Early in January, in the Wicklow mountains, I came across a small caterpillar in the heather. It was orange, about an inch and a half long and with black hairs all over. I was amazed to find it so early in the year. David F. Nolan, Santry, Dublin 9
Caterpillars should have pupated or gone into hibernation in autumn, but the unusually mild winter has upset some natural wildlife cycles. The description would fit the young larva of the emperor moth; later on it becomes a much larger green-bodied caterpillar. But what it was doing crawling around in January is a mystery. Barn owls appear to be scarce. Long-eared owls on the other hand appear to be doing well. Will the two types share an area, or would a strong population of one have an adverse effect on the other? Anthony Mooney, Maynooth, Co Kildare
Barn owls stay around farmyards where they can find plenty of rats and mice. Long-eared owls prefer woodland and live mainly on birds and some rodents. On one garden wall, and attached to a wooden trellis, there's a heap of some two dozen snails. They've all been piled up on each other for several weeks. Are they perhaps holding an Ard Fheis to elect a new leader?
David Sowby, Knocksinna Crescent, Dublin 18
They are hibernating. If you look closely you would see that they have sealed up the mouth of the shell with a disc of solidified mucus called an epiphragm.
Last year all the frog tadpoles in my well established garden pond gradually disappeared over a 2 week period. I re-stocked and these also disappeared. No fish. There were some insects like water woodlice.
John O'Keeffe, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4
You have great diving beetles in your pond and the larvae are eating the tadpoles.
Eye on Nature is edited by Michael Viney, who welcomes observations sent to him at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo. E-mail: viney@anu.ie Observations sent by e-mail should be accompanied by postal address.