A Green Thing

On my way back from the downstairs freezer I noticed a bright yellow/green thing on the patio. Once back in the house I grabbed a camera to get a photo. I had no idea what it was but the lurid colour told me that I wasn't going to touch it. I couldn't get the shot I wanted so using a gardening glove i picked him up and plonked him on some leaves on a bench where he rolled up in a ball. The wind picked the leaf up and blew him away. Once I'd found him again I decided to take him indoors. At this stage I was unsure whether he was a common species or something alien that had to be controlled.

A quick google told me it was the caterpillar of a Pale Tussock Moth and that it was common. I'd not seen one before but then there must be millions of things I haven't seen. It also said that contact with the hairs can cause an itchy rash.

He seemed to want to curl up and ignore me so I set up a tripod and took a series of shots I could focus stack. That's my main blip. I stopped to make a cup of coffee, went back and he was gone! He moves fast when he decides to. I soon found him hiding in a corner and decided he ought to be freed but i wanted another shot or two to see more of him so I put him back on the leaves where he curled up again. I drank my coffee and watched and once he started moving again I got a shot of him smiling at me. That's in as an extra.

He's now signed the model release and is back in the garden where he's no doubt preparing to make himself a little cocoon to spend the winter.