Wildlife in the garden - Spring and what is this bird?

[Yorkshire Dave]

Bearing in mind that evolution dictates that everything has a specific purpose, I cannot for the life of me work out why these caterpillars have such ornate - and quite beautiful markings along their flanks...

As with most insects (and other species) it will be evolution, as you've stated, primarly to camouflage themselves from predators. Unlike humans, insects generally have limited eyesight and colour vision, and also see in different light wavelengths/spectra - even those beyond ours (UV/IR). In effect they have inbuilt colour filters. What appears to be vivid green to us may appear to other species as another other colour to blend in with the background and/or acentuate the markings as a warning. It will be the colour and shape contrast in the markings they see within their visible light wavelength/spectra to recognise each other.

The closest analagy I can think of is applying colour filters to a camera to enhance colours and contrasts. e.g. orange filter with B&W film to enhance the cloud/sky contrast.

 

[djparkins]

As with most insects (and other species) it will be evolution, as you've stated, primarly to camouflage themselves from predators. Unlike humans, insects generally have limited eyesight and colour vision, and also see in different light wavelengths/spectra - even those beyond ours (UV/IR). In effect they have inbuilt colour filters. What appears to be vivid green to us may appear to other species as another other colour to blend in with the background and/or acentuate the markings as a warning. It will be the colour and shape contrast in the markings they see within their visible light wavelength/spectra to recognise each other.

The closest analagy I can think of is applying colour filters to a camera to enhance colours and contrasts. e.g. orange filter with B&W film to enhance the cloud/sky contrast.

I would say that was very well put.

When I was charged with looking after rattlesnakes for some years, you [quickly!] learn't that they see the world very differently to you - more like the manner in which the alien in the fim 'Predator' sees things - and they are at an absolute advantage to you in darkness or low light! Their loreal pits [or heat sensors] have been the subject of much study in the past, not least by the American military.

You also learn that if carrying them in a knapsack, you do NOT to let the sack touch your leg. They will sense your body heat and can accurately strike through the cotton. Remarkable creatures though.

Funnily enough I survived over two decades of being around rattlers without ever being bitten once, then I moved to Wales where I got bitten in my own garden by a young adder! You couldn't make it up. I recognised it as a 'dry' bite, where the muscles that control the venom sack are not fully activated [about one in five bites are that way] and so just rested and bathed the wound continusly. No treatment required and was fine by the evening, though I still had the two puncture wounds to 'dine out' on!

We have both adders and grass snakes on the land here, plus common lizards and slow worms.

 

[40057]

Privet and lilac are both in the oleaceae, the olive family. I think privet is the only British native in this family, so maybe this hawk moth is happy with other relatives of privet, but only privet is available in the UK, except in gardens. Just speculation on my part as I know nothing about this moth.

No Simon, the spike thing is not dangerous at all, but presumably nature designed it to look as if it is! It fooled you didn't it?!

Bearing in mind that evolution dictates that everything has a specific purpose, I cannot for the life of me work out why these caterpillars have such ornate - and quite beautiful markings along their flanks...

View attachment 194252

Apologies that the image is slightly out of focus, but I was photographing the animal's feet, and trying to capture the tiny little hairs around its "velcro" pads! (Never mind NASA, sometimes we think we are so clever at inventing stuff - but it had been done well before we came along!)

I do have plenty of better pictures, but they are on a CD... "somewhere"!

Pete.

PS., By the way, I nearly forgot to mention that these beasties, although usually found feeding on Privet, they also have a taste for Lilac.

 

[40057]

A common darter dragonfly in our garden this morning:



He (it’s a male, from the colour) has been around our pond for several days now so has presumably set up his territory here. There is a very good site for damselflies and dragonflies a couple of miles from us (at least six species) so we do get a variety of occasional visitors. Only large red damselflies however have established and breed in our pond. I’m hoping a female common darter comes to visit …

 

[Dai88D]

Couple of moth photos. The adult is , I believe, a Box Moth - the type that is causing Box blight. This is the first I’ve seen, and this was on hols in Suffolk. The second photo - looks really bizarre— is the caterpillar of the Pale Tussock Moth, spotted on the doorstep of our potting shed ( in upper Calderdale). This was looking fir somewhere to pupate, so I put it somewhere more appropriate, and where it wouldn’t get trodden on.

 

[steve50]

Does anyone know what this Dragonfly could be? The first one I've ever seen in my garden, I put it down to all the insects on and around the Ragwort I've had growing

 

[40057]

Does anyone know what this Dragonfly could be? The first one I've ever seen in my garden, I put it down to all the insects on and around the Ragwort I've had growing

View attachment 197009

Difficult to judge the size, but I think a female common darter — see my post above on 10 September.

 

[simond]

No photos I’m afraid, MrsD & I were assisting at a cross country equestrian event in the grounds of Chilham Castle last Sunday. It is a lovely place to simply be, with the horses arriving irregularly (with, occasionally without, rider) to add to the entertainment provided by some quite large dragonflies - I’d estimate 100mm or longer.

I was surprised how many there were, and by how little bird life we saw.

 

[Dai88D]

There’s been loads (scientific measure) of dragonflies this year. Marvellous insects.

 

[oldravendale]

Funnily enough we've had loadsa (another scientific measurement basically x10) of 'em this year. Previously we've had a lot of Emperors but this year lots of common (Mrs D doesn't appreciate common) but nevertheless beautiful darters. This one was this afternoon.

Brian

 

[steve50]

Difficult to judge the size, but I think a female common darter — see my post above on 10 September.

Thank you

 

[Dog Star]

Judging by the village FB group we are blessed with a growing population of Hedgehogs and that is how I see visits to our garden in the past month or so.

The first photos are of an unexpected visit at about 6pm on a dry and warm day... repeated the next day.











Smudge finds them, runs around for a while and then drops them at our feet. About 9/30, not sure which way is up for this adult. After about ten minutes the hog uncurls and walks away as if being given a lift by a Golden is an everyday occurence.



regards, Graham

 

[Dai88D]

That’s fantastic. Would love to see a hedgehog again, the closest I’ve got is where a model railway show had a hedgehog adoption stall! They wouldn’t let me adopt one because my postcode indicated too many badgers for a successful adoption.

 

[Genghis]

Not exactly my garden, but my walk yesterday morning was halted by this couple blocking the path.




A pair of Formosan Macaques. The big boy on the left was quite a lot larger than any I had seen before. I was held up for about 10 minutes. It was only a couple coming the other way bashing a big stick on the ground that made enough noise for them to stop their mutual grooming. Plenty of warning notices - in Chinese and English - warning people to take care as the macaques can be quite dangerous.

 

[40057]

No actual wildlife, and it ain’t September anymore. But most appropriate here. Frost this morning on dwarf Rhododendrons in our garden:



The larger leaves in the centre of the photo are Rhododendron chamaethomsonii. The frost is rather beautiful, but I also like the neat repeating pattern of the whorls of leaves that Rhododendrons have. They decorate the garden all year, not just when in flower. In this photo there are six different species/varieties, all with slightly different leaf shapes:



And in a few months time we will have this:



The red one on the left is R. chamaethomsonii.

 

[Dai88D]

In our area,(Upper Calderdale) we have recent sightings of redwings and waxwings BUT the real one-off is a Gyr Falcon. I saw it, and other people have put up good photos of it eating a Barn Owl. Looks like it has gone now.Has a ring on its leg, and the remains of a tether; but there have been no reports of escapees from collections, etc.

 

[40057]

The low sun angle at this time of year makes for some wonderful lighting. This is the rowan at the bottom of our garden as seen from our kitchen window a few minutes ago:

 

[Jordan]

After about ten minutes the hog uncurls and walks away as if being given a lift by a Golden is an everyday occurence.

How do you know it isn't?

 

[Osgood]

Flippin' glad it wasn't getting dark when we walked around this wood yesterday (not far from the S7 wheel re-profiler)

 

[Dog Star]

How do you know it isn't?

I do not... I cannot speak "Spiky" and the hog cannot speak "Human". All I can tell you is that occasionally Smudge finds the same (?) Hog at about the same time on succesive nights, which kind of says that your thinking is correct.