The white satin moth, a pristine and elegant specimen that I would happily consider the Marilyn Monroe of the insect realm. A stunning white satin dress and a fur coat to boot, perhaps the “purist” of flying insects. But this beauty of a moth didn’t start out that way.
Once emerged from its egg, the caterpillar of the white satin moth may well be seen as a black, red, white and spiky warning sign to predators, shouting “DANGER: do not eat potentially poisonous insect”. This is also known as aposematism and is sometimes an absolute hoax. Some insects just like to mess with their prey by looking as dangerous as possible. Maggie Finney has captured this white satin moth's caution perfectly as it sits upon the budding branch of a willow tree.
Predators beware! Or not? A quick Google search has left me with no information on whether these moth-erpillars are poisonous to predators or not. But they certainly look it! (Photo courtesy of Nature’s Home reader Maggie Finney).
Thanks Maggie for sending this one in. If you fancy a shot at being our Photo of the Week, send yours to natureshome@rspb.org.uk.