I realised this evening that my very bedraggled-looking garden ivy is partly in such a state because of about fifteen Lozotaenia forsterana (GYe) (GB) caterpillars munching away betwen its leaves! Once you get your eye in...
Yeahhhh... another "notation". (GB) means first breeding record for the garden!
My Angle Shades caterpillar was trying to make a cocoon of munched up elder leaves when I checked on it this evening. I had an inkling that that was a backup strategy, and that it would much rather prefer a jar of soil. So I provided one, and straight away it was digging in. I'll check the timings on the last Angle Shades caterpillar I reared, and make a prediction on when this one will emerge. Place your bets folks!
Which reminds me. Matthew Oates, the National Trust's butterfly expert extraordinaire, along with his team, meticulously monitor the progress of Purple Emperor Apatura iris caterpillars over on their patch in England. You can check out their blog at The Purple Empire.
And the moth trap is out tonight in the mildest conditions yet, but with a Beaufort Four blowing and rain due later tonight, and with not even a fly at the trap in the first quarter of an hour... it ain't looking good!
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