My Puss Moth caterpillars are starting to hatch out!
They are feisty little creatures armed with tails that are about as long as their bodies which they lash about when approached. It is a defensive mechanism against parasitic ichneumon wasps.
I am delighted that they’re hatching but I’m a bit concerned about feeding them. Willow trees seem to be few and far between in the west end of Dundee.
I had to go down to Magdalen Green to look for one. Finally I found a rather sad goat willow near the allotments and had to fight my way through waist high nettles.
The things I do for caterpillars.
I just found one in my hair. #caterpillar catastrophe