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Tag Archives: Cinnabar moth

217/366 Lep larvae

04 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British butterflies, British moths, butterfly larvae, Cinnabar moth, Lepidoptera, moth larvae, Small tortoiseshell

Last week we had a closer look at a couple of butterfly eggs; today we have some Lepidoptera larvae. First up, the caterpillars of the beautiful Small tortoiseshell butterfly, which has two generations of eggs and larvae each year – these will be second generation. The eggs are laid in batches and, when they hatch, the caterpillars stay together to create a communal web where they shelter when they’re not out basking in the sun or munching on nettles. The caterpillars go through five stages (instars) before pupating – these look to be 3rd instars.

200804 small tortoiseshell (1)

200804 small tortoiseshell (2)
200804 small tortoiseshell (3)

In total contrast to the Small tortoiseshell larvae, which are subtle and subdued in their colour and patterns, the larvae of the Cinnabar moth are vibrant, even flamboyant. Their bright orange and black stripes are designed to be seen, warning predators not to eat them as they are poisonous.

200804 cinnabar moth (1)200804 cinnabar moth (2)

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198/365 Little and larger

17 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, plants

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Tags

British moths, caterpillars, caterpillars on ragwort, Cinnabar moth, Cinnabar moth caterpillars, orange and black caterpillars, Ragwort

It’s time to check your local patch of Ragwort for these little critters, the caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

As adult moths, they’re bright red and black but as caterpillars they’re a striking combination of orange-and-black stripes, the patterns more visible the more they munch and grow.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

For some reason there’s quite a size difference in this little bunch – perhaps a combination of broods hatched at different times that just happen to have chosen the same Ragwort plant to chew on.

190717 cinnabar caterpillars (4)

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Death in the cemetery

07 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cathays Cemetery, Cinnabar moth, Common blue damselfly, Common crab spider, Leptopterna species, micro moth, Xysticus cristatus, Xysticus species

The association of death with a cemetery is not exactly unexpected but, in this case, I’m documenting the death of wildlife rather than humans because, just as I see the beginnings of life happening in the cemetery (those Common red soldier beetles were just one example!), so I also see its ending.

160707 death Cinnabar & Common crab CathaysCem

Here a beautiful Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) has met its end in the fangs of a spider, probably a Common crab spider (Xysticus cristatus) but please correct me if I’m wrong. I’m not good at identifying spiders. It seems the spider pounced while the moth was concentrating on laying her eggs on the undersides of these leaves.

160707 death Common Blue female CathaysCem

Common blue damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum) are quite small but this female’s lunch is even smaller and is probably a micro moth, but, as there are 1627 species of micro moths in the British Isles, I’m not even going to hazard a guess as to which one this is.

160707 death Xysticus sp & Leptopterna sp nymph CathaysCem

Once again, a lurking spider has successfully captured its next meal. I’m reliably informed this is also one of the Xysticus species of crab spiders, and its victim is a nymph of the Leptopterna species of grass bugs. The tiny flies are an intriguing mystery – they appeared to be travelling around with the spider like the pilot fish that live as ectoparasites in the company of sharks.

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Three moths in one day

20 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Brimstone moth, Burnet companion, Cathays Cemetery, Cinnabar moth, Euclidia glyphica, moth, Opisthograptis luteolata, Tyria jacobaeae

The day I did my biodiversity hunt at Cathays Cemetery was a bumper day for moths, with three new species spotted.

brimstone (1)
brimstone (2)

The first was this beautiful Brimstone (Opisthograptis luteolata), not to be confused with the butterfly of the same name, though both are a mellow buttery yellow. I was flat out on the grass photographing this when a group of young school children passed by. ‘Teacher, what’s that lady doing?’ ‘I don’t know, David’, came the reply, as the teacher quickly ushered her charges past the mad lady lying down in the cemetery!

cinnabar (1)
cinnabar (2)
cinnabar (3)

The Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is a colourful character. It starts out life as a bright orange and black caterpillar, then transforms into a bright red and black moth – it gets its name from the bright red mineral mercury sulphide, also known as cinnabar. The caterpillars can be cannibalistic when their food source is scarce and, though I never saw them there, these moths were introduced to New Zealand in an attempt to control the invasive ragwort plant on which their caterpillars feed.

160620 burnet companion (3)
160620 burnet companion (4)
160620 burnet companion (5)

Last but certainly not least, as I saw several of these in one small area, was the Burnet companion (Euclidia glyphica). It apparently gets its common name from the fact that it’s often seen in the company of Burnet moths – not on this day! I make no excuses for showing its bottom, as the colour of its underside is a rich orange, almost more attractive than its top. Though they were mostly skittish, one very obligingly remained still long enough to get a head-on shot, which I love.

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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