Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Scarlet Tiger Moth

The photograph taken above in my garden on 19/05/11, shows a pair of Scarlet Tiger Callimorpha dominula Moths mating. What is so satisfying for me is the fact that I raised one of these from a Caterpillar through to a Pupa, which then hatched into this beautiful Moth on 18/05/11. I released the Moth in the late afternoon of the 19th and then literally within the hour found these two mating. I cannot prove that one of the Moths was mine, but knowing the strength of the pheromones that they give off, I'm pretty sure mine found a mate almost instantly.
I have found another pair mating today on 22/06/11.
I'm pretty sure that I now have a thriving colony of this species as I seem to have many of the larval foodplants. These include Common Comfrey, Hemp-agrimony, Common Nettle, Honeysuckle and Meadowsweet. I have noticed the local Great Tits often diving into the Comfrey searching for caterpillars.