trefoil, that low plant with yellow flowers which grows so commonly on
chalky banks. If you should ever happen to find this caterpillar you
can tell it at once by its colour, which is pale green, with two yellow
stripes running along each side of the body, and over each stripe is a
row of little black dots. When it has finished growing it turns into a
fat and rather bunchy little chrysalis, which is dull green in front
and rosy-red behind.
PLATE XVII
THE LARGE SKIPPER (3)
The Large Skipper is one of the commonest of all these queer little
butterflies, and you may see it in dozens and dozens, skipping actively
about from flower to flower on grassy banks by the roadside, and in
open places in woods. The male is not quite like the female, for he has
a rather large streak of dark brown running across his front wings,
which look as if they had been scorched down the middle. And the body
of the female is so very stout that she certainly looks much more like
a moth than a butterfly.
If you want to find the caterpillar of this insect you must look for
it on different kinds of meadow-grass. It has a big brown head and
a dull green body, with a dark line running along the back dotted
with black. And underneath, on the hinder part of its body, it has a
number of white spots. When it is fully grown it fastens three or four
grass-stems together by means of silken threads, and then turns to a
rather long and thin chrysalis of a pale brown colour between them.
Look out for the butterfly on bright sunny days in May, and again in
August.
[Illustration: PLATE XVIII
1. Eyed Hawk
2. Eyed Hawk Caterpillar]
PLATE XVII
THE SMALL SKIPPER (4)
This queer little butterfly, which is about half the size of the “large
skipper,” is very nearly as common. But it only makes its appearance
once in the year instead of twice, generally about the middle of July.
The best places in which to look for it are grassy banks by the sides
of lanes and open places in woods. But it is so small that unless you
look very carefully you will most likely pass it by. The male butterfly
is not quite like the female, for he has a thin black line running
along the middle of his front wings.
This butterfly lays its eggs on different kinds of grass, and when
they hatch, the little caterpillars feed for a few weeks, and then
find their way into some snug retreat, in which they sleep all through
the autumn and winter. Early in the spring they come out from their
hiding-places and begin to feed again; and by about the beginning of
June they are ready to turn into chrysalids. If ever you should happen
to find them you may know them at once, for they are green in colour,
with six white stripes running all the way along their bodies. And
besides this they are quite fat in the middle, and quite thin at the
head and the tail.
PART II
MOTHS
PLATE XVIII
THE EYED HAWK MOTH (1 and 2)
The “hawk moths” are so called because their flight is so swift and
strong, very much like that of a hawk. Most of them come out soon after
sunset on warm summer evenings, and you may often see them hovering in
front of such flowers as honeysuckle, and verbenas, and petunias, with
their long trunks poked deeply into the blossoms in order that they may
suck up their sweet juices. But if you move in the very least they dart
away at once, so quickly that you cannot even tell in which direction
they have gone.
The Eyed Hawk is one of the most beautiful of these grand moths. You
can easily see why its name was given to it, for the big spot on each
of its hind-wings is very much like the “eyes” on a peacock’s tail. The
caterpillar is pale green in colour, with a very rough skin, and with
seven white stripes on each side of its body, and a curved blue horn
upon its tail. You may often find it feeding on the leaves of apple
trees in August and September. It then buries itself in the ground
below, and changes to a shiny reddish-brown chrysalis, from which the
moth makes its appearance early in the following June.
[Illustration: PLATE XIX
1. Poplar Hawk
2. Poplar Hawk Caterpillar]
PLATE XIX
THE POPLAR HAWK (1 and 2)
This is a very handsome moth indeed, which makes its appearance about
the end of May or the beginning of June, when you may often see it
resting on fences, or on the trunks of poplar trees. After dark, too,
you may sometimes see it flying round and round street-lamps; and
just now and then it will come into a lighted room through an open
window. And in August and the early part of September you may find the
caterpillar, which feeds on the leaves of poplar trees, and also on
those of willows and laurustinus. It grows to a length of nearly three
inches, and is green in colour, sprinkled with yellow. And you can
always tell it from that of any other hawk moth by the seven yellow
and white stripes on its sides, and also by the yellow horn on its
tail. About the middle of September it reaches its full size, and then
burrows down into the ground at the roots of the tree on which it has
been feeding, and turns to a rough brown chrysalis with a short spike
at the end of its body, which always looks as if it had been dipped
into very muddy water, and dried without being wiped!
PLATE XX
THE LIME HAWK (1 and 2)
Although it is not quite so large, this is an even handsomer moth than
the “poplar hawk,” for its wings are tinted with the most beautiful
shades of green and brown and brownish-yellow. When it is resting on a
fence or a tree-trunk, indeed, it looks very much like a folded leaf,
and you might easily pass it by without noticing it. The caterpillar
feeds on the leaves of quite a number of trees, such as lime, and elm,
and beech, and birch, and oak. But it much prefers the two first of
these, on which you may find it during August and the early part of
September. It is green in colour, sprinkled with tiny yellow dots, and
has seven yellow stripes on each side, bordered with red. The horn at
the end of the body is blue or green above and yellow beneath, and
underneath it is a sort of flat horny plate, which is purple in colour,
with a yellow edge. About the second week in September it buries itself
in the ground and turns to a reddish-brown chrysalis with a spiky tail,
out of which the moth hatches towards the end of the following May.
[Illustration: PLATE XX
1. Lime Hawk
2. Lime Hawk Caterpillar]
[Illustration: PLATE XXI
1. Death’s Head
2. Death’s Head Caterpillar]
PLATE XXI
THE DEATH’S HEAD HAWK (1 and 2)
This is the largest of all the British hawk moths, for its outspread
wings often measure as much as five inches from tip to tip. You cannot
possibly mistake it for any other insect, for on its back it has a
patch of short yellow hair which looks just like a skull. That is why
it is called the “Death’s Head.” If you want to find the caterpillar
you should look for it in potato fields in the month of August. It is a
great yellow creature, four or even five inches in length, with seven
blue stripes on each side, and a yellow horn on its tail. And if you
meet with it, and pick it up, you will be surprised to find that it can
squeak quite loudly! Stranger still, the chrysalis can squeak too, and
so can the moth! Indeed, if you pick up a Death’s Head Hawk Moth it
will go on squeaking very much like a mouse all the time that you hold
it in your hand!
The caterpillar of this grand moth feeds chiefly on potato leaves, but
is sometimes found on jessamine and buckthorn. When it is fully fed it
buries itself eight or ten inches deep in the ground, and turns into a
huge reddish-brown chrysalis, from which the moth generally hatches out
in October.
PLATE XXII
THE PRIVET HAWK (1 and 2)
Wherever privet bushes grow you may expect to find this handsome
insect, which is sometimes very nearly as large as the “death’s head.”
One does not very often see the perfect moth, however, for it only
flies by night, and contrives to hide itself away in some secure
retreat during the hours of daylight. But sometimes you may see it at
dusk hovering in front of petunia blossoms, and sucking up their sweet
juices through its long slender trunk. You may find the caterpillar,
however, in almost every garden if you look for it during August or
the early part of September. It is a most beautiful creature, of the
brightest apple-green colour, with seven purple stripes on either
side, each of which is edged with yellow below. And on its tail is a
glossy black horn with a yellow base. It feeds chiefly on the leaves of
privet, but you may sometimes find it on those of lilac and elder. When
it reaches its full size it buries itself in the ground and turns into
a big reddish-brown chrysalis, from which the moth hatches out about
midsummer in the following year.
[Illustration: PLATE XXII
1. Privet Hawk
2. Privet Hawk Caterpillar]
[Illustration: PLATE XXIII
1. Elephant Hawk
2. Elephant Hawk Caterpillar
3. Small Elephant Hawk]
PLATE XXIII
THE ELEPHANT HAWK (1 and 2)
If you were only to see this moth itself, and not its caterpillar, you
would be quite sure to wonder why it should ever have been called the
“Elephant” Hawk. For it is not in the least like an elephant in any
way at all. But the moment you look at the caterpillar you understand
why this name was given to it; for the front part of its body is so
long and slender that it really does remind one rather of an elephant’s
trunk. And just behind it, on each side, is a big round spot which
looks like an eye.
If you want to find this curious caterpillar you should look for it
in August on willow-herb and bedstraw plants which grow on the banks
of ditches and streams. Now and then, too, you may find it feeding on
fuchsias in gardens. It is sometimes green in colour, and sometimes
dull grey or brown, and the horn at the end of its body is black, with
a white tip. The moth, as you will see by its picture, is a very pretty
one indeed, and you may see it hovering in front of flowers at dusk in
May and June.
PLATE XXIII
THE SMALL ELEPHANT HAWK (3)
This is a much smaller insect than the last, for its wings only measure
about an inch and three-quarters from tip to tip when they are fully
spread out. But it is one of the prettiest of all our British moths,
with a rose-coloured body, and greenish-yellow wings marked with
rose-coloured bands and spots. It is not at all uncommon, and if you
want to see it you can very easily do so. All that you have to do is to
stand at dusk on a warm evening in June in front of a honeysuckle bush,
and then to remain perfectly still. After a few minutes you are almost
sure to see a shadowy form hovering in front of one of the blossoms.
This is a Small Elephant Hawk; and if you catch it, and wait for a
little while, another one is almost sure to make its appearance in a
very few minutes.
The caterpillar of this moth is something like that of the “large
elephant hawk,” but has three eye-like spots on each side of its body,
and no horn upon its tail. It feeds upon bedstraw, and is generally
found in places where the soil is chalky.
[Illustration: PLATE XXIV
1. Humming-Bird Hawk
2. Bee Hawk
3. Currant Clearwing
4. Hornet Clearwing]
PLATE XXIV
THE HUMMING-BIRD HAWK (1)
On a hot summer’s day you may often see this beautiful moth hovering in
front of geraniums and other flowers in the garden, with its long trunk
plunged deeply down into the blossoms in order to suck up their sweet
juices. And if you stand a few feet away and listen carefully, you will
hear a low humming noise, which is caused by the rapid movements of the
wings. It looks and sounds, in fact, very much like a humming-bird, and
people who have lived for many years in hot countries, and have then
come to England, have often found it very difficult to believe that
they were looking at a moth, and not at one of the beautiful little
birds which they had known so well.
The caterpillar of the Humming-bird Hawk is greenish-brown, or
bluish-green, sprinkled with tiny white dots, and with a pinkish-white
stripe running along each side of its body. Below this is another
stripe of dull yellow, and at the end of the body is a blue horn with a
yellow tip. It feeds upon bedstraw, and when it has finished growing it
buries itself just below the surface of the ground, and then turns into
a reddish-brown chrysalis.
PLATE XXIV
THE BEE HAWK (2)
There are really two “bee hawks,” which you can recognise at once by
their transparent wings. And as one of them has a narrow black border
to its wings, while the other has a broad one, they are called the
Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk, and the Broad-bordered Bee Hawk. And really
they do look more like very big bumble-bees than moths. They fly by
day, like the “humming-bird hawk,” and you may sometimes see them
hovering in front of rhododendron blossoms on a bright sunny day in
May, and darting away at the slightest alarm with almost the speed of
light. But they are not very common, and in many parts of the country
they are never seen at all.
The caterpillar of the “broad-bordered bee hawk” feeds upon
honeysuckle, and that of the “narrow-bordered bee hawk” upon field
scabious--that common low plant which looks so much like a rather small
thistle. They are both green in colour, dotted with yellowish-white,
and with a brown horn at the end of the body. When they have finished
growing they spin little silken webs on the surface of the ground, and
turn to chrysalids inside them.
PLATE XXIV
THE CURRANT CLEARWING (3)
The “clearwings” are very odd little moths with transparent wings,
which have no scales upon them at all, except just on the narrow black
borders. The consequence is that they do not look in the least like
moths. They look much more like flies, or gnats, or wasps, or hornets.
They nearly all come out in June and July, and you may see them resting
on leaves in the hot sunshine.
Another curious thing about the “clearwings” is that their caterpillars
feed, not upon the leaves of plants and trees, like almost all other
caterpillars, but upon the pith of the stems or the twigs, or even upon
the solid wood of the trunk or the branches; so it is very difficult
indeed to find them. When they are fully fed they turn into chrysalids
with rows of tiny hooks along their bodies, by means of which they can
wriggle their way backwards and forwards along the burrows which they
made when they were caterpillars.
The Currant Clearwing is so called because its caterpillar feeds on the
pith in the young shoots of currant bushes. It is very common in almost
every kitchen-garden, and sometimes does a good deal of mischief to the
currants.
PLATE XXIV
THE HORNET CLEARWING (4)
This is the largest of all the British “clearwings,” and it really
does look so very much like a hornet that most people would be quite
afraid to meddle with it for fear of being stung. But if ever you
should happen to meet with the moth you can tell it from a real hornet
quite easily; for if you look closely at it you will see that its body
is not smooth and shiny, but is covered all over with close, soft
down. The best place to look for it is on the trunks of poplar trees,
quite close to the ground, in June and July; for after it comes out
of the chrysalis it always sits on the tree-trunk for some little
time in order to dry its wings. And you will nearly always find that
it is sitting quite close to the burrow which it made when it was a
caterpillar, and in which it lived for no less than two whole years.
There is another kind of “hornet clearwing,” whose caterpillar feeds in
the stems of osiers instead of in the trunks of poplar trees. But it is
not at all a common insect, and you are not very likely ever to find
it.
[Illustration: PLATE XXV
1. Common Swift
2. Ghost Swift, male
3. Ghost Swift, female]
PLATE XXV
THE COMMON SWIFT (1)
The “swift” moths owe their name to their rapid flight, for they can
all fly very swiftly indeed when they are alarmed. But very often, on
a warm summer’s evening, you may see them in grassy places in woods
_swinging_, as it were, in the air--flying first a foot or so to one
side, and then a foot or two to the other side, over and over again,
just like the pendulum of a clock. And when they are doing this they do
not seem at all ready to take the alarm, so that you can easily catch
them.
Five kinds of these moths are found in the British Islands, of which
the Common Swift is by far the most plentiful. It lives, not only in
woods, but also in lanes and on the borders of fields, and on warm
evenings in June you may see it darting swiftly along almost any
hedgerow. And if you catch a dozen or so you will find that the males
are all spotted and streaked with white, while the females are plain
dingy brown all over. And, besides that, you will see that no two of
the males are quite alike, some of them having a great many more white
markings than the others.
The caterpillar of this moth lives underground, and feeds on the roots
of dumb-nettles.
PLATE XXV
THE GHOST SWIFT (2 and 3)
That is rather a curious name to give to a moth, isn’t it? But the
very first time that you notice the male insect flying about on a warm
summer’s evening you will see why the title was given to it; for it
keeps on suddenly appearing and disappearing, over and over again, just
as if it had the power of making itself visible or invisible whenever
it chose. The fact is that the upper surface of the wings is glossy
white, while the lower is dark brown, and that as the insect flies
you can see the one and not the other. So every time that the wings
are lowered the moth appears; and every time that they are raised it
disappears.
The wings of the female, however, are yellowish-brown, with darker
markings, so that she is not nearly so ghost-like as her mate. You may
sometimes see her flying slowly to and fro in the dusk, and as she does
so she keeps on dropping her eggs, which fall to the ground below.
After a short time they hatch, and out come a number of little dirty
white caterpillars, which burrow down into the soil, and feed on the
roots of burdock, stinging-nettle, and dumb-nettle, and sometimes on
those of hops.
[Illustration: PLATE XXVI
1. Goat Moth
2. Goat Caterpillar]
PLATE XXVI
THE GOAT MOTH (1 and 2)
Somehow or other, one does not very often see this moth, although it is
quite common in almost all parts of the country. But just now and then
it flies through an open window into a well-lighted room at night, and
then it looks so big as it goes blundering about that one might almost
mistake it for a bat.
Nearly everybody sometimes sees the caterpillar, however--a great
flesh-coloured creature three or four inches long, with a black head,
and a broad band of chocolate-brown running all the way along its back.
Like that of the wood leopard, it feeds in the trunks of trees, in
which it lives for three whole years; and out from its burrow a dark
brown liquid comes oozing, which smells something like the odour of a
he-goat. That is why the insect is called the “Goat” Moth. When this
caterpillar is fully grown it leaves its burrow, and goes crawling
about in search of a convenient place in which to spin its cocoon; and
this is the time when one generally sees it. The moth appears in June
and July, and you should look for the caterpillar in September.
PLATE XXVII
THE WOOD LEOPARD (1)
This is not a very common moth, but it seems rather more plentiful
than it used to be, more especially near London. You may sometimes
see it resting on the trunks of trees in July and August. Then, if
you examine the tree-trunk carefully, you are almost sure to find the
entrance to the burrow out of which it came; for the caterpillar of
this moth is one of those which feed on the solid wood of trees. The
female moth lays her eggs in the crevices of the bark, and as soon as
the little caterpillars appear they nibble their way into the trunk
with their powerful jaws, and there live for several months, burrowing
backwards and forwards, day after day, till sometimes the wood is
almost honeycombed with their tunnels. Sometimes they live in oak
trees, sometimes in elms, sometimes in beeches, or ashes, or willows.
But the wood that they like most of all is that of apple and plum and
pear trees; so that the very best place to look for the moth is in an
orchard.
If you ever find a Wood Leopard you will notice that its wings are
partly transparent. That is because they have fewer scales upon them
than those of most moths, so that they look rather as if they had been
rubbed.
[Illustration: PLATE XXVII
1. Wood Leopard
2. Green Forester
3. Six-Spot Burnet]
PLATE XXVII
THE GREEN FORESTER (2)
When one first sees this pretty little insect flitting about in the hot
sunshine it is rather difficult to believe that it is really a moth,
for it looks a great deal more like a bright green fly. The best places
in which to look for it are grassy clearings in woods in which mulleins
are growing; for it is very fond indeed of resting on the blossoms of
those plants, where its glossy green wings form a most lovely contrast
to the yellow petals. On dull days, however, it never flies at all; and
even on fine ones, if the sun is clouded over for more than a very few
minutes, all the Green Foresters are sure to disappear.
The caterpillar of this moth is shaped exactly like a tiny woodlouse,
and its legs are so short that you can only just see its feet
projecting from underneath its fat little body. It is dingy green in
colour, with a line of black spots running along the middle of its
back, and a pale stripe along each side. It feeds on the common sorrel,
and when it is fully fed it spins a little silken cocoon among the
leaves, and turns to a chrysalis inside it. Look for the caterpillar in
May and the early part of June, and for the moth about midsummer.
PLATE XXVII
THE SIX-SPOT BURNET (3)
The “burnets” are most lovely little moths, with glossy blackish-green
front wings, marked with bright crimson spots, and crimson hind-wings
with dark green borders. Like the “green forester,” they fly only in
the hot sunshine; but even on dull days you may often see them clinging
to grass-stems in fields and by the roadside.
Several different kinds of these moths are found in the British
Islands, of which the Six-spot Burnet is by far the commonest. On a
hot day about the middle of June you may often see it flying about
in hundreds. And if you look on the grass-stems you are almost sure
to find numbers of its odd little cocoons, which are bright yellow
in colour, and look just like tiny shuttles with very sharp points.
The caterpillars which spin these cocoons, however, feed chiefly on
trefoils and clovers. They are dingy yellow in colour, with rather
hairy bodies, marked with two rows of small black spots on either side.
You may find them towards the end of May, and they spin their cocoons
early in June.
[Illustration: PLATE XXVIII
1. Cinnabar
2. Cinnabar Caterpillar
3. White Ermine]
PLATE XXVIII
THE CINNABAR (1 and 2)
The Cinnabar Moth is really almost a prettier insect than the
“burnets,” and it looks most beautiful as you see it slowly flying over
the long grass in the hay-fields, or along a bank by the roadside,
on a hot midsummer day. For the upper wings are deep olive-brown in
colour, with a broad crimson streak and two round crimson spots upon
them, while the lower ones are rich crimson with a narrow black margin.
And the under surface is coloured just like the upper, except that the
crimson tint is just a little bit paler.
This is one of the “local” moths, for while it is very common indeed
in some places, it is seldom or never seen in others. You should look
for it where ragwort grows, for on that plant the caterpillars feed.
They are handsome little creatures, which you cannot possibly mistake
for those of any other moth, for they are bright orange in colour, with
black rings round their bodies. And sometimes they are so plentiful
that they quite strip the ragwort plants of their leaves. When they
are fully fed they change into shiny reddish-brown chrysalids on the
surface of the ground.
PLATE XXVIII
THE WHITE ERMINE (3)