Morris Minor Owners Club

Ok put your reference books away, as I’ve found the answer! It’s the caterpillar of the Lime Hawk Moth. Nature eh, what would we do without it ? Guess we’ll find out one day.

What a wonderful thing.

I get these appear in the garden every few years: They are the caterpillars of the Mullein Moth and they seem to home in on one particular plant, that seems to seed itself around the garden (and long may it do so). It must be a biannual, as it takes two years to mature and flower, it has large, velvety leaves (when they are not eaten by caterpillars), grows 3 or 4 feet tall and has a 'spike' of small yellow flowers at the top. I have no idea what it is called.........
But I love it!
Unfortunately, the same year that they are about to flower, is the year the caterpillars appear again...................
C'est la vie.............
Best wishes,
Mike.

Lovely garden Mike, you’re doing your bit for nature.

The plant is Verbascum thapsus, commonly known as great mullein or common mullein, hence 'mullein moth'

Andy

It’s all happening here! Thanks for posting.

The plant is Verbascum thapsus, commonly known as great mullein or common mullein, hence 'mullein moth'

Thanks indeed, it's good to know what it is at last. It was already growing here, in the rubbish tip that was my garden (when I moved in) and I actively spread its seeds around in the hope it keeps springing up.
Is it regarded as a 'wild flower' or can it be bought (should it fail to set seeds one year)?

Lovely garden Mike, you’re doing your bit for nature.

Thanks, I do try to. I like the 'cottage garden' look anyway, so I have lots of flowering plants that some more 'formal' gardeners might put on the compost heap. On top of which I have created two ponds and a 'stream' linking them. Plus about four small 'pondlets' scattered around.
I do like my frogs and toads!

Talking of which, if anyone has some toad spawn in need of rescuing at any point, I will always provide a home (pond) for it, as they need protecting, however with all these building sites springing up, all over the place (but especially on greenfield sites -- where they can make the most profit ) their habitats are shrinking....

My biggest problem is duck weed, if anyone knows of a (preferably natural) way of getting rid of it I would be grateful.
Best wishes,
Mike.

I found that raking it out was the only natural way to control duckweed. Important to leave it at the side of the pond for a while so that creatures can escape back into the water.
I had some success controlling blanketweed by placing a small bound bundle of barley straw into the pond. I think that as it slowly decomposes it changes the water chemistry to a point that blanketweed finds disagreeable.