feersum beastie

This is the caterpillar of the pale tussock moth (see link for earlier post showing the moth). The colours are striking and serve to warn predators that they are distasteful to eat. At this time of the year they are about to spin strong double shelled cocoons and then hibernate over winter before emrging as adult moths in May and June. There is always something new to see!

wild life

On Penny's Piece this morning

autumn is upon us

Autumn is here even though it is warm and sunny.  Early in the morning the mist lends a mysterious feel to the lane. Meanwhile stinkhorns are out. When they first emerge the head is covered in a glistening grey green slimy skin. It has a very pungent smell which attracts flies. This one was covered in blue flies, many of which flew away at the approach of the camera lens, but enough remained to illustrate how effective this method of spore dispersal is.

moulty

Something that caught our eye this morning was seed heads of grass bent over by silk. As can be seen in the bottom picture the cast-off shell of a spider is attached to the web on the outside, and inside the silk cocoon one can see the tips of the legs of the previous owner (I guess) in its new skin. I am not sure whether this is for protection from predators while the exoskeleton hardens or some sort of devious spider trap.

it's just not cricket

the top picture is of water crickets (Velia caprai, see link) bombing around. They can travel faster by spitting on the surface of the water. They also make ripples that are relatively huge given their diminutive size. Below a water cricket has been caught by a spider that appears to be able to walk on water.

done buzzin

This cold damp bumblebee was found this morning hanging by one foot from a scabious seed head, about to fall stuporose into the meadow grass below and be consumed by the many small predators there-in. Foraging bumblebees often run out of fuel like this especially first thing on colder mornings. In its dopey state it was easy enough to move the bee to a fresh flower head, where it quickly started feeding and refuelling to start another day's work.