Cinnabar Moth

Cinnabar Moths with their grey wings with red spots and edges are unmistakeable.

Species: Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae)

Family: Tigers and Ermine Moths (EREBIDAE)

Category: Butterflies & Moths

Location: NW

A = Species Category, B = Species Family, C = Species

A. Butterflies & Moths

B. Tigers and Ermine Moths (EREBIDAE)

This is a very large family containing some of our most colourful moths.

C. Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae)

The grey wings with red spots and edges are unmistakeable, as are the orange/yellow and black striped caterpillars feeding on ragwort. It is seen from May until August, flying during the daytime, especially in sunshine, as well as at night. It overwinters as a pupa in a flimsy cocoon just under the ground. The name derives from the red mineral Cinnabar, the principal ore of mercury (mercury II sulphide) and historical source for the pigment vermillion.

The Cinnabar Moth is listed on the Sussex Rare Species Inventory, and is protected under Section 41 of The Natural Environment & Rural Communities Act, 2006.

A = Species Category, B = Species Family, C = Species

Images

The grey wings with red spots and edges of the Cinnabar Moth are unmistakeable.

Cinnabar Moth caterpillars

The orange/yellow and black striped caterpillars of the Cinnabar Moth regularly feed on ragwort.

Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar

Cinnabar Moth caterpillars

The Cinnabar Moth overwinters as a pupa in a flimsy cocoon just under the ground.