Hummingbird Hawkmoth
29th July 2006, SaturdayThe small patch of Lady’s Bedstraw in my garden at Westfield is currently supporting 5 fine larvae! I first checked the plants 10 days ago without success, after finding my first ever larva of HBHM on Lady’s Bedstraw in Surrey!  Then, today, my wife reported seeing a hornet in the garden yesterday, feeding on the remains of a large green caterpillar on the path – right next to the Ladies Bedstraw plants!  I immediately suspected HBHM and bingo! quickly found 5 larvae, plus the evidence of a well-eaten stem without caterpillar, but plenty of large droppings underneath.  There really must have been 6! I also saw what was probably the same hornet patrolling over the same plants, but luckily failing to detect another caterpillar before flying off again. After a good number of sightings of the moth earlier in the year, I think we should expect a bumper autumn.
Ralph HobbsÂ
Wild Hastings
wildRye
