Allotment and Vegetable Gardening

I've had a superb crop of leeks this year. The best I've ever grown.
I was studying, and drooling over, them today when I noticed a few had taken the fancy of some critter that had been busy devouring large chunks of the leaves.
Down amongst the leaves, near the shaft, I found that each damaged leek contains one slug and one caterpillar.

This is typical of the leaf damage:


Here's the caterpillar seen from above:


Here's the caterpillar, showing his underside, along with his mate, Mr Slug.


Can anyone identify the caterpillar?

interesting that Wirralwally found both in each affected plant... slugs tracking down the smell from the damaged tissue?

Thanks Salmo,

I have researched Dart Moth caterpillars (Cutworms) and am satisfied that is the correct identification.
However, I can't agree with your statement that "they are not a pest".
Apart from the damage they are doing to my leeks I'm sure that it is the cutworm that's responsible for chewing off the stalks of my turnips and earlier having chewed through the stems of some sweetcorn just above soil level.

I went on safari today and removed 46 of them, at various stages of growth, from between the leaves of leeks. Anyone watching would probably have thought that I had taken leave of my senses; fishing them out from the depths with a pair of chopsticks.
They were deposited on the bird table and had all disappeared within an hour.

I also note that they come in a variety of guises but the common feature is the rows of dark dashes along both sides of the back.
Here's some of today's 'crop';

One similar to yesterday:


A selection of the others:


I hereby officially declare war on both cutworms and slugs.
Birds please note that WirralWally's patch is the place to be for a first class spread.

Nasty little devils - chop-stcks sounds a great idea. I usually tackle things like these with a very fine paint brush and a jam-jar.

Take care where you plonk them - I discovered they can climb out of an old bath full of water. Are you sure the birds are finding them and they are not doing a quick get-away while your back is turned! 

Even though I watered them my leeks looked far less healthy this year until the first lot of wet weather arrived - now they are almost good enough to eat! 

I've no idea why but the ones we've tried so far are so much sweeter this year than last..... usually the flavour improves once the frost has arrived.

Some of my leeks looked too tempting.

They ended up in a harvest festival display.

That'll teach them!