A looper caterpillar in full loop that I found while Vine Weevil hunting through my strawberries last night. I spent a while trying to work out the 'insect' parts of it after @Fire 's post yesterday. Head is to the left with the six proper legs and the tail is to the right with the stumpy 'pro-legs'. It will probably turn into one of the carpet moths.
Close up of the head with black dotty eyes.
and frustrating photo of the week: I stalked this Meadow Brown until I was close enough for it to fill the frame with the wing flat to the lens so it would be in focus head to wing tip, it sat there with the under-wing eye-spot showing perfectly as I focused... and then this big black aphid bumbled under its wing and moved it. This was the only photo I got before it took off.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Keep meaning to post this pic in the hope that you might be able to ID it @wild edges.
Wax moth caterpillars I expect. I find them in bird boxes where bees have nested. They basically clear up all the left overs in bees nests like the wax (hence the name). Sadly they can be a bit over eager and start eating before the bees have finished or they go after social bee nests where the nest is always in use so bee keepers hate them. They cover everything in a big ball of sticky web which can be very hard to clean up.
Thanks for that - I didn't see your reply as we must have posted at the same time. That certainly makes sense. The 'stuff' they were wrapped in was certainly very sticky, and hard to remove from the edges. I think the birds may have got some of them. Can't imagine how that happened... Fascinating though. I'm away to read about them
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Had a close look my broom shrub today as it's looking ropey, realised it's covered in blackfly but also ladybird larvae and pupae at various stages. Never seen so many, fascinating to watch.
Posts
i was working on a theory of baby golden ringed dragonfly so nice there is someone around who knows their stuff
😂
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That certainly makes sense. The 'stuff' they were wrapped in was certainly very sticky, and hard to remove from the edges. I think the birds may have got some of them. Can't imagine how that happened...
Fascinating though. I'm away to read about them
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...