Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

--
David in Normandy.

On 2013-08-13 10:50:48 +0100, David in Normandy said:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

What a gorgeous creature! The trouble is it may die if it can't eat the
right food. Try emailing the photo to Le Paradis Tropical in Honfleur,
perhaps?
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 13/08/2013 12:13, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

Poplar hawk moth http://tinyurl.com/n6ypsc9 or possibly the Privet
hawk moth http://tinyurl.com/kun92z2. Certainly a hawk moth of some
sort.


They look similar but not identical. So it looks like a hawk moth of one
variety or another. I wonder how big the moths are?

--
David in Normandy.

David in Normandy wrote:
Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

The caterpillar of our largest moth, the Death's Head Hawk Moth eats
potato leaves so that could be what it was.

--
Chris Green
·

On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve

--
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. http://www.justnn.com

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
death's head hawk moth


--
David in Normandy.

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.


--
David in Normandy.

On 13/08/2013 11:13, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

Poplar hawk moth http://tinyurl.com/n6ypsc9 or possibly the Privet
hawk moth http://tinyurl.com/kun92z2. Certainly a hawk moth of some
sort.




Death's Head Hawk Moth, whose caterpillar feeds on the potato plant.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/s...ontia-atropos/

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 2013-08-13 11:50:09 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html

Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.

It looks as if it's the moths that ignore/kill the bees, not the
caterpillars. I do hope he or she is hotfooting it back to your potato
patch though that wish may not too popular with you! One site I looked
at said that every lepidopterist should try to raise at least one
death's head hawk caterpillar to moth incarnation!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 13/08/2013 20:12, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 11:50:09 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html


Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.

It looks as if it's the moths that ignore/kill the bees, not the
caterpillars. I do hope he or she is hotfooting it back to your potato
patch though that wish may not too popular with you! One site I looked
at said that every lepidopterist should try to raise at least one
death's head hawk caterpillar to moth incarnation!

He'd better hurry up because I'm harvesting all the potatoes, a couple
of rows each day. They will all be up within a fortnight. I'm determined
not to leave them in the ground too late this year - I had problems with
blight last year rotting the tubers and the ones that seemed OK didn't
keep well over winter. The potato tops are starting to yellow a bit now,
so I think its time to lift them... got a bumper crop of large spuds
too. Variety = Daisy. They are great for chips.


--
David in Normandy.

On 2013-08-13 18:42:13 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 20:12, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 11:50:09 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html


Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.

It looks as if it's the moths that ignore/kill the bees, not the
caterpillars. I do hope he or she is hotfooting it back to your potato
patch though that wish may not too popular with you! One site I looked
at said that every lepidopterist should try to raise at least one
death's head hawk caterpillar to moth incarnation!

He'd better hurry up because I'm harvesting all the potatoes, a couple
of rows each day. They will all be up within a fortnight. I'm
determined not to leave them in the ground too late this year - I had
problems with blight last year rotting the tubers and the ones that
seemed OK didn't keep well over winter. The potato tops are starting to
yellow a bit now, so I think its time to lift them... got a bumper crop
of large spuds too. Variety = Daisy. They are great for chips.

Oh please leave a couple of plants for him! He won't be worrying you
much longer!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 13/08/2013 21:05, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 18:42:13 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 20:12, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 11:50:09 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html



Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I
released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.

It looks as if it's the moths that ignore/kill the bees, not the
caterpillars. I do hope he or she is hotfooting it back to your potato
patch though that wish may not too popular with you! One site I looked
at said that every lepidopterist should try to raise at least one
death's head hawk caterpillar to moth incarnation!

He'd better hurry up because I'm harvesting all the potatoes, a couple
of rows each day. They will all be up within a fortnight. I'm
determined not to leave them in the ground too late this year - I had
problems with blight last year rotting the tubers and the ones that
seemed OK didn't keep well over winter. The potato tops are starting
to yellow a bit now, so I think its time to lift them... got a bumper
crop of large spuds too. Variety = Daisy. They are great for chips.

Oh please leave a couple of plants for him! He won't be worrying you
much longer!

If he manages to find his way back I'll leave him a couple of plants.
He'll need a good sense of direction though!

--
David in Normandy.

On 13/08/2013 20:05, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 18:42:13 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 20:12, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 11:50:09 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html



Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I
released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.

It looks as if it's the moths that ignore/kill the bees, not the
caterpillars. I do hope he or she is hotfooting it back to your potato
patch though that wish may not too popular with you! One site I looked
at said that every lepidopterist should try to raise at least one
death's head hawk caterpillar to moth incarnation!

He'd better hurry up because I'm harvesting all the potatoes, a couple
of rows each day. They will all be up within a fortnight. I'm
determined not to leave them in the ground too late this year - I had
problems with blight last year rotting the tubers and the ones that
seemed OK didn't keep well over winter. The potato tops are starting
to yellow a bit now, so I think its time to lift them... got a bumper
crop of large spuds too. Variety = Daisy. They are great for chips.

Oh please leave a couple of plants for him! He won't be worrying you
much longer!
If you can find it, then you could just put a good bunch of the greenest
tops into a bucket with some water.
On the other hand, Have you thought of training for "Bush Tucker Challenge"?

On 2013-08-13 20:23:38 +0100, David Hill said:

On 13/08/2013 20:05, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 18:42:13 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 20:12, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 11:50:09 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html



Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I
released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.

It looks as if it's the moths that ignore/kill the bees, not the
caterpillars. I do hope he or she is hotfooting it back to your potato
patch though that wish may not too popular with you! One site I looked
at said that every lepidopterist should try to raise at least one
death's head hawk caterpillar to moth incarnation!

He'd better hurry up because I'm harvesting all the potatoes, a couple
of rows each day. They will all be up within a fortnight. I'm
determined not to leave them in the ground too late this year - I had
problems with blight last year rotting the tubers and the ones that
seemed OK didn't keep well over winter. The potato tops are starting
to yellow a bit now, so I think its time to lift them... got a bumper
crop of large spuds too. Variety = Daisy. They are great for chips.

Oh please leave a couple of plants for him! He won't be worrying you
much longer!
If you can find it, then you could just put a good bunch of the
greenest tops into a bucket with some water.
On the other hand, Have you thought of training for "Bush Tucker Challenge"?

Or he could dig up a plant or two and replant it where he released the
caterpillar- maybe? I hate the thought that beautiful thing is going
to die for want of a few potato leaves!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 13/08/2013 20:23, David Hill wrote:
On 13/08/2013 20:05, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 18:42:13 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 20:12, sacha wrote:
On 2013-08-13 11:50:09 +0000, David in Normandy said:

On 13/08/2013 13:34, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:50:48 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

Just found a huge caterpillar while harvesting some potatoes.
Never seen one this big in my life. Anyone recognise it or know what
butterfly or moth variety it belongs to?

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/uyq...illar.jpg.html




Normally I kill caterpillars but didn't have the heart to kill this
magnificent beast despite it scoffing my potato foliage; so I
released
it elsewhere in the garden.

I'm fairly certain it's a European death's head hawk moth Acherontia
atropos. If you are impressed by the caterpillar just wait until you
see the moth. They are about 5" across. I raised one in a shoe box
all
the way to moth stage when I was a kid. They can make rather
surprising sounds. They will kill honey bees to get into hives for
the
honey if that's relevant. The bees don't fight back.

Steve


Oh dear me! I released the caterpillar near to a tree where some bees
set up a hive a few months ago. I can't find the caterpillar now.

It looks as if it's the moths that ignore/kill the bees, not the
caterpillars. I do hope he or she is hotfooting it back to your potato
patch though that wish may not too popular with you! One site I looked
at said that every lepidopterist should try to raise at least one
death's head hawk caterpillar to moth incarnation!

He'd better hurry up because I'm harvesting all the potatoes, a couple
of rows each day. They will all be up within a fortnight. I'm
determined not to leave them in the ground too late this year - I had
problems with blight last year rotting the tubers and the ones that
seemed OK didn't keep well over winter. The potato tops are starting
to yellow a bit now, so I think its time to lift them... got a bumper
crop of large spuds too. Variety = Daisy. They are great for chips.

Oh please leave a couple of plants for him! He won't be worrying you
much longer!
If you can find it, then you could just put a good bunch of the greenest
tops into a bucket with some water.
On the other hand, Have you thought of training for "Bush Tucker
Challenge"?

I would suspect, from its aposematic colouration, and food plant, that
this caterpillar is poisonous.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley