Caterpillars in November

16 Wednesday Nov 2022

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Knot grass larva, Knot grass moth, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, Noctiud caterpillar

Though I know many Lepidoptera over-winter as caterpillars, and this has been a particularly mild November as well, it was still a surprise to see these two caterpillars on one of my recent walks. From previous sightings, I knew that the black, red and white hairy beastie was the larva of a Knot grass moth (Acronicta rumicis) but I didn’t recognise the other one. One of my Twitter pals was able to tell me it’s one of the Noctuid species of moths but wasn’t able to be more specific, but I’ve just ordered a book I’ve long desired, The Field Guide to Caterpillars of Great Britain and Ireland, so will hopefully be able to update this post soon.

221116 noctuid sp knot grass

From larva to adult moth

04 Saturday Jun 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, trees

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British moths, moth larvae, Spindle ermine, Spindle ermine larvae, Spindle ermine moth, Spindle ermine webs, Spindle tree, Yponomeuta cagnagella

Back in June 2021, I blogged about the webs I was finding on Spindle trees in a local woodland, the silken creations of the larvae of the Spindle ermine moth (Yponomeuta cagnagella), and I’ve been seeing a multitude of these webs and larvae again in recent weeks. They don’t do a lot of damage to the larger Spindle trees but, as you can see below right, the larvae’s voracious appetites can strip the smaller saplings.

220604 spindle ermine 1 larvae

I’d heard that when the larvae are fully grown, they drop to the ground to pupate, often dangling in writhing groups from a silken thread. This was the first time I’d seen the larvae doing just that.

220604 spindle ermine 2 larvae

During my most recent visit to this woodland where Spindle trees – and the Spindle ermine larvae that munch on them – are most plentiful, I finally saw some of the adult moths**, and what beautiful little creatures they are. There were four, all sitting on thistles within a few feet of each other, so I assume they had recently emerged from pupation. And so the life cycle begins again.

220604 spindle ermine 3 adults

** A correction: Well, wouldn’t you know it? My Spindle ermine moths turned out to be Thistle ermine (Myelois circumvoluta). Serves me right for assuming they must be Spindle ermine just because of all the larvae in the area.

Cool cats

19 Thursday May 2022

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butterfly caterpillars, butterfly larvae, caterpillars, larvae, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, sawfly caterpillars, sawfly larvae

Butterflies, moths, sawflies – all have larvae that look like caterpillars, cats. It’s that time of year when I feel compelled to check any leaves with holes to try to find the hole-maker, and so I’m finding lots of cool cats. These are just a few of the recent leaf-munchers I’ve discovered, some I can identify, some I can’t but that’s not always important: Lackey, unknown, Mirificarma lentiginosella, unknown, unknown, Drinker, Orange-tip, and Copper underwing.

220519 caterpillars

Small and hairy

09 Monday May 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British moths, caterpillars in a web, Lackey, Lackey caterpillars, Lackey larvae, Malacosoma neustria, moth caterpillars, moth larvae

In Saturday’s post we had the small and scary (if you don’t like spiders – personally, I thought they were adorable); today we have the small and hairy, a web of Lackey moth caterpillars (Malacosoma neustria), which can often be found at this time of year, their web wrapped around the twigs of various broadleaved trees and shrubs.

220509 lackey (1)

The early instar (youngest) larvae don’t show the blue side stripe or ghoulish face, which make these larvae so distinctive as they grow.

220509 lackey (2)

Winter caterpillars

15 Saturday Jan 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, winter

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Angle shades caterpillar, Angle shades larvae, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, moth larvae in winter, Phlogophora meticulosa

These were a surprise on a chilly and very foggy early morning walk earlier this week.

I suppose I should have realised that some caterpillars overwinter as larvae but I was still amazed to find all but one of these four sitting in plain sight, fully exposed to the weather, covered in dew drops. I’m reliably informed these are the larvae of the Angle shades moth (Phlogophora meticulosa).

Leafmines: Scrobipalpa acuminatella

15 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, plants

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British leaf mines, leaf-mining larvae, leaf-mining moth larvae, moth larvae, moth larvae in leaf mines, moth larvae on thistles, Scrobipalpa acuminatella

This week’s mines can be found on thistles, on species of both Cirsium and Carduus – in my case, the plant is Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense).

211115 Scrobipalpa acuminatella (1)

These mines have been made by the larvae of the moth Scrobipalpa acuminatella, the adult of which can be seen on the UK Moths website. As the website points out, these moths have two generations each year, so we get two chances to see the mines.

211115 Scrobipalpa acuminatella (2)

These moth larvae make their home in the midribs of thistle leaves, venturing out to eat during the night and making blotches as they do, then returning to the midrib to shelter during the daytime.

211115 Scrobipalpa acuminatella (3)

Pillars of the insect community

30 Thursday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British insects, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, mystery caterpillars, mystery larvae, sawfly caterpillars, sawfly larvae

To showcase their diversity, in colour, size, shape, pattern, habits and hairiness, I’ve been gathering photos of these (cater)pillars of the insect community, the larvae of moths, sawflies, and some mysteries, which could be one of these … or something other. Here they are:

Moths: 5-spot burnet (Zygaena trifolii), Drinker (Euthrix potatoria), and the delightfully named Maiden’s blush (Cyclophora punctaria).

Sawflies: a possible Allantus species (its identity cannot be confirmed as it was on the wrong plant), and the fluffy looking Eriocampa ovata.

Mysteries: if you can ID any of these, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Buff-tip larvae

18 Wednesday Aug 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British moths, Buff-tip moth, Buff-tip moth caterpillars, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, Moth larvae on Oak leaves

I’ve never seen a Buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) except in photographs (they look incredibly like twigs – see images on the Butterfly Conservation website here). But yesterday I found their larvae, lots of them, all huddled together on the top side and underside of an Oak leaf.

210818 buff tip moth larvae (1)

The adult moth, which flies from May to early August, lays clusters of eggs under the leaves of the trees their caterpillars feed on, which, as well as Oak, include Hazel and the various birches and sallows, amongst others.

210818 buff tip moth larvae (2)

The larvae hatch out after 2-3 weeks and start eating. It takes just a month for them to go through their four instars, after which they move down into the ground to pupate. Come the spring, the whole process begins again.

210818 buff tip moth larvae (3)

Spindle ermine

24 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British moths, moth larvae, moth webs, Spindle ermine, Spindle ermine webs, Yponomeuta cagnagella

It could be Halloween, with reports of ‘ghostly silken webbing’ that ‘can look rather sinister’ and give trees ‘an eerie appearance’. As well as covering parts of trees and hedgerows, apparently the webs are sometimes ‘so extensive that they can cover nearby objects such as benches, bicycles and gravestones’.

But this is June and in my local woodland, the one I showed you in yesterday’s post, the webs, though plentiful, are nowhere near that dramatic. These are the communal dwellings of moth larvae and, though there are several species of ermine moths, as the caterpillar-filled webs I’ve been seeing have all been on Spindle, I think I’m safe in assuming these are the larvae of Spindle ermine (Yponomeuta cagnagella).

210624 spindle ermine (3)

Although these are the first webs I’ve seen, the Butterfly Conservation website reports that Spindle ermine is a common resident, though it is less common in northern parts of Britain. Look for Spindle trees and you might well see these webs for yourself.

Oak: mothy goodness

27 Thursday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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Brindled green, British moths, Case-bearing moth, Coleophora flavipennella, Coleophora lutipennella, Dryobotodes eremite, moth larvae, moth larvae on Oak, moths on Oak, Oak leaves

As you can see from the last two days’ blogs, there was much to be found on Oak leaves in my local woodlands on Sunday. These are two more finds, both relating to moths. This first was found on the same tree as the Purple hairstreak larva and, thanks to some help from Twitter moth-ers, I can tell you this is the larva of the Brindled green moth (Dryobotodes eremite) (you can see the adult moth on the UK Moths website here).

210527 brindled green larva

The wonderfully crafted cases in the photos below contain the larvae of either Coleophora lutipennella or Coleophora flavipennella – apparently, it’s not possible to determine the species without waiting for the adult moths to hatch and then dissecting their genitalia, which I’m not going to do. I’m happy just to admire their silk-weaving skills.