A number of these caterpillars are hanging onto vertical strands of wire along the Ormsaigbeg road. The Diary has tried to identify the species of moth or butterfly, without success. Does anyone know what it is, and can anyone explain why it seems to favour hanging out in full view on pieces of galvanised iron wire?
Photographing small birds in flight is difficult. This is the best The Diary could manage of the mass of sand martins circling above the quarry just above the Sanna turn, near the fire station. There must have been thirty or more of them, all very excited to be back after a long journey home from Africa.Meanwhile, Ricky Clark at Mingary reports seeing the first house martins and one swallow.
This photograph, taken on a grey Sunday morning looking south towards the telecommunications masts at Glengorm, shows a skein of geese moving north with the changing season.
And, on our visit to Sanna yesterday, we found the first thrift in flower on the rocks just above the high tide mark. From the number of buds on some of the clumps, this might be a vintage year for this amazing small flower.
Two people have now identified the caterpillar as that of the Drinker Moth (family Lasiocampidae, species Philudoria potatoria) which hibernates over winter. It is, I am told, often found in damp moorland and feeds on grasses and reeds. It is called "drinker" because it is thought to drink drops of dew - perhaps dew was running down the wire when the picture was taken.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to Hilary Hizzard and to Ricky Clark for the information.