I sincerely hope I haven't upset any of those folk who find orchids interesting Guy (including yourself) as that was never the intention. It is just that at the moment I think of them as just another attractive plant, but who knows, this time next year ........
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
, after all, if anyone had told me a couple of years ago I would be fascinated by cats and pupa (and moths), I would have laughed at them
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
. Each to his own, eh?!
I confess that I didn't realise that moth was a micro
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
After all, I don't like micros do I?
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
If I have to get a hand lens out to see them they are already at a disadvantage but that wasn't the case with this very smart moth - which leaves me to ponder, what characteristics define a micro and differentiate it from a macro, apart from size of course?
Thank you Goldie. I just wish I had more time for it but in between times I am thoroughly enjoying Neil's fabulous photos of the moths he is getting in his trap, especially the Puss moth. Your Slipper orchids look superb by the way and are not one I have ever knowingly seen.
Thanks for that ID Buggy - I did try looking it up without any success.
Well, Summer is here - cold, windy and very wet - so time for a quick update on the little'uns. The WA are not so little any more and must be on the brink of pupating but still eating as of this morning - a few shots:
12 May
22 May
24 May
Last night I brought the BH in for a closer check of how they were doing. I have used a sleeve for the first time and find it a tricky thing to remove to monitor the cats as it gets snagged on those thorns. I could see the leaves were being eaten (perhaps decimated would be a better word). Last time I looked I found 3 cats of different sizes but I quickly located 4 cats (there may be another one as I think all 5 eggs hatched). 3 looked fine but I am a little concerned about the 4th as I haven't seen one in this position before and the colour didn't look quite right:
Healthy cat
Diseased(?) cat
The tiny Ringlet that I found in a friend's garden in Chiddingfold is on vacation in Liphook to enable me to learn about its development. I have had it for 4 weeks now and it seems to be progressing as it should:
![P1820719ad.jpg (239.27 KiB) Viewed 556 times P1820719ad.jpg](./files/thumb_1095_61c4e5f3c2aaf45209c9fd0713bad764)
![P1840090ad.jpg (236.04 KiB) Viewed 556 times P1840090ad.jpg](./files/thumb_1095_9507e473808dbd55411b3f2a901972fe)
I had a slight panic this morning. In trying to keep these cats in an environment as natural as possible, I had given the Ringlet no protection against last night's heavy rain assuming that it would take cover in the (potted) grass where it has been living for the last few weeks. However, I have one of those 'pop-up' cages to protect cats. from birds and other predators. They are not well designed and have a covering of plastic across the top or bottom (depending on which way up it is) but ineffective either way. Last night was the night the Ringlet chose to stray from his potted grasses and also the night that water collected in a deep pool on the plastic in the bottom of the cage. At 5.30 am this morning I found a rather lifeless Ringlet floating in the water. I was gutted! In a short nightie that was rapidly getting soaked through I scooped the unfortunate creature out of the water but there was no sign of life
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
. I remembered an email Martin had sent me a couple of months back - I couldn't remember the context but I remembered him saying that cats can survive being submerged in water for a considerable period of time. I would probably have discarded the cat had it not been for this scrap of information but instead I brought him in, placed him in the warmth on some tissue and went to dry off and get a cup of tea. When I came back to check the cat was walking about!!!! More shots of him on a drier day and I'm afraid his activities (or wanderings) have been curtailed a little.