Uh oh, is this trouble?

[onefivenine]

Thought I saw some sap or a bird dropping near the bottom of my growhouse's door hinge, but looked closely and it's got me paranoid now...



I take it it's not a friend? Can anyone ID it for me?

I can't spot a match in my Collins Insect field guide I think cos its just emerging from its gloop, plus I'm no expert at these things.

What should I do with it?!

[FionaH]

It looks like the caterpillers i found at the weekend, my mate told me their name today but I cant remember it! Its my age I think

[onefivenine]

Well I've taken no chances and removed him from the scene of any potential crimes pending sentencing.

(He's sitting on my hand trowel - so I had to take a few macro shots of him )

3x magnification


4x magnification


5x magnification


Those jaws look a bit worrying!

[RedThorn]

brilliant photos there !

[FionaH]

I dont have pictures but imagine leaves with lots of large holes

[Creemteez]

Judging by the size of him, I'd suggest roast today, cutlets tomorrow and maybe a thin but nourishing soup made with the carcass for Wednesday! Did you HAVE to take such close ups? Close up pictures of bugs freak me out!

[onefivenine]

RedThorn, thanks.

FionaH - yes I think it's time he was somehere else before he starts onmy sweet peas and everythingthat's about to sprout. I'm off to deposited him down the road in some overgrown waste ground. (Don't fancy squishing him!)

LOL CreemTeez - he's only about 20mm long. Sorry for the scary images but I love taking macro photos of bugs. That's why I can't bring myself to squish him.

[janeyo]

I know 3 chickens who would have loved to pull him apart for you

[Snadger]

If that thing was the size of a man I certainly wouldn't be picking any fights with it!

Brilliant photos btw..........maybe you should give up gardening and follow a path of wildlife filming...you'd make a fortune!

[Alice]

No idea what it is, but great pics,
I think I would take him far, far away.

[stevemac]

Great photos!

What camera / set up do you have?I love the idea of macro photography but my Panasonic x18 zoom is not up to much at macro.

[onefivenine]

janeyo there wouldn't be much to share between 3 chickens!

Thanks snadger, Alice, for the compliments

stevemac - thanks I use a Canon dSLR and a dedicated macro lens (MP-E 65mm) which does 1x-5x lifesize magnification. It's useless for anything else though - it's got no autofocus and you can't photograph anything bigger than say a 50p coin with it.

I expect I'll be posting more bug shots as I discover them and panic about them chewing up my veg and plants

[Eyren]

It looks like some kind of noctuid moth caterpillar, quite possibly an Angle Shades since they overwinter. If so, it feeds on a wide variety of plants, so not terribly welcome on the plot. Put it out somewhere that the birds will find it

Royal Horticultural Society - Advice: Angle Shades Moth