Each month we’ll be finding out more about a species of butterfly or moth.
This month, we’ll be meeting the Jersey Tiger
Common name: Jersey Tiger
Scientific name: Euplagia quadripunctaria
Size: Its wingspan is 52-65mm
When does it fly: Can be spotted flying on warm days between July and September.
Where does it like to live: The Jersey Tiger can be spotted visiting gardens, rough and disturbed ground and coastal areas.
Where you can see it: This vibrant moth was once only found on the south coast of Devon, England but in recent years has been on the move – venturing out to reach Cornwall, south Wales, Sussex and Kent. It can also be found in across London and is expanding across surrounding counties.
Amazing fact: The Jersey Tiger might be spotted visiting flowers or in your moth trap as it flies both day and night!
“Apart from being a vibrant and colourful moth with some really cool patterns, the Jersey Tiger is also a real indicator of the impact of climate change for our moths and butterflies and how the moths and butterflies we see more often in the UK may change in the future.” – Zoë Randle, Senior Surveys Officer
The Jersey Tiger is a striking moth with striped black and cream wings and vibrant orange-red hindwings. These colours give the moth a clever mix of camouflage, echoing the light and shadows of foliage with its forewings, and the ability to flash a bold warning with its bright hindwings to would-be predators to let them know that they might not taste very good.
The Jersey Tiger is a resident in the UK, but it’s likely that some venture over from continental Europe in the summer months too, and the adults can be spotted flying between July and September. Whilst this moth is not widespread across the UK, its distribution is increasing and it is making use of the UK’s warming climate to venture north, having previously been restricted to the south coast. Butterfly Conservation is tracking this spread through its Big Butterfly Count, which captures at a snapshot of which butterflies and some day-flying moths (including the Jersey Tiger) are being seen, where and in what numbers.
The Jersey Tiger is a cathemeral moth, which means it flies both in the daytime and at night, and whilst it can be spotted almost anywhere within its current range, it’s a particular fan of gardens, rough ground, and coastal cliffs where the various foodplants of its caterpillars can be found.
Jersey Tigers lay their eggs on dandelions, nettles, Bramble and a variety of other plants often considered weeds – the eggs appearing like small pearls dotted on the leaves.
The caterpillars, which hatch within about five to 10 days, can be spotted from September until the following spring, but their appearance changes quite a lot within that time. When they first emerge, the caterpillars are pale with prominent hairs. As they grow, they become black with two rows of cream dots along the back and bands of brown spikey hairs. They will spend the winter like this before re-emerging in the spring to feed and go through one final moult. The black takes on a grey colour and the hairs become ginger – a hint of the bold orange to come when it emerges as an adult!
The caterpillars pupate amongst leaf litter, forming a silken cocoon to protect them, and after four to six weeks, they emerge as an adult.
Haven’t submitted your Big Butterfly Count 2024 results yet? Remember, you can submit your results via the website or the app until 31 August. Find out more at www.bigbutterflycount.org/