Sunday 10 April 2011

Drinker moth

I found this fine hairy fellow in the garden this afternoon. I had to bring it indoors to photograph it as all it wanted to do was curl up and hide itself among the grass. The caterpillars of this moth appear in August and feed on various grasses until the weather turns cold, when they burrow down to hibernate in the bases of grass tussocks. They re-emerge about now and carry on feeding until June, when they pupate and hatch into quite a large pale brown moth (5-6 cm wingspan).
Malcolm

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