HALFWAY UP A WOODY HEATHER STEM, I spied what appeared to be a caddisfly case. Nowhere near a pond, my suspicions were roused as this was too big a case to belong to a land caddis. I placed it on a stone H and waited.
A few minutes later, a small black head peeked out of the open end of the tube. It belonged to a caterpillar. It turns out that I had bagged a bagworm, an insect with a very interesting and surprising life-cycle, particularly given its uninspiring name.
The dusky sweep (Acanthopsyche atra) is one of 20 species of micro-moth that belong to the Psychidae family, or bagworms. These creatures, as their name implies, live for at least part of their life in a 'bag' or case.
It's very much like the case of a caddisfly larva: pieces of plant material - usually lichen, bark fragments, stems or seeds are sewn together to form a protective shroud in which the vulnerable caterpillar lives.
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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SNAP-CHAT
Justin Gilligan on giant spider crabs and holding hands with an octopus
STEPPE CHANGE
Herds of saiga have returned to Kazakhstan, but there's a fine balance to tread
TREES FOR LIFE
Community is at the heart of conservation in the tropical forests of southern Belize
WHEN DOVES CRY
Turtle doves are now the UK's fastest declining bird species, but the RSPB is on a mission to save them
SURVIVAL OF THE CUTEST
We can't help being drawn to cute creatures, but our aesthetic preferences both help and hinder conservation
LIGHT ON THE NORTH
Spectacular images of Arctic foxes, reindeer and musk oxen reveal the wild beauty and diversity of Scandinavia
ROLLING IN THE DEEP
The super-sized crustacean that lives in the deepest, darkest ocean
LET'S GET TOGETHER
Clay licks deep in the Amazon explode in a riot of colour, with macaws the stars of the show
FEMALE OF THE SPECIES
To sponge or not to sponge? That is the question for the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) living in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
7 nature encounters for the month ahead
WITH NATURALIST AND AUTHOR BEN HOARE
