Wildlife mid 2009

[Hans J]

Hi all ,

I saw this afternoon this big caterpillar on a wall ...any idea what this is ?

[Martinr]

At that magnification I'd just call it scary

[Arykana]

[Maggi Young]

Not as scarey as the pic Erika has posted above,  Martin!! 

[Anthony Darby]

Hi all ,

I saw this afternoon this big caterpillar on a wall ...any idea what this is ?

The blue horn suggests an Eyed Hawkmoth (Smerinthus ocellata caterpillar shortly before pupation? Its foodplants are Salix spp. and apple. The caterpillar should be green with oblique yellow stripes.

[Stephenb]

Not as scarey as the pic Erika has posted above,  Martin!! 

Let's try this one, then. It turned up in our garden and to increase the effect I'll use its Norwegian name.

MEET Hr. STOR GAFFELSTJERT:

[Rodger Whitlock]

No excitements in the wildllife department these days, but two hemi-semi-excitements:

In the garden, the rufous and Anna's hummingbirds are enjoying various late summer flowers:

• Agastache 'Apricot Sprite'
• buddleia (a volunteer seedling of 'Nanho Blue')
• crocosmias in variety
• phygelius

Hummingbirds are very territorial and as I sit at the computer looking out at the big buddleia, it's quite common to see two of them squabbling and chasing.

And out at in the northern exburbs of Victoria, the youngest of three eaglets hatched in early April has finally flown away, 17 days after the disappearance of his siblings and 3 days shy of being exactly 4 months old. Bald eagle, btw. Magnificent birds, esp. once the white head and tail plumage develops about their fifth year.

The nest is equipped with a webcam you can view via streaming video and has provided endless hours of entertainment these last four months. The weeds have thriven with the resultant neglect.

[Hans J]

The blue horn suggests an Eyed Hawkmoth (Smerinthus ocellata caterpillar shortly before pupation? Its foodplants are Salix spp. and apple. The caterpillar should be green with oblique yellow stripes.

Thank you Anthony !

I was shure you will know this caterpillar 
now I have to wait if I will see anytime this moth in our garden ....

[Anthony Darby]

Not as scarey as the pic Erika has posted above,  Martin!! 

Let's try this one, then. It turned up in our garden and to increase the effect I'll use its Norwegian name.

MEET Hr. STOR GAFFELSTJERT:

Seems like it's the time of year for caterpillars to get ready to pupate. This one is a Puss moth Cerura vinula). It makes a very tough cocoon by chewing the bark off its preferred site on a tree, usually poplar or willow, and incorporating it into the silk. When I bred these moths many years ago, I followed L. Hugh Newman's advice and confined each to a wooden match box.  (Newman ran "The Butterfly Farm" near Ashford in Kent until the 1960s. It was founded by his father L.W Newman in 1894. The larva would chew the inside of the box and make a cocoon inside.)

[Armin]

Wunderful moths, caterpillars and little scary monsters  

The Yellow Meadow Ant, Lasius flavus, is one of the most common ants in Central Europe. The species lives primarily underground in meadows and very commonly, lawns. The Yellow Meadow Ant feeds on the honeydew from root aphids, which they breed in their nests.

Alates (winged ants) can be seen on warm days now. Workers push the young winged ants out of the nest.

The life of many alates can be short:
Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) picked hundreds directly from the ground to feed their chicks. Obvious a delicious dinner
Some other alates got caught just after take off... It seems the spider was quite happy showing me a smiling face...

[Ragged Robin]

Incredible shots, Armin, and very interesting comments about these ants....we had about a month where they were everywhere too but maybe a different type as hundreds of them appeared in the evening?

[Anthony Darby]

Dunblane was hit last week, so much so, an article appeared in one of the local free weekly newspapers. The species there was described as Lasius niger (the "Black Garden ant"). Armin's look more like the Yellow Meadow ant (L. flavus), which makes small anthills out of soil crumbs. Both species can produce large mating swarms.

[Anthony Darby]

I only ever did get that one female Hyalophora cecropia (Robin moth), and 10 males! The other day a female Eupakardia calleta, a moth from New Mexico. Yesterday this male emerged and they'd mated by lunch time! This is him today.

[Arykana]

[Ragged Robin]

I only ever did get that one female Hyalophora cecropia (Robin moth), and 10 males! The other day a female Eupakardia calleta, a moth from New Mexico. Yesterday this male emerged and they'd mated by lunch time! This is him today.

A fabulous looking Moth, Anthony, such handsome colouring and pattern - almost looks hand painted! - is it much smaller that the Robin Moth?
Can't believe the 10 to 1 odds!