Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018202 times)

tiermat · « **Reply #2800 on:** 28 August, 2012, 10:23:54 am »

Quote from: ferret on 22 August, 2012, 06:03:00 pm

I did see one of these today

Great! Thanks, I am already itching just looking at that picture*

*Not you fault, I know, but I have such a strong reaction to hairy caterpillars in general and moth ones especially that I only have to see a picture of one and the itchy eyes start!

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2801 on:** 28 August, 2012, 12:49:32 pm »

James has been hedge cutting today and came across this chap and another of his friends.

He was about the size of my index finger.

spesh · « **Reply #2802 on:** 28 August, 2012, 01:57:42 pm »

^^^ That's a Privet Hawkmoth caterpillar.

Found a trio of Grey Dagger moth caterpillars on the rose bush in the back yard, which make a change from all the furry caterpillars of the Tiger and Ermine moth I've seen this summer. The prize for the wierdest-looking caterpillar I have ever seen in my back yard goes to a Rusty Tussock Moth* caterpillar I found on the rose in 2007.

Handy link: http://www.ukleps.org/morphology.html

* otherwise known as the Vapourer Moth.

tiermat · « **Reply #2803 on:** 28 August, 2012, 02:03:50 pm »

ENOUGH, already, with the moth caterpillar piccies

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2804 on:** 28 August, 2012, 02:45:41 pm »

Thanks Spesh.

Sorry, Tiermat, but here's another one I found on the bedroom carpet just now. It's a hairy one too!

(click to show/hide)

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #2805 on:** 28 August, 2012, 02:56:04 pm »

Fantastic! That must be a Rusty Tussock, as per Spesh above.

Morrisette · « **Reply #2806 on:** 28 August, 2012, 03:17:10 pm »

Come on now, that last one was made from pipe cleaners and bits of old wool! No way that's real!!!

Morrisette · « **Reply #2807 on:** 28 August, 2012, 03:31:17 pm »

OK having read Spesh's link, I go further - there's no way ANY of this is real!

spesh · « **Reply #2808 on:** 28 August, 2012, 03:41:20 pm »

How to wind up an ID advocate - show them a picture of a Rusty Tussock caterpillar and ask what kind of drugs $DEITY was on when they designed that...

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2809 on:** 28 August, 2012, 06:01:09 pm »

I was impressed the dog didn't try to eat the Rusty Tussock caterpillar (I admit I hadn't had a chance to look at Spesh's links before posting the pic so it was rather serendipitous).

Does the dog have an innate wariness of very hairy caterpillars? Can they be poisonous?

tiermat · « **Reply #2810 on:** 28 August, 2012, 06:06:11 pm »

Thay are usually perceived as not very tasty (due to the hairs which get stuck in the throat and usually carry nasty stuff to irritate the biter). the red colouring is usually a give away, there is a certain amount of Nature that tells animals not to go eating red things, nor bright coloured things, or things covered in spiky looking hairs or, er, spikes....

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2811 on:** 28 August, 2012, 06:15:30 pm »

The spikes thing doesn't work with Poppy as she is always fascinated by hedgehogs...

Morrisette · « **Reply #2812 on:** 29 August, 2012, 09:39:24 am »

Quote from: spesh on 28 August, 2012, 03:41:20 pm

How to wind up an ID advocate - show them a picture of a Rusty Tussock caterpillar and ask what kind of drugs $DEITY was on when they designed that...

Or any of them, really. A creature that looks variously like a leaf, a twig, a toothbrush, and has a body part called an 'anal clasper', which then sheds it's skin to reveal a chrysallis inside which is a completely different creature? With wings?

TheDesigner had LOTS of fun with those.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #2813 on:** 30 August, 2012, 09:31:03 pm »

Do frogs spawn twice in a season? Just saw some very ickle frogs in the garden that look too small to have been born in spring.

JonBuoy · « **Reply #2814 on:** 30 August, 2012, 09:45:51 pm »

I was tidying up some bags of fermenting garden waste and disturbed this fine specimen:

I almost managed to get the 'tongue shot' as some critter became an afternoon snack.

Wobbly John · « **Reply #2815 on:** 31 August, 2012, 01:30:03 am »

Some of you may know that the natural habitat of "the Wobbly" (me) is riding across the Fens, after dark, on a fixie. Running 120psi tyres, I can hear the transmission noise over the road noise when I honk - otherwise it's just the wind in my ears.

At this time of year, this habitat overlaps with that of the Barn Owl. I often see more owls than cars. They are inquisitive creatures, and will fly along beside me or play in the bike's light beam. Some will just sit on fence posts and swivel their head as I go past.

On the bike, I travel at the speed they fly at. I make the small amount of noise that they are accustomed to listening for to hunt. The lights obviously facinate them.

On the way home from the pub tonight (6 miles) I nearly rode into the ditch because I was watching for the barn owl that was shadowing me.

It has just occured to me that I sometimes have more in common wih these incredible animals than to other road users.

Thansk for listening.

Somnolent · « **Reply #2816 on:** 31 August, 2012, 01:06:47 pm »

Quote from: Wobbly John on 31 August, 2012, 01:30:03 am

Some of you may know that the natural habitat of "the Wobbly" (me) is riding across the Fens, after dark, on a fixie. Running 120psi tyres, I can hear the transmission noise over the road noise when I honk - otherwise it's just the wind in my ears.

At this time of year, this habitat overlaps with that of the Barn Owl. I often see more owls than cars. They are inquisitive creatures, and will fly along beside me or play in the bike's light beam. Some will just sit on fence posts and swivel their head as I go past.

On the bike, I travel at the speed they fly at. I make the small amount of noise that they are accustomed to listening for to hunt. The lights obviously facinate them.

On the way home from the pub tonight (6 miles) I nearly rode into the ditch because I was watching for the barn owl that was shadowing me.

It has just occured to me that I sometimes have more in common wih these incredible animals than to other road users.

Thansk for listening.

Woo Hoo !

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #2817 on:** 31 August, 2012, 09:54:14 pm »

Quote from: yellowhammer on 30 August, 2012, 09:40:57 pm

Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 30 August, 2012, 09:31:03 pm
Do frogs spawn twice in a season? Just saw some very ickle frogs in the garden that look too small to have been born in spring.

They can, but it's more likely reasons are a)- the froglets are from an overgrown/stagnant pond where lower sunlight and warmth levels inhibit the rate of metamorphosis, causing late development (sometimes over a year late). Or b)- many (if not all) batches of spawn develop as two discrete growth patterns. that is, half a batch of spawn will develop much slower and later than the other half even though all the spawn hatches at the same time. Reasons for this are unknown, but it is a well observed phenomenon.

Or c)- they are from the spring and are just a bit small, or even possibly d)- they are toadlets, there seems to be a lot of little toads around here at the mo. If you say they are frogs though that's good enough for me. Hope this helps.

Thanks! I favour option a) although d) is also possible.

Quote from: JonBuoy on 30 August, 2012, 09:45:51 pm

I was tidying up some bags of fermenting garden waste and disturbed this fine specimen:

A fine fellow indeed.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #2818 on:** 07 September, 2012, 01:32:34 pm »

I rescued a snail today. It was inching its way up the road, on the tarmac pavement, very liable to either be accidentally stomped on or starve. After some jiggling (of the snail, not me) it went back into its shell and I removed it to a place of safety ie lobbed it over a wall into a garden.

fuzzy · « **Reply #2819 on:** 07 September, 2012, 02:51:47 pm »

I nearly got T boned by a black squirrel today. very fluffy critter. Mad as a box of frogs.

Bledlow · « **Reply #2820 on:** 10 September, 2012, 06:35:43 pm »

Among the abundant roadkill seen on the Alan Furley Memorial 150K on Saturday was a buzzard, & either another buzzard or a kite (zoomed past rather fast & didn't get a good look).

Also saw live examples of both.

Morrisette · « **Reply #2821 on:** 12 September, 2012, 10:11:48 am »

More Very Fluffy Caterpillars....not sure what they are. About one and a half inches long, dark brown thick fluffy hair, a white line down each side but underneath the hair, a sort of orange-ish face and a great turn of speed. They have been seen on cabbage, blackberry and courgette plants and seem to come out at night. Any ideas?

Peter · « **Reply #2822 on:** 12 September, 2012, 10:18:58 am »

Could be garden tiger moths, though I think they have white dots, rather than lines; it could be a speed-blur!

Pingu · « **Reply #2823 on:** 12 September, 2012, 12:51:52 pm »

Just been watching dolphins in the harbour - they were really close in & quite lively

matthew · « **Reply #2824 on:** 12 September, 2012, 08:08:16 pm »

Well yesterday, but a group of seals (what is the collective noun for seals?) Frolicking in a bay on the south east of Harris.

Then a bird of prey (eagle or buzzard) being mobbed by gulls, the acrobatics were spectacular.

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018202 times)

fuzzy