An observant neighbour spotted this Scarlet Tiger in their garden this week - one whose wings have failed to develop fully by the look of it. The second photograph, on a watering can, shows her meeting her evolutionary obligations, I think. Am I right on these two counts? Advice warmly welcome. Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon
Hi Martin,
ReplyDeleteCorrect on both counts. Wings not inflating properly does sometimes happen, possibly as the result of being disturbed during the process or having nothing handy to climb up after emergence so that it can happen. It won't affect her ability to lay eggs, just means that she'll have to walk to the food-plant!
Hi Martin,
ReplyDeleteI also saw a Scarlet Tiger just like your one last year. At first I wondered what on earth it was, until looking more closely at it.
Thanks very much both. What a shame for the moth, though those flightless late Winter/early Spring females like the Brindled Beauty family have clearly got used to it. I found a fully flying one in the churchyard a few days after this, though it seemed a bit fazed by all this rain.
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