Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Ragwort

The Cinnabar Moth – Tyria jacobaeae – is a small black and red moth which is dependant on the Common Ragwort to survive. This is because it lays its eggs on the lower leaves of the plant and when the caterpillars emerge they eat their way up the plant to the top as you can see here. Poison from the plant helps to protect them from predators as it does the adult moth which can cause a rash if handled. The caterpillars, when mature, leave the plant to spin cocoons in the earth in which they hibernate before emerging in spring/summer as fully grown moths. These were seen at Martin Mere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is, I think, a female Eristalis pertinax which landed, for a very short time, on a small patch of Ragwort - Senecio jacobaea. The Eristalis is a large genus of around 99 species of Hover and Drone Flies which makes it very difficult to positively identify this one, especially from just the side view. (Maybe someone with more knowledge of this can help?). Common Ragwort is a very widespread 'weed' which grows up to 1m high and is highly attractive to Bees and other insects. Seen by the Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.