Cinnabar Caterpillars foodplants

[Lesinlondon]

Today I came across lots of Cinnabar Caterpillars on a plant I identified, by a couple of remaining almost dead flower heads, as White camomile. They had eaten all the leaves and there was no further similar food source anywhere close by. Later in my walk I came across a large patch of untouched White camomile, so I returned and collected up all the Cinnabars I could see (about 50) and moved them to what I thought was a fresh source of food. Now I look up their food plants and don't see White camomile mentioned at all. It seems they mainly eat Ragwort. Do they eat this plant or have I done wrong here. Trouble is, I didn't see any Ragwort anywhere today to transfer them to.

[Kayleigh]

You really should leave them alone and never move things as they know best..
Go back and check on them see if they are eating the plants you moved them to.
I think they might be ready to pupate as the one in the pic is quite big but I might be wrong.

[Lesinlondon]

I don't think these caterpillars knew best. I just read on a few sites that if their food source is eaten they turn canibal, then eventually die due to starvation (a common occurance apparently). I'm going back tomorrow to check on them, but now I'm sure I did the right thing. The choice was to let them eat each other and maybe starve later or give them a chance. The plant they were on was totally eaten, and no surrounding plantlife was touched. I'm sure it was white camomile, even so there's no ragwort to move them to.

[Lesinlondon]

I went back today and the caterpillars seem to be doing fine. Spoke to a park warden and he and I went and collected others that I had missed and moved them to. He said they will be ok as their other foodplants (apart from Ragwort) are present.