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Bringing up Scopuli
Jul 29, 2009

Times 34, or thereabouts.

This fly-by-night floozy got a nice, safe, cool pot in the fridge to spend the night in, didn't even charge her for bed and breakfast. Next morning she flew off without a second's backward glance at 61 eggs she left behind. What kind of parenting is that?!

I'm doing my best, and they're doing my head in. Some of them are quite perverse. You can lead a caterpillar to a healthy fresh dandelion leaf but you can't make it eat. No, it prefers dried up, days' old no-longer-greenery. And what's with the one that spends hours on its own _under_ the paper towel on the bottom of the jar? Just coming out occasionally to eat? They, Scopuli imitaria aka Small blood-vein, are supposed to eat privet. Ha! Gave them privet from the hedge. They ignored it. Went and found some native wild privet. They ignored it. They're eating a selection from what the caterpillar book calls 'other low growing plants'.

From 61 eggs about 40ish black almost too small to see orphan squiggles emerged. After two weeks and three moults the largest (Mr 'I want to be alone under a paper towel' Scopuli) is 1.25cm and they're reasonably countable. I think there's 34. One was lost in an unsuccessful moult .

This may not turn out happily. The timing of these eggs doesn't fit the book. If they do match the book's life-cycle, they overwinter as caterpillars - not easy to provide for. It might be best to free them as caterpillars in that case. But there's a suggestion this moth might be becoming double-brooded (a possible climate-change consequence) in which case their best chance is in keeping them through pupation and freeing them when they've wings to spread.



On Saturday we took a Poplar Hawk-moth to a local fete for the kids to see – she's left us three eggs…

(39 replies, Latest reply: Sep 17, 2009)

Buff arches, White ermine ...
Jun 18, 2009

... Burnished brass and Poplar Kittens,
The Spectacle, Purple thorn, Oak hook-tips, Scorched wings,
These are a few of my (new) favourite things

Getting to know my ermines from my carpets,

Weirdly 3D - http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for...d-butterflies/moths/buffarches.html

Drop-dead cute - http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for...tterflies/moths/burnishedbrass.html

! - http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for...utterflies/moths/june081415048.html

Even the Common Quaker has these subtle lines, points and fringes - http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/for...butterflies/moths/commonquaker.html

There's a whole, unexplored, weird and wonderful world out there at night. I'm getting right into moth-trapping...

(10 replies, Latest reply: Jul 3, 2009)

Getting hitched
May 14, 2009

Got to journal that on a Hitchhikers site

Tomorrow, 12.30.

Not something I ever thought I'd do.

But I met this guy on the heath.

Not the caravan bloke, different guy, same heath.

This heath A636022.

Here's a ?

If I hadn't wanted to put my home village on the h2g2 map,

I wouldn't have researched the heath

If I hadn't researched the heath,

would I have gone on the working parties to help set up the reserve on it?

If I hadn't gone on the working parties, I'd not have run into this guy.

The first meal we shared, my ticket (it was a transport caf) was no. 42

As from 1.00 tomorrow, my RL initials will match these VL ones, LL.

If you read this, share a for us.

He is the best thing that has ever happened for me - definitely my one in several billion.

Tomorrow nothing changes, except those initials,

nothing changes between us I mean. Our lives already run together.

Tomorrow is some kind of acknowledgement, marks an event, celebrates being together, shares it with family.

And then, two weeks shared in Scotland. He's going to see the Hebrides.

Waz

(24 replies, Latest reply: Last Week)

Nominations for next year’s Strictly?
Dec 21, 2008



No 1 and for the Rugby player spot, Sebastien Chabal
http://www.comunediarenzanoinforma....008/06/sebastien_chabal_370368a.jpg

(8 replies, Latest reply: Dec 24, 2008)

All Hung Up
Dec 4, 2008


Ring Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs helpful helpline for VAT queries and press button 1 for questions about Darling's VAT change wheeze and what helpful advice do you get? "Hang Up. Please Hang Up.", that's what! After the helpful advice to go read their help-full website (which did not help either in the summary bit or the Q and A bit or the extra Q and A bit or the specific VAT rate change bit or the last resort technical detail bit, (specifically paras 3.3.2, 10.2.1 and 13.3)), that is.

I did. Hang up, that is. With some emphasis, that was.

When they ring for their VAT return:
<assume Dalek voice> "Disconnect. DISCONNECT. D I S C O N N E C T."

While I'm on a roll: Dear Darling, I exercised the choice you gave us (thanks) not to knock 4p off the price of staff sandwiches as you had requested, despite the much needed boost to consumer spending this would give the Nation's economy. No-one, neither staff nor dinner-money collectors want to muck around with 2p's every day. Sorry. Anyway, in the present collapsing climate I think we might all have put the 2p's in our piggy banks. They're triple A rated secure and very nearly competitive on interest rates.

(1 reply, Latest reply: Dec 4, 2008)