Garden birds and insects

[Bugtownboy]

Given the incredibly dry Spring, and current warm weather, don’t forget to leave some accessible water for your local birds.

Also, insects, particularly pollinators, like a shallow, rough sided container, to have a drink too.

[Fueltheburn]

Scotland has an unprecedented amount of insects this year. The early summer has kicked off everything including early strawberries.

[AGT]

Yes, my local farmer has his nice strawberries in his shop at the moment, blueberrries too.

[Stinsy]

I put up a "bee hotel" a few years ago. It normally receives the odd visitor. However this year it is full!

[AE-NMidlands]

Spindle Ermine moth caterpillars have completely defoliated our bush, they are on their way down into the ground to pupate now:

Ghost2r.jpg (236.72 KiB) Viewed 199 times

Caterpillars2.JPG (313.33 KiB) Viewed 199 times

[richbee]

Spindle Ermine moth caterpillars have completely defoliated our bush, they are on their way down into the ground to pupate now:Ghost2r.jpg

Caterpillars2.JPG

Wow!
You need some signs for the birds saying "all you can eat buffet"!

[AE-NMidlands]

Spindle Ermine moth caterpillars have completely defoliated our bush, they are on their way down into the ground to pupate now:Ghost2r.jpg

Caterpillars2.JPG

Wow!
You need some signs for the birds saying "all you can eat buffet"!

I assumed that as they have the tent to protect them in the bush they would be a) not poisonous and b) vulnerable to birds. As we have robins, blue tits and blackbirds in the garden I'm surprised that they haven't been hoovered up.

[Bugtownboy]

It’s interesting which plants you have that support particular butterflies or moths.

We have a healthy crop of Alkanet, which is an invasive weed. We leave pockets of it as it supports our colony of Scarlet Tiger Moths.

Similarly, we leave some Ragwort in the wild flower parts of the lawn.

It is the food plant of Cinnabar Moth caterpillars - the alkaloid present in Ragwort imparts its ‘poison’ to the caterpillars, protecting them from predation.

[AE-NMidlands]

We have figwort as a weed, which we suspect arrived in birdseed... It supports the Mullein moth caterpillar which is quite eye-catching
https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/cucu ... sci/larva/
so we tolerate it in some places. Also have a small brightly coloured moth where we have mint and marjoram, it might be https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/pyrausta-aurata/ but 18-20mm seems a bit big for them.

p.s. I should have mentioned the parsnip moth, don't know what the adult is like but the caterpilars are fun. If you let them run round your hand you get a strong smell of parsnips on your skin.

[Bugtownboy]

We have Mint Moth frequenting the mint too - always good to see what your plants, including ‘weeds’ support before removing them.

The most impressive moth we regularly get, and probably my favourite, is the Humming Bird Hawkmoth.