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Cinnabar Moth

Tyria jacobaeae

Photo by Brian38
Published on Project Noah
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47.2423, -122.385

Field Notes

Description:

A caterpillar with black and yellow bands. Start out eating leaves but move to flowers when plant is in bloom.

Habitat:

Spotted on a busy overpass but plenty of vegetation was nearby.

Notes:

Introduced from Europe in the 1960s as a control for introduced weedy Ragwort, the host plant for its caterpillars, which is toxic to livestock.

Reference Links:

Cinnabar moth - Wikipedia, Species Tyria jacobaeae - Cinnabar Moth - Hodges#8113 - BugGuide.Net

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (6)
Brian38
Thanks Maria. I don't think they have warn out their welcome yet. I just added wikipedia in the reference. It explains how the Cinnabar moth controls Ragwort.
Maria dB
As it was introduced from Europe, did it turn into what is considered an invasive species now? Nice looking caterpillar!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Nature in Yellow
Mission
Moths of the World
Mission
Moths and Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest

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Photographed
PublishedDecember 1, 2017

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