This scary looking mini beast is a vapourer moth caterpillar. We found it on our butterfly bush and took a few pictures. The male moth of these caterpillars actually comes out during the day to feed, the females are flightless and look like hairy woodlice. The vapourer caterpillar can be found on most trees and […]
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Just seen one in my front Garden, Darlaston (W Mids)Never seen one before, seems to be on its own but in healthy condition.
Found one today on bedroom wall by open window!
Will release him on something I don’t mind him eating. Put him on a piece of paper and he hasn’t moved for the past twenty minutes whilst I identified him on the web.
Hi So glad we ain’t the only ones running around trying to identify this beautiful caterpillar. It’s fab & currently living on our Buddleia. Found Widnes 8th August. Does anyone know whether they are a symptom of global warming as so many of us have never seen them before?
Have been caterpillar watching for about 10 days now. It lives on a small apple tree and walks around quite a lot from end to end of the branches! Apparently always looking for a better leaf ! Birds will not attack it because of it’s bristles. Have watched it change its skin – it is now about one and a half inches long when fully distended. “Vapourer” Old English name for a ‘braggart’ or ‘show off’ because of the male’s lively flight down the hedgerows. As female is flightless she has to attract males by scent – or ‘vapours’ but this is not the reason for the name ! Quite a conversation piece where I live in a small Mews and all come and see it and chat about it. Will keep you posted !
Just found one on a bay hedge in my garden in Whitley Bay. I’ve never seen one before either.
From – Readers Digest Field Guide..Butterflies and other Insects 1984. Page 167. ‘Vapourer’ in 1782 meant a braggart, or loud mouthed talker. Perhaps from frantic fluttering flight. As female is flightless it attracts male by giving of a chemical signal – see ‘pheremones’ – which could loosely be called ‘Vapours’. A strange coincidence. I have been studying a caterpillar for over two weeks on an apple tree here. It has shed it’s skin at least once and is now about one and a half inches long when extended. It’s hairs can irritate and birds will not attack it.
Yes I have found this little “pest” eating it’s way through whats left of my Black Current bushes Having a lovely time they are. `i say `they as so far I have collected more than enough of them stripping the leafs off! I live near Swaffham in Norfolk You can all have some of mine if you want them free of charge. Max
Found lots on our Reeds in our Pond at work – they have made light work of them – lost count after 10.
We’ve found one just crawling across the patio in Farnham, Surrey. It is so strange looking! Not sure what they eat but will put a few leaves in with it and see if it has a preference!
I found this today, 23rd of August 2009 at 3:15pm on my rose bush in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. He is very lively.We found it very interesting looking for him on the web, we didn’t realise how many different tyes of caterpillars there are. My grandson is going to look after him, naming him spike.
I found one of these in my bedroom of all places! I’m guessing it came in off the wisteria. Like a lot of comments above it took me a while to identify. We have decided to keep him so the little ones can see the developement and within a day he has cocooned … not sure how long he will stay like this and really struggling to find any info!
Just found 2 of these caterpillars on my strawberry plants, just eating leaves at moment, will they eat the fruits that are now forming for a second time? Took me ages to identify, have never seen them before here in Suffolk
Happened to glance at the cheerful sunflower adorning my kitchen windowsill this evening & thought “What’s that hairy thing climbing all over it?” Happy to say the Vapourer Moth caterpillar Squatter is now residing very happily in a ventilated jar full of sunflower leaves, talk about living in a hotel, he’s even got his own room service!!!
Just found one of these amazing looking creatures on my kitchen window ledge. Thought it was some freak of nature when i first saw it. Truly amazing.
found a Caterpillar today crawling along my garden chair (near Great Yarmouth Norfolk) had to do a lot of searching to find out it was a Vapourer
I found one of these on our strawberrys a couple of weeks ago and doesn’t seem to be doing too much damage compared to the cabbage whites. Came across this site looking for a picture of elephant hawk moth caterpillar which is huge. Farnham Surrey
Sept 27th September. Stevenage, Herts.
Found one of these munching its way (very successfully I might add) through a ground cover potentilla . Never seen one before , tried to take some pics but were too blurred.
june 6th 2010, blandford, dorset
found one of these nibbling away at my climbing rose
first one I’ve ever seen! beautiful!
Found two of these on our roses. We put them in a ventilated container for my son to show them in school but they cocooned themselves within 24 hours. Anyone know how long they will stay like this?
I found these last year on my apple trees. I was, as most of you are, really keen on them and let them just get on with it thinking it is only fair to share.
Well, they munched their way through both trees, nearly killing them off!! So this year it is WAR! I can’t bring myself to kill them (being a veggie and nature lover but to be honest, I am not far off at this point) so put them in the council compost bin.
They are on both apple trees and I have found them on my hollyhocks as well now :(.
I spent some time researching them (quite some time) and found that the flightless female stays on the tree but is really well camouflaged so you cant find it and so are basically b*ggered!
So, if you see one – GET RID OF IT FAST!!!Before they eat your whole garden!
Found one of these chaps in my garden eating my strawberry plant leaves yesterday 26 July 2010. Not seen one before. We live near Nottingham. After reading Miriam’s message perhaps I should take him off somewhere so he and his offspring do not munch on the rest of my plants??