Wildlife July 2010

[mark smyth]

yes probably minerals

Swifts are almost ready to go  3 months goes by way too fast. I have one chick left that will fledge today

[angie]

Swallows are back this time at my back door...I think it must be a bit to late to start making a new nest but maybe they have heard that property prices are on the way up.

Angie

[mark smyth]

now that is a muddy face!

Loads of time for a nest and rear 5 before heading off. You could give them a helping hand with one of these
http://www.jacobijayne.co.uk/nest-boxes-by-species/swallow/

and can I say I'm jealousIf there weren't so many bad boys around here I would take the window out of the shed door

[angie]

Hi Mark, thanks for the web page on nests I will order a couple. I didn't think that there would be enough time for the birds to have young but that is good news. My husband said wait till you have all that mess at your back door but I replied quickly we do have a front door that we can use...I am just happy that after 16 years I finally have swallows nesting at my home

Angie

[mark smyth]

25 years ago there were house martins on this house but sadly they decided not to come back. I must put up a few martin nests

[Gunilla]

What will this caterpillar grow into, I wonder ? 

[angie]

Something scary 

Angie

[mark smyth]

no, something beautiful. It's a long time since I've seen the caterpillar or adult
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&source=hp&q=elephant+hawk+moth&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=497da1a602dcd554

[Anthony Darby]

The left picture in the link is Deilephila porcellus, the small elephant hawk. Get yourself a moth trap Mark and you'll see plenty of moths in June. The caterpillars can also be found on fuchsia. The small elephant hawk feeds on bedstraws.

[Gunilla]

What a fascinating transformation.  I will look out for this beautiful moth   

[Lesley Cox]

I think the Elephant hawkmoth caterpillar looks quite bashful, with those lovely big eye spots and almost a smile.

The Emperor moth caterpillar is beautiful - very classy.

[mark smyth]

Get yourself a moth trap Mark and you'll see plenty of moths in June.

Anthony I went to a moth night in June this year that failed. I went to another one where 25 species were caught but mainly small moths and masses of lough Neagh flies. Maybe I can borrow one. Do you go out 'hunting'?

[angie]

Yes Mark you are right, quite beautiful, I am a bit scared of creepy crawly things.

Angie

[Anthony Darby]

Get yourself a moth trap Mark and you'll see plenty of moths in June.

Anthony I went to a moth night in June this year that failed. I went to another one where 25 species were caught but mainly small moths and masses of lough Neagh flies. Maybe I can borrow one. Do you go out 'hunting'?

I don't go out hunting moths Mark, although I do have a couple of moth traps. The big trap (Robinson MV I got in 1971) I used to use a lot in the garden, but it has a 125W MV bulb! I was invited to take it along to a butterfly orchid meadow in Fife to trap pollinating moths by Roy Sexton. We caught a silver-Y with pollinia attached to its eyes!

[ArnoldT]

So, here's what came out of the Black swallowtail chrysalis