Morning Light: The Fetchland Gardening Wire

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Eynsham Red Aug 2021 6:05pm, 20 Aug 2021 7,867 posts	0 Eynsham Red We’ve just agreed with a local pub to take on a couple of raised beds in their garden for our own use. The landlord had some good plans to cultivate them himself, but never had time to do so. It will be a bit on trust on our part, but the landlord has assured us that the clientele will respect the work being done and not pilfer/damage/spoil in other ways, our work. If that’s not the case we’ll just have to put it down to experience.
Angus Clydesdale Aug 2021 11:17pm, 20 Aug 2021 23,124 posts	0 Angus Clydesdale That sounds like it’s worth a go. With guarded optimism.
Columba Aug 2021 9:46pm, 26 Aug 2021 21,265 posts	0 Columba In my garden this afternoon I saw the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen outside of a zoo (or suchlike). It was on an evening primrose flower spike which I was cutting down. It fell off and disappeared under the leaves (lot of "ground cover" plants there). Googled "biggest caterpillar in the UK" later, and think I have identified a death's head hawk moth caterpillar.
jacdaw Aug 2021 10:10pm, 26 Aug 2021 3,328 posts	0 jacdaw Are you in the south, Columba? The death's head is a migrant, not a resident; you find migrant adults and caterpillars, but they don't survive the winter. Caterpillars eat potato plants and related, nightshades etc. The biggest caterpillar I've seen is elephant hawk-moth.
Hanneke Aug 2021 10:26pm, 26 Aug 2021 78,791 posts	0 Hanneke I was thinking more likely the elephant hawk moth. They are fairly prolific around here.
Hanneke Aug 2021 10:32pm, 26 Aug 2021 78,792 posts	0 Hanneke Or privet hawkmoth...
Mandymoo Aug 2021 11:36pm, 26 Aug 2021 12,411 posts	0 Mandymoo We had a privet hawk-moth the other day - it was very big
Columba Aug 2021 9:31pm, 27 Aug 2021 21,268 posts	0 Columba Been in touch with the local Wildlife Trust, - they too say elephant hawk moth. Looked up a picture or two and yes, very like. Have been looking round the garden to see if there are any more (they like fuschia, apparently, and I have one of those) but no sign.
Columba Aug 2021 9:33pm, 27 Aug 2021 21,269 posts	0 Columba Do privet hawk moth caterpillars eat privet (would seem logical)? I've got a variegated one of those too, will have a look.
jacdaw Aug 2021 9:51pm, 27 Aug 2021 3,329 posts	0 jacdaw Privet, and a few other shrubs and trees. butterfly-conservation.org