18-05-2019, 10:00 AM
1
HELP PLEASE Question for moth experts
I have a beautiful black & red Cinnabar moth sitting on my window....it came in yesterday and has been here since.https://www.wwb.co.uk/index.php?rout...roduct_id=6513
It is much cooler today so I am wondering if it is better to put it out or let it stay.
Can anybody offer advice?
18-05-2019, 11:21 AM
2
Re: HELP PLEASE Question for moth experts
Originally Posted by Twink55
->
I have a beautiful black & red Cinnabar moth sitting on my window....it came in yesterday and has been here since.https://www.wwb.co.uk/index.php?rout...roduct_id=6513
It is much cooler today so I am wondering if it is better to put it out or let it stay.
Can anybody offer advice?
I had some cinnabar moths/caterpillars in my garden a few years ago when some ragwort sprang up. I'd never seen any before. They are wonderful!
I'm no expert, but it might be better to release it. It probably needs nourishment anyway.
They are day-flying moths, hence the bright colouring, to let birds know they are poisonous.
When the caterpillars were on the ragwort, they completely stripped it, and the black and yellow caterpillars were so visible, on the bare stems of the plant, that I couldn't understand why ththe birds didn't pick them off; however, a quick look in my butterflies and moths book explained how poisonous they were to birds, etc, hence the bright colours.
Edit....just looked up what you could feed it.....if you have any garden flowers you could offer it them, or very ripe fruit, or just plain sugar water 1:4 mix(white sugar), and soak some tissue in it, the source said. That would keep it going until you felt it was a bit warmer, perhaps?
18-05-2019, 11:29 AM
3
Re: HELP PLEASE Question for moth experts
They are quite rare due to ragwort being eliminated in the wild....ragwort is very poisonous to horses if they eat it.As I live in a town, with no horses for miles, I felt it was ok to leave my ragwort. It must have seeded from a bird feeder.
No horses were likely to traipse though my little garden!
18-05-2019, 12:09 PM
4
Re: HELP PLEASE Question for moth experts
Thank you Pyxell. I decided it wasn't as cold as I thought so I released it and an hour later it was still happily fluttering around a bush with flowers.
When we had horses here we always removed the ragwort, but for the last few years I have left it as there are no horses on nearby grounds, ( the ones I had were a friends, who now has stables of her own).
Yesterday I had quite a few cinnabar moths & one even landed on my hand.
They are so beautiful and not nearly as much work as the horses were! 
18-05-2019, 12:41 PM
6
Re: HELP PLEASE Question for moth experts
Originally Posted by Longdogs
->
Stunning things, I have not seen one of those in the wild. Glad it went OK Twink and well done for caring.
I look after all wildlife, where I can, and the only things I deliberately kill are flies & sometimes slugs.
18-05-2019, 03:25 PM
7
Re: HELP PLEASE Question for moth experts
Originally Posted by Pyxell
->
They are quite rare due to ragwort being eliminated in the wild....ragwort is very poisonous to horses if they eat it.As I live in a town, with no horses for miles, I felt it was ok to leave my ragwort. It must have seeded from a bird feeder.
No horses were likely to traipse though my little garden!
Indeed, Ragwort is nasty stuff. That is why I am amazed the caterpillers can strip the stuff.
I believe it is toxic to all grazing animals, same as Yew is.
I remember years ago the vet telling me landowners by law, have to get rid of any Yew overhanging grazing areas. He said he went out to one horse that died with the Yew still in it's mouth even.
But Ragwort is still toxic even when it is cut and dried if it gets into hay while they are baling.
|
|
