Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctata)

Dear Readers, I was sitting in the garden yesterday when there was a tomato-red flurry of wings next to me, and a Jersey Tiger moth settled happily in the honeysuckle. What a startling moth this is! The underside has a rosy glow, and the wings take on the quality of stained glass when viewed from below.

I am getting reports of Jersey Tigers from all over the south west, south east and even further north than East Finchley, so I thought I’d have a look at the reported sightings and see how far this delta-winged moth had managed to travel. I was amazed.

Goodness! The furthest north that a moth has reached is just a little bit north of Moffat in Scotland, with one unconfirmed record in the Western Isles. The biggest clusters are still around London, the south east and south west, but clearly a few pioneers are heading to uncharted territory in Leeds and north Wales. The vast majority of sightings are in high summer, with numbers peaking in August, so there’s still plenty of time to spot them, and do let me know if you’re in the Midlands, North of England, Wales or Scotland and spot one!

In 2000, only 109 Jersey Tigers were reported from the whole country, but in the peak year so far, 2019, over 1862 sightings were reported. These will, of course, be a fraction of the total moths that are about – most people (including me at the moment) simply admire the moths and go about our day. This is a spectacular increase, though – most entomologists believe that the moths aren’t simply crossing the channel these days, but are breeding here. This is probably due to the milder winters that we’re having following climate change, and I can’t help thinking that the range of plants that the caterpillars feed on (everything from green alkanet and nettles to brambles and plantain) helps them to thrive. All in all, I think they’re a spectacular addition to our native fauna, without apparently causing any harm to any species that are already here, and the fact that they’re day-flying means that they’re a great introduction to moths, who usually go unnoticed (unless they come indoors on a warm night).  Global warming will change things in a variety of unpredictable and unexpected ways, and it will be interesting to see who else crosses the Channel and makes themselves at home. Praying mantises? Antlions? All sorts of beetles? Let’s see.

Cat Update: Willow is basically stable at the moment – she is on treatment for Feline Infectious Peritonitis and doesn’t seem to be getting any worse, but also isn’t really getting any better. We’re going to give the treatment for a few more days (the vet is confident that she isn’t in any pain) and see if she can turn a corner. If not, we’ll be making some difficult decisions in the next couple of days. Thanks to everyone for your support! I’m so grateful.