not a lot of people know this

To coin a famous Michael Caine phrase!!

Anyway, the "this" that not a lot of people know is a fact I picked up while watching the excellent BBC programme "Autumn Watch" which was on back in the, well, autumn.

Anyway, I learnt that the leaf-mining moth lays its eggs in between the membranes of a leaf, and once hatched its larvae eat their way out of said leaf.

what a load of old crap - literally

So, if you ever come across a fallen leaf that is largely decayed but which still has a patch of bright green on it, examine it closely for a black line - sometimes straight, sometimes meandering.  It is this line which alerts you to the presence or near presence of the leaf-mining caterpillar.

The black line is not the creature itself, but its faeces!  Nice.  Presumably the nutrients in the deposits act to feed the leaf and keep a portion of it green.

Amazing innit?

Two more days to wait.  Can you take the excitement...