It’s time for bed in many cases of nature at the moment. Some are already tucked up – great crested newts for example are already finding safe cover.
The introduced marsh and pool frogs are digging down into the mud at the base of ponds and marshes to keep out of the way of frost and ice.
One animal we’ve seen a fair amount of lately at Yorkshire Water’s Tophill Low Nature Reserve is the elephant hawkmoth caterpillar. These fairly gigantic larvae can often be found at this time of year wandering out in the open having fed up on willowherbs and the like over the summer looking for somewhere to over-winter.
Eventually they dig down into the undergrowth and spin themselves a cocoon of silk in which they will spend the next eight months. Some though have the ability to seek warmer weather; you may have noticed many painted lady butterflies lately – it’s been a good year for the orange, black and white species. Many are now returning to Africa for winter – but this phrase is a bit strong perhaps as they’ve never actually been. Painted ladies breed in generations starting in Africa in early spring. This generation then flies north and breeds in central Europe in early summer before heading to northern Europe in late summer.
They then catch the high altitude winds south – a phenomenon only recently discovered by radar.
Tophill Low Nature Reserve is located four miles from the A164 at Watton and is open daily from 9am to 6pm. Admission £3.30 adults, £1.50 concessions, sorry no dogs. For more information visit www.tophilllow.blogspot.com or follow us on twitter @tophilllow.