Why is this slug looking particularly sluggish?

Éanna Ní Lamhna on a worse-for-wear black slug, a case of mistaken ID, and the sparrowhawk’s hunting regimen

Large black slug. Photograph supplied by Caimin Jones
Large black slug. Photograph supplied by Caimin Jones

I found this little creature with many more on the path leading to Knockdrum Fort near Castletownsend in west Cork. It measured about 4cm. I couldn’t detect any movement. The back was dry but the underbelly was moist. It seemed dead. What was it? Caimin Jones, Co Clare

It was a large black slug, Arion ater, which can exist in an orange form as well as the black form shown here. The black form always has an orange fringe to its sole. This one does look the worse for the wear all right – perhaps it had imbibed the slug pellets or other such nasty chemicals. Large numbers may assemble on freshly mown roadside verges to feed on the cut grass after daytime rain.

House spider. Photograph supplied by Katrina Collins
House spider. Photograph supplied by Katrina Collins

I discovered this spider resting in a shaded spot on a windowsill. Hopefully this is a cautionary tale against using internet searches to identify a subject, because it was identified as an Australian redback spider! What spider is this and what are the red dots on its back? Katrina Collins, Co Cork

Ah, the dreaded Google. At least you had the wit to doubt it and send your query to a reputable source. This is in fact one of the native Eratigena spiders – the house spider – which carries two red mites on its body. These belong almost certainly to the genus Leptus that specialises in targeting arachnids and a range of other invertebrate species. They are more usually spotted on harvestmen.

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Western conifer pine bug. Photograph supplied by Denis Cody
Western conifer pine bug. Photograph supplied by Denis Cody

Is this a western conifer pine bug? I found it on the wall of the house here in Bray. Denis Cody, Co Wicklow

That is exactly what it is. Measuring 16mm x 20mm, this large shield bug is unmistakable. A native of western North America, it was first recorded here in Wexford in 2009 and has since spread along the east and south coasts. It lives usually on conifer trees in plantations, parks and gardens and feeds on the sap from the buds and seeds.

Sparrowhawk. Photograph supplied by Tricia Waldron
Sparrowhawk. Photograph supplied by Tricia Waldron

This beautiful female sparrowhawk was perched in Sonah Chundee’s garden in Walshestown, Mullingar, some time ago. From the kitchen window we watched her just a couple of metres away as she looked back and forth between us and the two small birds and a hen taking shelter in the bush below her. Tricia Waldron, Co Westmeath

Obviously she wasn’t very hungry or the bush would have been no protection. The sparrowhawk has two main hunting techniques: circling high overhead looking for birds below or hunting along hedgerows and in gardens, where it ambushes the prey by suddenly flying over the hedge on top of the unsuspecting bird. The element of surprise was certainly gone here.

Common plume moth. Photograph supplied by Michael Hannon
Common plume moth. Photograph supplied by Michael Hannon

This is a picture of a little insect that looked like an old first World War aircraft and took a fancy to the kitchen cabinet. It’s about 3cm across. What is it and what is its longevity? Michael Hannon, Dublin

It is Emmelina monodactyla, the common plume moth. This is classified as a micro moth on account of its small size. At rest it rolls up its wings into a T shape. The caterpillars feed in two overlapping generations on bindweed between May and September. The adult moth is often seen on fence posts, walls and even indoors, where it is attracted to light. It sips nectar from ivy blossom, blackberries and, in spring, from willow catkins. The moth flies at dusk from September to May in a single generation but can be seen in any month of the year. So the whole life cycle can take a year.

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Éanna Ní Lamhna

Éanna Ní Lamhna

Éanna Ní Lamhna, a biologist, environmentalist, broadcaster, author and Irish Times contributor, answers readers' queries in Eye on Nature each week