Pretty insect enjoying my hanging basket flowers
By Felinfan
- 9 Jul, 2010
- 2 likes
Does anybody know the English or Latin name for this little fellow please? I have it in my French flora and fauna book but cannot find a translation.
Comments on this photo
Thank you Michaella
10 Jul, 2010
Difficult to see but are they Violas?
10 Jul, 2010
Yes Drc726, so I believe, but the moth/butterfly/fly whatever which is sitting on them liked what they had to offer for his lunch so didn't care what species they were.Thanks for your interest.
10 Jul, 2010
Sorry thought you meant the flowers.Is it a Cinnabar - family is Tigers, Ermines, Footmen and allies (Arctiids)
10 Jul, 2010
Thanks for that Drc726:my fault as I could not get the photograph any bigger without losing focus. He's a very small beastie. ~Shall look up your suggested names for him.
10 Jul, 2010
Hello again to Drc726! I thought you might like to know that I have spent ages looking for this moth since this morning, and finally discovered that it is a Six Spot Burnet Moth. Not seen in the photo are its lovely pure red secondary wings. Caterpillar is short fat and bright yellow with black spots which tell predators that it is full of cyanide!
If you wish to know more, log-on to www.snh.org.uk which leads you to PAWS( Partnership for action against wild life crime)
Thank you for spurring me on to find out more> I shall be very respectful to this "at risk" insect next time (hopefully) I see one.
10 Jul, 2010
thanks
10 Jul, 2010
Just saw this and, yes, Burnet Moth, I really like seeing these, but don't often spot them.
10 Jul, 2010
Knowing more about them and noting your comments David, I shall keep my eyes wide open for more of them,but they are quite small (30 to 40 mm I believe). They are apparently getting scarcer because we are losing wild flowers:their favourite is clover, so maybe I should plant some in pots. Thanks for the tip about the tomatoes: I shall try it next time I pot some up. I had heard that French marigolds were good to plant near roses too. If I thought that they would cure black spot, I would plant a mini forest of them! Thanks for your interest
10 Jul, 2010
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lovely....
10 Jul, 2010