Wildlife Autumn 2007 (spring wildlife Down Under)

[Lesley Cox]

No, it wasn't but whoever he is, give him my best wishes for an accurate throw, if he's likely to be in on the act.

The egg was probably in the Osama costume when he was arrested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chas_Licciardello

Oh, THAT Chas Licciardello

[mark smyth]

I took these shots of Small Tortoiseshells in the garden. Every flower head of Verbena seems to have a butterfly feeding

[mark smyth]

So who ate this Colchicum? Guilty Wood louse was present but did a runner

and an acrobatic Sawfly ?caterpillar

[mark smyth]

Here is a Garden spider that scares me too! Last weekend I was out taking photos in the garden in my shorts. They have ties hanging on the side and they were moving even when I was standing still. A Garden spider was climbing my leg!!!!!!!

and while tidying Colchicum autumnale for photo this moth fall out. It's a Yellow Underwing who's caterpillar sleeps under ground during day and emerges at night to eat choice plants

[Gerdk]

Mark,
to the colchicum: what's about slugs?  My late friend Bernd Wetzel who cultivated a lot of colchicums told me that they (small black ones) have a preference for these plants. They are able to creep deep into the ground.

Gerd

[Maggi Young]

Yes, Gerd, and those slugs will eat orchid tubers as well if they can.

And as for Mark's pretty moth... their caterpillars will eat everything if they get a chance! Ian prowls about in the dark, muttering about nocturnal caterpillars... he hates 'em with a vengeance.

[Martin Baxendale]

I've seen small black slugs eating colchicums too, Mark. They also eat snowdrop flowers and buds in the winter if it's mild (lots of such damage last year). 

[illingworth]

This sphinx moth has been appearing nightly at dusk. The white phlox seems to be their favourite. The darker it gets the more tolerant they are of the camera's flash

[Lesley Cox]

What a beauty is the sphinx moth - such lovely colours and patterns. Whatever the caterpillar eats, I don't think I'd be unhappy to have a few around.

[Maggi Young]

The sphinx moth is very beautiful, I have never seen one.

 Lesley, what if the caterpillars ate Junos??

[Martin Baxendale]

Lesley, since you mentioned George W. and the APEC conference; just read a newspaper report today from the start of the conference - George W. kicking it off by thanking the Australian P.M. for being such a good host for the OPEC (!) conference, thanking him for the efforts made in Iraq by his Austrian (!) troops, and then walking off the stage the wrong way, only to be sent back the right way by the Australian P.M.

                   

[Martin Baxendale]

I just hope George W. doesn't spot the launch codes on his desk some day and decide to order Chinese (launch codes - lunch codes - Chinese...oh, suit yourselves.)

[Rob]

I went to the Cotswold Wildlife Park last week and took this photo of a penguin getting it's lunch

The other two shots show an out of focus orange blob which was a hornet, taken at the wildlife park. It didn't settle and flew off when it saw me pointing a camera in that direction

[David Nicholson]

I just hope George W. doesn't spot the launch codes on his desk some day and decide to order Chinese (launch codes - lunch codes - Chinese...oh, suit yourselves.)

 

[mark smyth]

nearly killed myself tonight - a few minutes ago! Driving home from a bat survey a House Spider walked on to the inside of the wind screen. I had to do an emergency stop and jump out