What is buzzing or flying near you today??

Pete thats the Mullein Shargacucullia verbasci they also like buddleia as well the adult moth is not as nice looking as the caterpillar they are well camoflaged and look like a bit of stick, not often seen in the daytime you will see them wazing around lights at night

 

Geoff thats one of the Hovers "hangaboutus catchacrookus" the larvae of these are black and white with a blue flashing spot very common all over except when you need them then they are quite rare. :D

 

Probably right, Walnut! Most probably, in fact!!! But..... the black bands look straight rather than being shaped like a very broad "U". So there's just a small chance it could be a Striped Lychnis (Cucullia lychnitis)- much less common - only in a few places in the south, but.... well, just a maybe!!

Head looks more like the Mullein, though!

Geoff - had it crossed your mind that they might have found out...????!!!!

 

Thankyou both.

 

found this little critter on my raspberry canes, any ideas what it'll grow into?

 

underwater flying!

 

No idea Glenw but I saw one and wondered the same thing so I hope someone knows!!

 

Thats a water boatman rowing across the pond. They hang under the surface, using the surface tension I think. They each have their little territory and grab any insect that is unfortunate to get trapped by the surface tension. Last year I was dropping any lily beetles I found into the pond and they were fighting over them like sharks.

 

It looks like a tiny Scottie dog with something in its mouth Glenw.

 

Bit puzzling, Glen! The caterpillar looks for all the world like it's going to be a Pale Tussock Moth - but they have more tufts sticking up along the back. Is the front part of the body (on the left in the photo) turned away from the camera slightly? That might have hidden a couple of those tell-tale clumps of bristles...

It's all in the "humps", you see - bit like camels! Tussocks have four or more, as do a couple of others. Dagger moths among others have one... but two... errr... you've got me guessing!

Maybe Walnut has a view on this???

 

hi Hyla, here's another 2 photo's of the catterpillar, i don't see any more humps, but they may give you something else to work on??

 

Hyla aree with you about the caterpillar but I think it looks similar to the western tussock moth but this has too many bristle clumps, I think its a threat to the raspberries they usually feed off fruit trees so if I were you think about spraying to get rid of it non of the tussock moths are gardeners friends.

 

Hi, Walnut!

So we're agreed - Tussock Moth but not!!! I was wondering if maybe it had been parasitised by an ichneumon fly or something and hadn't developed properly.... There's something about it that doesn't look quite right to me - the odd white "knobbles" behind the tufts of bristles, for example. If so, something's done Glen's disposal job for him!!!

 

thanks hyla and walnut, i'll get outside now and check to see if there are any more of the blighters around!! they look too nice to kill though, might collect them up and take them down the road where an apple tree is growing on the verge-they can eat that all they like!!

 

Watch the hairy bits Glen they are an extreme irritant, don't be sympathetic with them allthough they are beautiful they are wolves in sheeps clothing, some of their cousins are great pests in the pine forests they do a tremendous amount of damage.