The Puss moth(Cerura vinula) is a pretty whitish grey moth, very furry looking but its larvae must be one of the most bazaar and well known of moth larvae. As it grows it has an amazing defense mechanism. It pulls its head in to reveal little eye like spots and raises its hind end, revealing whip like tendrils that shoot our purple threads like a snakes tongue. the pic below shows the eggs layed by the adult moth.
And here are several hatched larvae. Some are several days old and some hatched yesterday hence the size difference.They eat sallow(Salix caprea) pussy willow.
In a week or two they will moult for the second time and become green with a purple saddle.I will then show another picture of them.
The slime mould Reticularia lycoperdon seems to be everywhere all of a sudden .All it needs is damp and mild air to fruit.
As it oosed out of the wood, it brought along with it a shed spiders skin.
The jay looks for insects and spiders on the greenhouse roof. The jay is a charismatic bird, a member of the crow family. It rarely spends more than a few seconds in any one place before sailing off to another.The bird sits making strange noises , piping, meowing and whistling little notes as well as the renown squawking.
