Nature rather than football

Found this little chap on my fishing peg this morning.

 

I'm going for a Cabbage White caterpillar. Not exactly identical but the closest I can find.

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Those things are evil. Have destroyed my garden many times

 

I don't grow any brassicas so I get loads of Large Whites in the garden around the flowers but they all sod off elsewhere to actually lay their eggs

 

Probably over to Toss Saints' garden.

 

That's a Buff Tip caterpillar mate. Moth is incredibly well camouflaged like a snapped birch twig. The caterpillars feed on a number of bushes and trees including Oak.

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Most of the Whites in the garden are Green Viened ,Large or Small Whites. There are Marbled White which are striking. Species like the Bath Whites are rare.

Have had Jersey Tiger Moths in my garden the last 3 weeks. I had a Hummingbird Hawk Month in the garden this morning.

 

We have these on a site I worked on back in 2008. They are fascinating. They roll up like a twig.

 

Love a Hawk moth in general. My son found an elephant hawk moth caterpillar end of last summer just about to pupate. We kept it over the winter. Hatched all ok in May.

 

So it is WKS, not only do I bow to your greater knowledge but pleased too see that the eventual moth is far more exciting than the Cabbage White butterfly that I (rather amateurishly) suggested. Butterflies are beautiful but moths like the one above are fantastic creatures. 2nd only to the Cabbage White obviously.

 

Up until a few summers ago I had never seen a Hummingbird Hawkmoth here in the UK, and then only once in Greece. I guess like a lot of previous rarely seen creatures in the UK this is due to climate change or have they always been here?

I haven't seen a Tiger Moth since the First World War.

 

Summer visitor from Europe. Sometimes I see a lot, other years not so many.

 

I use to live in Peckham Rye, and there was a load of Jersey Tigers one year around 2007. Would fly in the day so easy to see. Hummingbird hawks depends on the year I think, but seen them down here over last few years.

 

Jersey tigers are all around south London at the moment. As well as this marbled white and six spot burnett.

 

I Like a marbled white, used to see on the Hampshire grasslands as a kid.

 

Was that the one being flown by your son?

 

Talking of Jersey tiger moths, my mate saw this one in the New Forest today

 

I have had Jersey Tigers in my garden for the kast three weeks. They used to be restricted to South Devon but are spreading due to client change. My aunt in Waddesdon had one in her garden 2 weeks ago. I think this is far north for them.

 

Ian
I think you might have been the person who suggested I download the app Seek.
I actually had the chance to use it today and it tells me that this little beauty is a Broad Scarlet.
The picture is a bit blurry owing to the downsizing of the image to put it on here.