I found this caterpillar, which is about 5cm long, eating the leaves of a peony in my garden yesterday afternoon. I couldn't see any others on the same plant. Checking my books, it looks like the larva of a Peppered Moth. Comments please.
Yes, that's a Peppered Moth caterpillar. The colour seems to vary quite a lot, presumably based on what they choose to feed on, but the strangely cleft head and warty rear end are diagnostic. I've found them in the garden here at this time of year a couple of times, once on blackthorn (presumably fully grown at 7cm, so slightly larger than the sizes quoted in Porter) and once on birch. The latter was illustrated on the blog here:
Thanks Dave. I am pleased to have that confirmed, and I will submit the record to Martin with all my others in due course. I have had several Peppered Moths in my trap earlier in the year, so the sighting is perhaps not too surprising.
Hello John,
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a Peppered Moth caterpillar. The colour seems to vary quite a lot, presumably based on what they choose to feed on, but the strangely cleft head and warty rear end are diagnostic. I've found them in the garden here at this time of year a couple of times, once on blackthorn (presumably fully grown at 7cm, so slightly larger than the sizes quoted in Porter) and once on birch. The latter was illustrated on the blog here:
http://upperthamesmoths.blogspot.com/2016/09/quiet-everywhere.html
Thanks Dave. I am pleased to have that confirmed, and I will submit the record to Martin with all my others in due course. I have had several Peppered Moths in my trap earlier in the year, so the sighting is perhaps not too surprising.
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