Poplar Hawk-moth eggs hatch

Poplar Hawk-moth instar larva eating willow leaf

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

Following the reports of Long-tailed Blue sightings in Sussex that have been grabbing the headlines, I have a long-tailed story to tell. It started on August 21st when the Poplar Hawk-moth laid about 40 eggs in the container I used to show the kids at the Halewick Park, Lancing event (see previous post). I added willow leaves to the container so that the larva would have something to eat when they hatched, which they duly did on 28th. They were slim 9mm miniatures of the large Hawk-moth larvae we are used to seeing, with characteristic long tails. They ate part of their egg, then whizzed about the container but didn't feed on the leaves. I was worried, and added some weeping willow leaves. Then some goat willow. Finally they were feeding on all 3 varieties. I added some poplar leaves for good measure, and these went down very well. So far so good, my little ones seem content with drying leaves and are growing - 10mm now, a 10% increase in a few days! Not looking forward to their school and teenage years, when they will be demanding more space and more food... Moths have continued to flock to our balcony light including a female Orange Swift and a Cypress Pug.

Later I visited Kithurst meadow and enjoyed the view and butterflies.

Poplar Hawk-moth larva eating its egg, surrounded by unhatched eggs

Poplar Hawk-moth eating egg

Poplar Hawk-moth instar larva 9mm eating willow leaf, Laothoe populi

Poplar Hawk-moth eggs

Poplar Hawk-moth instar larva 9mm

Brimstone Moth, Opisthograptis luteolata

Chinese Character, Cilix glaucata

Common Wainscot, Mythimna pallens

Marbled Green, Cryphia muralis

Marbled Green

Narrow-winged Grey, Eudonia angustea

unidentified Noctuid moth

Shuttle-Shaped Dart, Agrotis puta

Square-spot Rustic, Xestia xanthographa

Vine's Rustic, Hoplodrina ambigua

Kithurst meadow

Kithurst meadow

Small White

underside of Common Wave

Cypress Pug, Eupithecia phoeniceata

Light Brown Apple Moth, Epiphyas postvittana

Setaceous Hebrew Character, Xestia c-nigrum

Hawthorn Shieldbug, Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale at Littlehampton west bank.