My mum just showed me a caterpillar she found in her garden that she, in all her 60 odd years, has never seen the like of. I was a bit sceptical as i peered into the tub of leaves and flower heads that she presented to me, but was shocked when I realised what I was seeing. This thing is bigger and fatter than my index finger!

Is this normal for a British caterpillar? It has a voracious appetite and is eating every vegetable thing in sight, flower heads and all. Have we just one mean, greedy caterpillar or an exotic breed. I've looked in a reference book at the caterpillars of some of our larger breeds and can't match it. It is mainly green, with 'pretend' eye markings along it's 3-4 inches of length. It also has an aerial like protuberance sticking up from its bottom - to contact home with? Maybe this is a recce before the big invasion!?

Is there anyone out there with caterpillar knowledge? I don't want to jeopardise this magnificent beast's chances of survival by keeping it in my mum's tub but, then again, what has she found? Should we be contacting our local x-files team...

It's probably a hawk moth caterpillar, could be an elephant hawk moth or a poplar hawk moth they are some of the biggest moth around. get a book and have a search.

...after family discussion decided that we'll take it to the butterfly place in Anston tomorrow. Got visions of putting it back into the garden only to see the local blackbird having the biggest caterpillar feast of it's life.

Just had it crawling on a ruler and it's 10cm long and fat.

thanks playman

just checked pictures of those caterpillars out (Hawk moth)they're the right size but wrong markings.

Think I will advise my mum to take a picture and let it free in her gardens to fend off the blackbirds - my money would be on the caterpillar in a punch up anyway...

she can identify the species without any more interfering then:thumbsup:

It does sound like an elephant hawk moth caterpillar. The "pretend eyes" markings on the back of the head are to scare predators off........namely birds. They are there to look like a huge pair of eyes looking up and watching any predator.
I remember the first time I saw one........I couldn't believe what I was seeing........it was huge!

Lime Hawk Moth!!! (http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Caterpillars/LimeHawkmothCaterpillar.jpg)

and a close-up of 'tail' (http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Caterpillars/LimeHawkmothCaterpillarCloseup.jpg)

Thanks everyone.
I am pretty certain it is an elephant hawk moth now.

The first image I saw of one didn't look green enough, but this image looks identical to the poor res one I took on my phone.

http://www.javajane.co.uk/Hawk%20Sphinx%20moths/slides/elephant_hawk_moth_green.html