cinnabar moth caterpillar

AmberDonkey · #1 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 12:33 PM

Hi all

We have found lots of little cinnabar moth caterpillars in our garden. After doing some brief research I have found they live off ragwort, of which we have none in or near our garden. Will the caterpillars be OK?

Thanks

charlieb · #2 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 12:41 PM

Cinnabar caterpillars never move from Ragwort, until they pupate. Are they on a particular plant?

AmberDonkey · #3 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 12:59 PM

I've just been outside and found one on the wooden door, one on a plastic garden box, one on a wooden railway sleeper, one on a wheelie bin and several crawling across the stone paving. I took photos for you but don't know if I can attach them or not. We originally noticed about 5 last week on an alpine plant (not sure of name but it did have yellow flowers that are now dying off). Checking various websites, they do look identical to the cinnabar moth caterpillar?

charlieb · #4 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 01:03 PM

You can upload photos here: Wild About Britain Images Upload - you want to select "image library".

As Cinnabars are pretty fussy about what they eat, you tend to only find them on or very near ragwort - is it possible that there was some ragwort in your garden but they've eaten it all (hence they're hunting for some more

)?

It's also possible they're looking for somewhere to pupate - they will move some distance from the foodplant to find somewhere ideal. How big are they?

AmberDonkey · #5 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 01:10 PM

Just uploading them now.

They are about 1 inch long, maybe just under. We have had the alpines in the top of a stone wall for a few years now, it was filled with concrete before then. The garden itself is stone flagged (has been for years) and there are lots of them. The only thing I can think of is a nearby garden that has been left to its own devices, maybe there is ragwort in there?

Neil Jones · #6 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 01:43 PM

Cinnabar caterpillars will eat most of not all the Senecio species. This includes Groundsel as well as Ragwort. Oxford Ragwort is another possibility.

The smaller plants are used but won't support the Cinnabar well. They need larger plants so unless there is a lot of the smaller plant you will have problems with the caterpillars running out of food etc. There are also factors involving population dynamics which work against populations surviving long term on Groundsel.

Since Groundsel is a common garden weed that is the likely source of your caterpillars.

charlieb · #7 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil Jones

Cinnabar caterpillars will eat most of not all the Senecio species. This includes Groundsel as well as Ragwort. Oxford Ragwort is another possibility

Never seen them on anything other than ragwort - Cinnabar caterpillars are particularly voracious and as you say I would imagine they would find it hard to survive on anything other than a 6 foot tall ragowort specimen

AmberDonkey · #8 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 01:57 PM

Thanks ever so much Charlie and Neil.

They are rushing round the garden but as it only contains a few potted plants and a wall topped with alpines, they may struggle to find food.

I'll maybe try coax them onto some paper and take them to the nearby over-run garden where there is plenty of food for them there. Why they like our garden I have no idea!

Many thanks for your responses!

AmberDonkey · #9 (**permalink**) 24-07-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmberDonkey

Thanks ever so much Charlie and Neil.

They are rushing round the garden but as it only contains a few potted plants and a wall topped with alpines, they may struggle to find food.

I'll maybe try coax them onto some paper and take them to the nearby over-run garden where there is plenty of food for them there. Why they like our garden I have no idea!

Many thanks for your responses!

Please note: the nearby garden is where they must have come from, I wouldn't move them anywhere where I think they wouldn't survive!

jeremiah · #10 (**permalink**) 25-07-2009, 12:02 AM

"Never seen them on anything other than ragwort".

One of the great pleasures of my childhood was the yearly appearance of cinnabar moth caterpillars on the groundsel in our potato patch. This was in South Devon. There was no ragwort around, so they must have been surviving to breed. In fact, I don't remember seeing any ragwort until I moved to the South East, and now I come to think of it, I never see any groundsel here.