This grey squirrel is not deterred by what is laughingly described as squirrel-proof bird feeder. It is getting bigger and fatter on the food we are putting out for the birds. Derek Brady, Terenure, Dublin
This one is certainly thriving and will continue to do so all winter at the expense of your garden birds because, of course, squirrels don’t hibernate. Your only hope is that it will get too fat to squeeze through the bars. Squirrel-proof bird feeder my eye. You could try lacing the nuts with a hefty dose of strong chilli powder if you prefer to be feeding the birds. They won’t taste this, but the squirrel will.
I saw this spider on the wood frame of a mini greenhouse in a suburban garden on June 22nd in Galway city. Do you have any idea what it is? Éimear Lavelle
This is the candy-striped spider Enoplognatha ovata. Although your image is somewhat out of focus, there is no mistaking this form of the species, which has a broad red band covering most of its back. It is a very small (5mm), long-legged spider that can be found on low vegetation in open habitats. There are several Irish records, including two for Galway city.
I came across a big butterfly recently in Annascaul. I found it again the next day but it was dead by then. I attach the scaled photo I took. I believe it was a Blue Morpho butterfly. Anna Moriarity, Annascaul, Co Kerry
Sometimes Google is actually right, no matter how preposterous the identification seems to be. The Irish butterfly expert, Jesmond Harding, confirms that it is certainly not a European or North African species so there was no way it could have reached our shores unaided. The Blue Morpho lives in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia. It is possible to purchase tropical pupae online to hatch the adults and that is likely what happened here. It is far from Annascaul it was reared as an egg and caterpillar.
Attached is a picture of what we think is a hummingbird moth, a frequent visitor to our salvia plant. We first saw these insects in Puglia, Italy in June this year I have heard they are migrating north due to warming climate here. Thomas O Doherty, Ashbourne, Co Meath
I have been sent a huge number of questions and images of hummingbird hawk moths all summer and indeed I wrote about it in this column on June 6th. But for all the new readers since then, this is what I said. This is a day-flying moth that is a summer visitor to Ireland. It arrives from further south in Europe during hot weather. It feeds on nectar from flowers. It can breed here too but it is too cold yet for it to overwinter. So, they are not migrating north as such – they are still just warm weather visitors here.
I rescued this guy who was being badly mauled by a magpie in our garden. There was damage to its chest and legs, but it did eventually fly off. Brendan O’Sullivan, Connemara
This guy is a female sparrowhawk, most likely a young and still inexperienced one. They are the top avian predator in gardens, catching small birds at the feeder by swooping up over the wall and grabbing one. In fact the larger female can even catch, kill and eat magpies which are bigger than them. But magpies can hunt in groups, so maybe the sparrowhawk was set upon by a gang of thuggish magpies looking for a fight.
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