Caterpillars get ready

Down at Watermead changes are happening. Alongside the new bridge that has been put in life is going through its own changes. In the meadows caterpillars are munching their way to adulthood. The caterpillar and moth above are both Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae). Both can be seen down at Watermead.

This pair of photos shows the caterpillar and butterfly of the Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) taken down at Watermead. It is a little early in the season to sea the butterflies so the adult picture is one from a couple of years ago. The caterpillar was heading away from its stinging nettle food supply to pupate somewhere safe. With this going on you can't doubt that summer is well and truly here!

Animals that react to the bigascope

Most people that like watching wildlife generally do not want to disturb what they are looking at. Many nature seekers are filled with disgust when they come across some litter or witness an unchecked child being cruel to some small creature. A couple of years ago I saw this beautiful White Ermine moth (Spilosoma lubricipeda) down in Devon. I photographed it and looked at it closely for a little while. I marvelled at its beauty. It was astonishing, better than any work of art I had seen. Then a curiosity pushed me to give it a prod with my finger. I don't know why, but some primordial instinct drove me to touch the creature. Upon doing so the lovely little animal became startled and flew blindly into the dirty web of a house spider. Before I could do anything the large dark monster had engulfed its prey. I could see it injecting its liquefying poison into the creature that a couple of seconds before had been a priceless work of art. I felt bad. No, I felt awful. Nobody around me seemed to understand why I was so cut up about a spider eating a moth. But the point was, that I had caused it. Accidentally, yes, but it was me that made the moth fly. That horrible moment has stayed with me through the years.

Whilst out with the bigascope I always try to leave the creature I am studying undisturbed. Some creatures however seem to be aware of the great big lens from the sky that is now looking at them like some strange alien intelligence. The Speckled Bush-Cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima) above didn't seem to like the bigascope. Every time I moved closer, the cricket moved further away. The only time I could sneak up on the cricket was in its blind spot, directly behind him. So I have lots of footage of the crickets bottom, but not much else. On the other hand this slightly disturbed Ground beetle (Carabidae) is trying to find somewhere dark. For a ground beetle dark places means safe places. Whilst being filmed by the bigascope, the darkest place is in the direction of the bigascope and so the beetle chased the camera around my conservatory.

Hot weather favours creatures of the night

You wouldn't think that the wildlife would enjoy this heat. Some species do not seem to enjoy it. The air is very quiet and there doesn't seem to be any birds around. Some species are taking the opportunity to dart about without having to worry about being eaten but the majority of creatures are just biding their time in the undergrowth. Waiting, that is, for the fall of darkness. This week I had a look at what was emerging from a nearby garden at dusk after a very hot day.

This is a video of a moth called The Gothic or Naenia typica (thanks to users JRsbugs and Adam Cheeseman at Wild About Britain for the ID). You may wonder what it is doing. This behaviour isn't usually observed by us as it normally happens faster than we can see. Here slowed down you can see the moth warming its muscles and preparing to fly. Since moths are cold blooded many require a warming up period before night time flights.

Ever wondered how pond animals got into the pond in the first place? Many people do not realise that a large number of the things in their ponds go walkies at night. This is how an empty pond becomes colonised in months. It is simply discovered by creatures looking for a nice place to live. This photo here shows a Great Ramshorn pond snail or Planorbarius corneus going for a wander.

Taking advantage of those taking advantage were nocturnal predators like this Common Frog or Rana temporaria. Whilst pond creatures are slowly wandering and moths are doing warm up exercises why not nip out for a bite to eat? This frog certainly enjoys a good takeaway.