Dangle Leaf Update

The 2025 Dangle Leaf Season is now underway, though it is being delayed and hampered by unusually mild weather.

The impacts of mild November weather are:- 

1) most broader-leaved sallows remain green, with larvae lingering on the leaves, or being hard to find in hibernation because of the amount of leafage; 

2) in mild weather larvae can wander far and wide whilst seeking a hibernation spot (many wanderers seem to get predated, but this is hard to prove or disprove). 

In Savernake Forest yesterday, one nice broad-leaved sallow was completely bare of leaves and had already gone through the dangle leaf phase, just 2-3 sallows were in prime Dangle Leaf condition (having shed about 75% of their leaves), but the vast majority of broad-leaved sallows were still in green leaf. The narrow-leaved sallows (Rusty Sallow-types mainly) were more advanced, but there aren't many of these in Sav. One narrow-leaved was in prime Dangle Leaf condition, and revealed 5 larvae.  

Of 25 larvae seen, 14 were still on the leaf, though most of these were ready to quit; 10 were in hibernation, by buds or in forks or twig scars; one was wandering about. 

Several more known larvae were listed as Missing In Action, but may yet be found. We also found a few dangles without being able to locate the larva, which had wandered off.

Every autumn I pray for cold weather in early November, to encourage larvae to crawl just a few centimetres from their vacated feeding leaves before conking out... but every early November, it's mild (ridiculously so this year)...

Here's one of yesterday's larvae in hibernation on a twig scar - 

And here's a pair of classic Dangle Leaves, + silk -