I found this Pale Tussock Moth Caterpillar in, would you believe it – a tussock, while tidying up the garden this afternoon.

It’s wonderfully hairy and has a beautiful pink tail, the colour of a linnet’s chest. When it curls up to protect itself the spaces between the segments become very evident. The black marks are the darkest, most velvety black I think I have ever seen. My wife, Penny, said she thought they looked like Black Holes, and she was right. They are so dark, the seem not to have any bottom to them, as if you could stick something in there and it would disappear for ever

If you’d like a more helpful description, try here.