weird bug i.d please

[veggielover]

Wish i could post pic but they have all come out too blurry....... its a weird catapiller like thing with horns, mainly black with a kinda red streak, its also furry........ any ideas? it was on my blackberry bush.

Something else on my blackberry bush this morning which i'm pleased to see, a nice fat bumble bee

Oh and spotted a ladybird yesterday...... although not in my garden

[burnie]

Probably one of the Hawk Moths,though they're not normally hairy,possibly one of the Dagger Moths.

[Plot17B]

Hi,
i'm wondering if it's a ladybird larvae. They are black, spikey and have red markings. They are not very furry though! See if it looks anything like one of these.....

http://www.harlequin-survey.org/imag...oney_large.jpg

Cheers
P17B

[PaulG]

Great set of pics Here, hopefully you will be able to identify it from them.

[veggielover]

looking at the pictures, i think it could have been a puss moth.........

[PaulG]

By your description i had guessed it to be a Scarce Vapourer.

[veggielover]

PaulG....... thats it!!!! thats exactly what it was......... lol i googled it and pic is identical.

[shirlthegirl43]

PaulG what a brilliant link - thank you very much for that.

[veggielover]

it seems i'm quite honoured to have found this in my little back garden....... rare in this country. Now i need to put it in a container and take it to the local playing fields where it can live happily on the wild blackberry bushes.......... instead of on mine!!!

[PaulG]

From what i saw the only place they are not really considered so rare is the Norfolk Marshes, otherwise it is very rare to see them. Always good to be careful handling hairy ones as many of them cause allergic reactions when handled. I think maybe you had seen the right one on that pic when you decided on Puss Moth but just got the labelling wrong, the Scarce Vapourer is right next to the Puss Moth in that particular set of pics.

Shirl, i am just glad its going to help people, being a beach fisherman i have spent a fair bit of time searching for ids on different fish etc, when looking for the particular caterpillar from its description it took about 8 differently worded search attempts before that link was thrown up, it seems an ideal place for starting any further searches.

[vikkib]

Hi,
i'm wondering if it's a ladybird larvae. They are black, spikey and have red markings. They are not very furry though! See if it looks anything like one of these.....

http://www.harlequin-survey.org/imag...oney_large.jpg

Cheers
P17B

Doh! I flicked one of those off of my mange tout the other day thinking it was some evil caterpillar that was going to munch the leaves.

Must think before I flick or squish - I was feeling persecuted though as a result in the slug and snail attacks I've recently suffered!