Help please with a Caterpillar ...

[Mike Robinson]

Sorry to bother again but I saw this character earlier today on the Erith Marshes (by the tidal Thames).

I'm thinking she/he might be a Moth?

As always, a milllion thanks in advance.

Mike …..

[Trev Sawyer]

Hi Mike,
That's definitely a Lackey Moth caterpillar... Takes me back to my youth when I used to see loads of these crawling around on trees near my school. If you could see the front end of the caterpillar you would see it has a blue head with what look like black eyes. A bit like Dougal from the Magic Roundabout

Trev

[Mike Robinson]

Trev,

Hello; thanks very much.

An extraordinary looking head!

Kind regards ~ Mike …..

[Padfield]

They do have an extraordinary head - they look like a cross between Dougal from the Magic Roundabout and Thomas the Tank Engine:

http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.ph ... d=13168157

But I can't quite work out your picture, which looks more like a crocodile cross ...

Guy

[Vince Massimo]

Unmistakable

Mill Hill, Sussex 2-June-2010

[David M]

They do have an extraordinary head - they look like a cross between Dougal from the Magic Roundabout and Thomas the Tank Engine

You won't find that description in a text book, but I'm sure most of us know exactly what you mean.

[Pete Eeles]

They do have an extraordinary head - they look like a cross between Dougal from the Magic Roundabout and Thomas the Tank Engine

You won't find that description in a text book, but I'm sure most of us know exactly what you mean.

Indeed!



Cheers,

- Pete

[Mikhail]

Hold your horses, this is the rarer Ground Lackey Malacosoma castrensis, a denizen of salt marshes in this country, including the north Kent marshes. It differs from the Lackey in feeding on herbaceous plants rather than trees and shrubs.

M.

[Mike Robinson]

M. Sorry but I have only just noticed your kind reply.
Thanks …..