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.