I have had an abundance of caterpillars in the garden this year eating
everything in sight but even I could not hurt this one.
A 3" long Elephant hawk moth caterpillar crawled across the drive whilst
I was cutting the front garden hedge, picked it up and it's trunk
retracted just leaving two apparent large eyes looking at me with a
sympatheticlook.
Took it across the drive and let it go on its way (probably to my Fuchsias).

Barry

Corporal Jones wrote in
:

I have had an abundance of caterpillars in the garden this year eating
everything in sight but even I could not hurt this one.
A 3" long Elephant hawk moth caterpillar crawled across the drive
whilst I was cutting the front garden hedge, picked it up and it's
trunk retracted just leaving two apparent large eyes looking at me
with a sympatheticlook.
Took it across the drive and let it go on its way (probably to my
Fuchsias).

Barry


Did your tortoise follow you? Or was he too fast? Or were you cutting your
hedge v e r y slowly?
Only joking.

Baz

"Corporal Jones" wrote in message
...
I have had an abundance of caterpillars in the garden this year eating
everything in sight but even I could not hurt this one.
A 3" long Elephant hawk moth caterpillar crawled across the drive whilst I
was cutting the front garden hedge, picked it up and it's trunk retracted
just leaving two apparent large eyes looking at me with a sympatheticlook.
Took it across the drive and let it go on its way (probably to my
Fuchsias).

The Greater Elephant Hawk moth feeds largely on Rosebay Willowherb.
It can often be found there on sunny afternoons, sunning itself. When they
wander away from their foodplant and are the size that you describe,
they are looking for somewhere to pupate, usually burrowing into fine,
crumbly soil.

Phil

On 05/09/2013 19:14, Baz wrote:
Corporal Jones wrote in
:

I have had an abundance of caterpillars in the garden this year eating
everything in sight but even I could not hurt this one.
A 3" long Elephant hawk moth caterpillar crawled across the drive
whilst I was cutting the front garden hedge, picked it up and it's
trunk retracted just leaving two apparent large eyes looking at me
with a sympatheticlook.
Took it across the drive and let it go on its way (probably to my
Fuchsias).

Barry

Did your tortoise follow you? Or was he too fast? Or were you cutting your
hedge v e r y slowly?
Only joking.

Baz
As Thursday was going to be the last sunny day before the rain came I
thought I had better get on with it.
I was working rather slowly in the heat, reached a high of 29.7c in my
garden, couldn't keep up with the tortoise.

Barry