Yellow and black caterpillar

[snake]

Found these little chaps today feeding on some Ragwort.

Any idea what they are?

[oxycera]

Cinnabar Moth

[DeeChester]

Did you know the cinnabar moth is becoming endangered? As you can see the caterpillars live on ragwort, which is toxic to horses. Because of this ragwort is constantly being destroyed, and now the poor little blighters don't have so much to eat.
More common near the sea, especially in the south of England. I have not seen any caterpillars this year however hard I have looked. 35 years ago I used to collect these caterpillars, they were everywhere then.
The moth is red and black, and doesn't actually look much like a moth. They too are rather beautiful.

[jhewitt15]

cinnabar moths . they eat the ragwort and absorb the poison that they hold until adulthood - cinnabar moths can't be eaten by birds because of poison.

I have seen much more this year than I did last year. They seem to thrive on every sort of ragwort apart from broad leaved ragwort

[Kayleigh]

I love these caterpillars not seen any for years.

[KatRaven]

They are lovely - I've had some of these in my garden too this year (for the first time ever), but over the past few days, they all seem to have disappeared. The birds can't have had 'em, being inedible? There is still some ragwort left, they haven't managed to strip it all, and I thought it would be too early to pupate??

[aeshna5]

Going from Norfolk to London on Saturday I saw whole fields yellow with Ragwort, so there's plenty left! I've seen plenty of cinnabar larvae this year. It may have declined, but I would hardly call in endangered, certainly not in the southern half of UK.

[Wild-Woman]

I'm pleased to say that I've seen lots on the reserve.

[Lance Morgan]

Probablygetting more local than an overall decline plus good years v bad years. I have seen ragwort plants covered in fields as well as larva on a single ragwort plant in the growing from the kerb in a busy town high street.

[naturegirl]

They are plentiful in my neck of the woods too! so no real problem methinks!!

Naturegirl