On the Caterpillar Trail

 As the season comes to an end and butterfly and dragonfly numbers decline, my attention turns to seeking out caterpillars. 

The months of September and October are a good time to look for larvae and once you get your eye in, they are pretty easy to find.

 At this time of year, many larvae of moth and sawfly species will be feeding up for either pupation or hibernation.

Scalloped Hook-tip (Falcaria lacertinaria) (larva on birch)

Birch Mocha (Cyclophora albipunctata) (larva on birch)

(note silken thread that larva uses to maintain position)

Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) (larvae on bramble and birch)

Drinker (Euthrix potatoria) 

(young larva basking on bramble prior to hibernation)

Peach Blossom (Thyatira batis)

 (pale and dark form larvae on bramble)

Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) (larva on willow)

Nematus latipes (Sawfly sp.) (larvae on birch)

A Collection of Adders

 The Adder (Vipera berus) will be heading into hibernation during the coming weeks but they can still be seen sunning themselves on warm autumn days.

Males generally have the more contrasting markings. The zig-zag marking along its back is normally black with a paler ground colour to the rest of the body.

Females are generally of a more reddish-brown colour.

In some populations, melanistic Adders can be quite common.

Adder (Vipera berus)

Early Autumn on Pevensey Levels

 My spring and summer walks on Pevensey Levels this year were more often than not blighted by cool and blustery weather. By late September however, I was able to enjoy some walks in warm sunshine and still conditions.

Such weather conditions provide a better opportunity to find Fen Raft Spiders (Dolomedes plantarius) basking out in the open.

There are also other things of interest to be found along the field edges and ditch margins  

Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) (female with egg sac) 

Peacock (Aglais io) (larvae on common nettle) 

The Peacock is normally a single brooded butterfly. Its larvae are usually found in May and June but in recent years, a second brood has become an increasingly regular occurrence.

I found  this colony of larvae on 21st. September.

By 25th. September the final instar larvae had dispersed and should produce an emergence of adults during the latter half of October.

Reed Dagger (Simyra albovenosa) (larva on reed)

The Reed Dagger is a nationally scarce moth found in wetland habitats in the south-east of England.

This larva was spotted by my daughter as we walked along the ditch margins on 20th. September and it is nice to know that this species is breeding on Pevensey Levels.