A Very Hungry Caterpillar

ByDawn

Firstly, apologies again for the blog silence. A number of things have been holding me back recently, not least a bad shoulder injury. (Think: a dog, on lead, and a rabbit, with ‘Carry on dog walking’ style falling over due to the lead wrapped round my legs, all followed by a three hour visit to A & E, and you’ll get the idea.)

Much better now though, and as I was visiting the compost bin in the garden the other day, I realised there was something watching me… I did a double take in fact, as the creature perched on the plant next to the compost seemed to be watching me intently with large dark eyes. Only it wasn’t, it was quite happily munching away on the Great Willowherb, safe in the knowledge it’s olive green colouring and extraordinary markings would frighten me off. It did, but only for a few minutes as I went to grab the camera.

 

ElephantHawkmoth070914DM0641

This is an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar, a rather spectacularly large (about 8cm long) animal that will, next spring, turn into a beautiful bright pink hawkmoth that will sip nectar from the honeysuckle flowers in the hedge.

There were 5 caterpillars in all, and they have now gradually started to move away to find a safe place on or under the soil to wrap themselves in a cocoon to overwinter, before emerging as moths when the weather warms up next year.

(Click images to view larger…)

If you like what you see, please consider sharing![social_share/]

BOB_Avatar

 

 

 

 

 

UK & Eire Natural History Bloggers

Current favourite books, click for more info:

Similar Posts

  • Hush Wing

    ByDawn

    It’s 7.30AM and it’s snowing heavily. I’m questioning my reasoning behind stepping outside with my camera this morning, but with my new found determination to do more photography this year, I know I have to. I’ve been watching the Barn Owl’s on the fen and I know they’ll be out hunting at this time of…

  • Crimson and Blue

    ByDawn

    Just a quick update on my recent photography, trying to do as much as possible to reach my ‘Big 30‘ goal. This lovely flower with it’s pretty twirled petals is Crimson Clover, it is a native, but is commonly grown in a cover crop mix, or as green manure. This one caught my eye on…

  • Wayland Wood

    ByDawn

    Visited Wayland Wood in Norfolk for the first time yesterday. The wood at this time of year is filled with birdsong and bluebells, and yesterday, the patter of raindrops on newly unfurled leaves. The dull, damp conditions would have been great for close up photography, but an annoying little breeze made it very difficult. When…

  • Finally

    ByDawn

    Those who have followed my blog for sometime will remember that last year our garden was graced by the presence of a pair of Turtle doves. This year, as May approached, I waited with baited breath to see if they would return. They did, only to leave again for a while, perhaps just passing through….

  • Pastures new, and old

    ByDawn

    Forgive me friends, for my prolonged absence. I have been doing that most stressful of things – moving house. So here I am, all settled in, exploring pastures new. Newly located between numerous nature reserves, there’s plenty to see, but more on that at a later date. Back to pastures old, and my patch –…

3 Comments

  2. Great photo Dawn (wish I could get such clear shots as that!). Funny how some of the best things we see start out as just out of the corner of our eyes as opposed to actually looking for something.

Leave a Reply