Have you seen a Jersey tiger moth this summer?

Though 2025 was a good year locally for this stunning moth, I seem to have seen even more this year. I don’t know whether this is simply because they are now so comfortably settled in my area that they’re breeding in good numbers or if it’s yet another effect of this hottest of summers – perhaps both statements are true. Also, the winter of 2025-26 was quite mild, meaning the over-wintering caterpillars would have had a better chance of surviving though till their pupation in the spring.

For the first time I’ve even seen Jersey tiger moths (Euplagia quadripunctaria) mating. In fact, I almost stood on them – it was just lucky that I looked down at my feet before stepping off a local path to look more closely at a plant, as they were on the ground amongst the vegetation and leaf litter. Fortunately for them, they can now go on to produce even more Jersey tigers for me to enjoy next year.