There are numerous caterpillars of the Cinnabar Moth to be found around here at this time of the year. There are plenty on the arable field edge across the road. Their primary host plant is the dreaded Common Ragwort, toxic to livestock. If grassland is left ungrazed and left to its own devices ragwort will often soon dominate. We don't have a problem with ragwort on our smallholding, and if I see a ragwort plant, with its distinctive yellow daisy flowers, I pull it up by the roots.
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| You can see at least 5 Cinnabar Moth caterpillars on this rather ragged ragwort. Our Golden Retriever insisted on being in the shot. |
The Cinnabar Moth caterpillar is very colourful with its yellow and black banding, but the the adult moth I think looks very striking and will be a common sight soon. A saving grace of the Common Ragwort.
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| Cinnabar Moth, soon to be seen here. Photo by Charles Sharp, Wiki. |
Suffolk County Council - in the way distant past (1970s) used to put ragwort seed in with the grass seed and a few other things to add colour to roadside verges. Couldn't believe that when I heard it years later - when people knew better than to let it spread.
ReplyDeleteWhen I drove home from Bury St Edmunds today there was a lot of it to be seen on the grass verges.
DeleteI’ve been labelled Anonymous on my own blog!
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