I found a hairy caterpillar chewing a leaf on my apple tree. It was about 15mm long, with a pair of black horns and another at its rear, four pale yellow tufts on its back, orange dots on a black body and orange stripes across the back.
Eckhardt Schmidt, Ramelton,
Co Donegal
It was the caterpillar of the vapourer moth.
I planted Rooster potatoes and Gardener's Delight tomatoes in the same corner of my garden. I recently removed the tomatoes, but I was amazed to find tomatoes growing from a potato shoot.
Brendan Fanning, Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin
They were toxic potato fruits, not tomatoes, which grow from the potato flowers. Potatoes and tomatoes belong to the same plant family, Solanaceae, and their fruits resemble each other.
A pair of seagulls have been nesting on the roof of the X-ray department of Beaumont Hospital. We, the staff, were enthralled by their parenting skills, walking and feeding the young birds. Both parents stood guard over them while they slept. Do both parents feed them?
Marie McCormack, Laytown, Co Meath
Yes, they do.
Michael Viney welcomes observations at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo; e-mail: viney@anu.ie. Please include a
postal address.