configuration. Not that that means it might not be one. Could someone ID it for certain please?
Silver Y
Spruce Carpet TBC
5 comments:
Spruce Carpet and I think your larva is a Scalloped Hazel looking at its two pairs of tiny, vestigal prolegs just to the right of its normal sized ones.
Thank you Charlie, that's great. There does seem to be a shortage of caterpillar ID info online. Unless, I[ve missed it somehow. Anyway, come Christmas, I'll have a caterpiller bible.
It only contains final instar larvae so not that easy. It is an excellent book all the same.
Ah, bum! I'd been wondering about the different instars, it looks as if I'll have to do without that section of information. Thanks for letting me know, I'll not be as disapointed now.
Hi Gordon
Reg Fry used to run the Breeding UK Leps website online which had images of many leps in every sratge from egg, through instars to pupa. Sadly after Reg died no one has taken over the site (as far as I can see) and all those superb images are lost, a great free resource gone for good :(
Post a Comment