Something is nibbling my nuts!

Well, not the nuts, but the leaves of one of the hazels...
they are caterpillars of the Buff-tip moth [Phalera bucephala] la Bucéphale...
and they were decimating the leaves of one filbert.
just the one, mind... the greenest leaved one!!

Just a few here....

Pauline spotted them as she harvested the nuts... they were quite visible...
these yellow-and-black striped, silver haired caterpillars live gregariously...
and feed on a number of different deciduous trees*...
sometimes, as on our hazel, defoliating entire branches.
"Wiki" seems to think that it is only gregarious when young...
but these were large caterpillars... around two and a half inches long and a quarter of an inch thick.
I knocked the branches they were on and collected them in a plastic box...
and then 'broadcast' them at the "hazel beyond the brambles"....

at the bottom corner of the verger...
[the one we can't get at to pick]
They can decimate that to their hearts content...
but they can leave my nuts alone!!

Which end is which?

I knew the moth well, having seen it many times...
and have even seen it here...

Buff-tip...  or dead twig? [Click on this picture to enlarge it and see the real beauty of the scales.]

and as can be seen from the picture above it looks fairly like a broken bit of twig.

The buff ends look like rotten wood and the silver-grey between like a silvery bark...
all the books liken this to Silver Birch...
but around here, I would reckon this is better on dead Poplar....
in fact, a damn sight more successful...
Silver Birch branches up to about three-quarters of an inch diameter are usually a dull, mid-brown colour!
Dead Poplar branches become silvery-grey at quite small diameters.
As do those of Ash!!

Team strippers in action...

The adults fly June and July...
and their caterpillars can be found between July and October on....
*and this is based on the "Wiki" list...

Norway Maple... down by the river
Field Maple... everywhere
Birch... we've planted some
Hazel... yes, well!!
Laburnum... not around here... not ever!
Lime... in the front garden
Poplar sp... just a few... thousand
Prunus sp... mainly Blackthorn... then there are our plums, etc.
Oak... yes, plenty...
Robinia... NO! Never...
Rose... plenty
Willow... eighteen species here...
Elm... mostly Wych Elm in the hedges
Viburnum... we've planted V.opulus for the birds [and Autumn colour]

so there's plenty of other plants for Buffy to eat!!

Most sources give the wingspan as 42-56 mm [except "Wiki"... 55 to 68mm?]
and the caterpillar 65-75mm [2.5 to 3 inches]

The tail-end view of a bunch... the middle one is wearing a bandit mask... and well it should!!

The Wildlife Trusts gives the following information...

"The Buff-tip is a medium-sized moth that is on the wing at night from June to July.
It is quite a common moth in parks and gardens, as well as woodland edges, scrub and hedgerows.
The caterpillars are striking: large, hairy and yellow, with a black head and a ring of short black stripes on every segment.
They often gather together in large numbers, eating the leaves of Lime, Birch, Hazel and Willow trees, sometimes defoliating whole branches, but rarely causing serious damage.
This moth pupates on the ground and overwinters as a chrysalis."

The Forestry Commission points out that..

"although they occur rather later in the summer than oak processionary moth larvae...
from a distance they can resemble this species when their abundant fine grey hairs (setae) catch the light. However, on closer inspection they are easily identified by their distinctly patterned yellow and black body with grey and yellow stripes."

Eurostar design concept?... they were certainly speed eating!

From the Saga website...
{not one of my normal haunts, but was linked to from elsewhere...}
so I followed where no self respecting over-50s would wish to tread...
there one David Chapman introduces a master of disguise...

"Moths tend to be active by night, a strategy which offers them safety from the majority of predators, with the exception of bats. However this approach does present them with a problem: what to do to remain safe during the day!

The answer is that moths hide away in all sorts of nooks and crannies and dark places where they might be safe from predatory birds and mammals. To help them remain hidden most moths are drably coloured, and this is sufficient for them to avoid being spotted but some have a much more precise camouflage.

The buff-tip moth has one of the most amazing camouflage patterns and even its shape has evolved to help it blend in with its chosen surroundings. When a Buff-tip moth rests amongst broken twigs on the woodland floor, or amongst branches on a tree, it almost disappears from sight.

Buff-tip moths can be found in gardens and woodland, their flight season is mostly June and July. Having spent the winter as a chrysalis underground the adult moth takes to the wing and the females soon lay a large batch of eggs. Their larvae hatch out en masse, eating the leaves of various trees including sallows, birch, oak and hazel, and for a while, stick together making them a good deal more obvious than their parents! Once they have the strength, they spread out before pupating underground in the autumn and so the life-cycle begins again."

More from "Wiki"...

"The Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found throughout Europe.

This is a fairly large, heavy bodied species with a wingspan of 55–68 mm. The forewings are grey with a large prominent buff patch at the apex. As the thoracic hair is also buff, the moth looks remarkably like a broken twig when at rest. The hindwings are creamy-white. This moth flies at night in June and July and sometimes comes to light, although it is not generally strongly attracted."

Ready for transportation to the colonies...