![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/iriscataurelian12thapril2012b.jpg)
He must be very hungry by now but is wisely biding his time. Although sallows in the sun are in full leaf now, his shady twig has only tight leaf buds on it:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/iriscataurelian12thapril2012a.jpg)
The seed heads visible beyond him are on the same tree but in the sun (when the sun shines, that is). In close-up they look like this:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/sallow12april2012a.jpg)
The leaves are still furled but the bracts are open - I have no idea if iris cats will eat bracts if they are hungry but I suspect they would.
I live at 1000m. My local quercus eggs are still unhatched, unlike those I found in Suffolk, which were all hatched:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/quercusegg1207.jpg)
It was such a gloomy day today I couldn't manoeuvre that egg into a bright, well-lit angle for a photo.
The betulae eggs are also wisely waiting. This picture shows the condition of the blackthorn at this altitude - flower and leaf buds both still closed but poised for action.
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/betulaeegghuemoz1209.jpg)
I know from past observation that as soon as the leaf buds open the eggs hatch and the larvae zoom out along the twigs to the fresh leaves. If this one goes along the twig at whose base it is laid it will be very well placed for me to get good photos, but it may go up along the branch to denser leaf clusters. Brown hairstreaks are quite mobile as caterpillars and the same individual takes a lot of locating even when you check up every day.
The forecast is for rain, cold, cloud and snow for the foreseeable future.
Guy