Mullein moth

The Mullein moth (Cucullia verbasci), or rather the caterpillar there of, so named due to their taste for the mullein family of plants. A gang of these buggers have butchered what was shaping up to be a grand Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) in the garden; these  impressive plants will grow up to 2m tall, most of which is a majestic spike densely covered in yellow flowers. Great Mullein's a common wild flower found in myriad habitats, and is a useful plant in traditional folk medicine with many medicinal benefits, including having antiviral and antibacterial qualities. The colourful nature of this moths' caterpillar is not reflected in the Mullein Moth itself, which is perfectly camouflaged to look like dead wood, ragged edged, brown and buff with a dark tufted back. A cool looking moth.

Oak Beauty moth

Wandering through the stands of Camel Green I noticed this mighty fine moth, it's an female Oak Beauty moth (biston strataria), not one one I've come across before. Isn't it cool. It was only because it had rested on a mossy base of a tree and stuck out in its lush green surroundings that I noticed it, had it been on the bark its camo, so detailed and textured, would have rendered it invisible. Its textures and colours were amazing.  Nature's great.

Elephant Hawk Moth

A welcome visitor flew in this evening, a large Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor), man, was it beautiful. The Elephant Hawk Moth feeds at night on nectar rich plants like Honeysuckle, which we have here in the garden. With its hairy khaki (on top) swede like head and body, with its striking pink markings and its matching khaki delta wings also fringed with pink, its under wings and lower body too are striking pink and its legs are white; it really is a wonderful and exciting thing to see. Big too; its wing span is about 70mm. I've often wondered why so many nocturnal moths have developed such spectacular colouring and markings: I'm sure there's a reason, though I don't know it. A really lovely thing to see, nature at her best.

Drinker Moth caterpillar

Nature always was to trump even the most imaginative scifi, just look at this Drinker Moth (Euthrix potatoria) caterpillar looking like something from out of this world. Caterpillars, what's their game? You'd think caterpillars would keep their heads down, what with them being all squishy and vulnerable and some of them do, the 'you ain't seen me, right' types that look like twigs of leaves, but not all of them, some are like, 'ooh look at me' all colourful hairs, tufts and markings. I know evolution dictates that both parties must developed their looks with purpose, but what and why, and how and why as in the case of above caterpillar do they change from colourful examples of exuberant embellishment into beautiful, yet plain almost mono coloured moths/butterflies? Still, easily set to wonder as I am, for me every encounter with a caterpillar is akin to meeting an alien and has me gawping slack jawed.