There once was an ugly duckling…

 With feathers all stubby and brown.

You may well remember the classic song “The Ugly Duckling”  It was composed by Frank Loesser for the musical version of the fairy tale of the same name and sung by Danny Kaye. The famous tale was written by Hans Christian Anderson.

The plot, as I am sure you will recall, revolves around an ugly duckling abused and mocked by its peers. One day, however, the ‘duckling’ matures into a beautiful swan. 

Well there is a parallel that I could draw (ish). Don’t worry I can’t sing, so I’ll just tell you about it.

But first a question.

What can you do with a stick?

Answer, leave well alone and wait…

At the end of last summer I had cut back the honeysuckle which had run rampant over my prized Fern Tree. I placed the cuttings in a bin. Later as I transferred them into the garden waste recycling bin I found said stick, as mentioned above.

This stick (The ugly duckling) is the caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk Moth. The moth lays its eggs on honeysuckle, upon which the larvae can later feed. So now I know where this fellow came from. I’m so glad that I hadn’t harmed it during my endeavours. I never saw it at that time.

Now for the beautiful swan.

May I present to you the Elephant Hawk Moth.

Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor)

This beauty was found by Mrs S on our kitchen floor last evening. It appeared to be resting. I am led to believe that they are not affected by the current high summer temperatures. I carefully picked it up and ushered it outside, where I released it under a lavender bush, away from prying and preying eyes.

To attract them for yourself, plant Rosebay Willowherb and Honeysuckle in your garden.

Coincidently, last evening Gardeners’ World aired an item highlighting them.