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)