Eye on Nature

Last month, near the top of Tievdockaragh, in the Mournes, we saw a green caterpillar with black bands that were studded with whitish dots. It was fairly plump and about two inches long.
Jim Walsh
Rathfarnham, Dublin

From your photograph, it was the striking caterpillar of the emperor moth. Found on mountainsides, it feeds on heather and other shrubs during the summer.

On some contorted willow in Mayo I came across a sort of bright-green caterpillar with a black saddle. It was about two inches long and humped at the head, with a strange pink face.
Fionnuala Bates
Shannon, Co Clare

It was the caterpillar of the puss moth, going by your photograph. When disturbed, it rears up its head and waves red filaments.

Despite a wide variety of birds in our garden I never see the ground-feeding wagtail. They are always on footpaths.
John Black
Newtownabbey, Co Antrim

The pied wagtail prefers open ground – parking lots, streets, farmland, large gardens – and eats insects on the ground.

Michael Viney welcomes observations at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo, or by email at viney@anu.ie. Please include a postal address