[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Mid to late July is the best time to look for the dramatic looking Scarlet Tiger Moth. The sight of one of these colourful insects flitting through the air during the daytime may leave you wondering if you've discovered some sort of exotic butterfly.
First you'll notice a flash of red and black, and depending on the light you might see some cream spots, some orange spots or some beautiful irridesent green-blue.
Try following it until it lands and you could be rewarded with a good view. Scarlet Tigers tend to stay perfectly still if they think they're in danger and they let you get very close. They only fly off if you touch them.
Scientific name: Callimorpha dominula
Size: Wingspan approximately 60mm
Distribution: Found mainly in the southern counties of Wales and central and southern England
Months seen: June and July
Habitat: Always close to water, damp meadows or coastal areas
Food: Caterpillars feed on bramble, comfrey and nettle
Special features: Scarlet Tigers are day-flying moths. Their forewings are an iridescent blue-black-green colour with patches of yellow and white. The underwings are bright scarlet with black spots and bars. Some species of Tiger moth do not feed as adults, but Scarlet Tigers have mouthparts which allow them to feed on nectar.
Scarlet tiger caterpillars have a black body with a yellow and white dorsal stripe. The sides also have yellow and white spots and there are short black hairs on each body segment.
Sat Jul 21, 2012 12:42 pm
