Moth Caterpillars

On our walk today we came across several caterpillars. Rob took photos of two of them:-

 Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar

White Ermine Moth Caterpillar

These both turn into beautiful moths that we had no idea were living in the area. The Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar feeds on willow herbs (of which we have plenty in the area) and the White Ermine Moth Caterpillar feeds on a variety of herbaceous plants.

Love Your Insects!

A gift guide inspired by our six-legged friends! These items and many more can be found at Folksy.com. Please click on the link under the picture to go to the item listing.

Ladybird lino print £9.95 by Tournesol Prints

The Insect Factory £29.95 by Wudwerx

Three Bees Mosaic Bird Bath £38.00 by JoSara

Pyrography Damselflies Keepsake Box £15.00 by Burning Desire

A Beetle Called Bug, Large Pendant Necklace £36.00 by Little Burrow Designs

To see the original Pinterest Board where these and other items are gathered, please visit Love Your Insects!

Eskdalemuir & Samye Ling

Today Rob and I went for a walk to Bessie's Hill Fort and surrounds in Eskdalemuir, followed by lunch at Samye Ling.

We saw lots of butterflies, moths, beetles and other insects. Rob made up this collage showing a small sample. Since the forestry commission cut down a lot of the pine trees in the area, lots of wild flowers have flourished in their place. (Click on the collage to see a larger version.)

Here are a few of the sights at Samye Ling, a monastery and Tibetan centre. The site seems to be ever expanding, but in a way that allows nature to survive, with large areas of wild flowers, plants, ponds and trees.

The restaurant serves soup, pannini, pasties, cakes, tray bakes etc. Rob had two small pasties: one with cheese and onion, one with spinach and feta. I had a bowl of soup with toast. It was a large bowl of spicy, thick, lentil and vegetable soup with two slices of toast - very tasty! We both had cappuccinos, which came with a small biscuit each. Good value for money at £9.40.

It is nice to wander around the grounds afterwards to see the prayer wheels and memorials for people and animals; the vegetable gardens, ponds and monuments. There is a shop where you can buy Buddist texts and music, dvds, art and craft work, incense, toiletries etc.

A Good Year For Insects?

Thanks to a warm, dry spring, and despite a wet summer, we seem to have a bumper crop of insects this year. We have seen lots of bees, hover flies and butterflies in our garden, and my parents ended up with a triple-sized swarm of honey bees in a hive in their garden.

The last photo was taken by Rob (my husband) this morning. You can see every hair and claw on this enormous bumble bee in the original close-up.

Photo 1 copyright Julia K Walton 2008
Photos 2 and 3 copyright Rob Walton 2009