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| Jersey Tiger, Euplagia quadripunctaria. From my actinic trap in Hayes on 20 August 2012. |
An unusual moth, large and colourful. It's quite large for a British moth, as you can see from the faint 5mm squares in the background. Normally it's quite scarce, but it seems to be popping up in several places just now. There were two in my little garden trap on the morning of August 20th. Perhaps a flock has come over the Channel, or perhaps it has bred unusually well this year.
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| Jersey Tiger, Euplagia quadripunctaria. From my actinic trap in Hayes on 20 August 2012. |
Even through the spotty plastic of this tube, the bright orange underwing glows. It was a beautiful sight when it flew away.
I was astonished when I saw these in the Album! Magnificent if not awfully "English garden".
ReplyDeleteThe Jersey Tiger has been spreading in South London since the early 2000s, it has reached Croydon and Shirley in the last couple of years, Crystal Palace in the last 5 years, and has reached Addington this year. So Hayes is within the edge of this spread south. The original colony was at Devonshire Road, Forest Hill.
ReplyDeleteThat's very interesting. I think they must be spreading faster than you think. I know someone who has seen them in the Coulsdon area, and the Kent county recorder says they have reached Rochester. But perhaps some of those were immigrants.
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