Croeso i fy mlog natur | Welcome to my nature blog.

I’m not sure where this will go or what I will capture, but I wanted a way to record the small things that enchant me and bring me joy. These might be plants, insects, fungi or lichen. I might encounter them in our small urban garden, allotment, neighbourhood or local park, or perhaps along the coastline or verdant hills of my home country, Wales. I might include a sketch, painting or photograph, an interesting fact or story. I might also reflect on the things I encounter through my work for a climate change charity. I think I will let this evolve in its own way, without too much thought to direction.

So, I’ll begin with this watercolour I painted recently of a Lackey moth caterpillar I spotted in our garden. These caterpillars have the most beautiful little faces! The Lackey moth itself, Malacosoma neustria, has quite a dull colouring in comparison, (see picture below), but the caterpillars are stunningly striped in blue, white and orange. After over wintering, they hatch from a ring-like egg cluster and live together in a spun silk web on deciduous trees, such as hawthorn and apple, until they are fully grown and ready to begin their metamorphosis.

In Welsh, the name for caterpillar is Siani Flewog, which translates as ‘hairy’ or ‘furry Jenny’!

To learn more about the captivating life of a caterpillar (or Siani flewog), ThoughtCo. has some fascinating facts! https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-caterpillars-1968169