Tiger in my Garden!
The moth trap contents were reasonable sparse again this morning. However amongst the sixsteen species recorded, two of them were new records for my garden! Here is the full list:
Ingrailed Clay 1
Heart and Dart 4
Large Yellow Underwing 3
White Ermine 1
Double Square-spot 1
Dark Arches 2
Burnished Brass 1
Mottled Beauty 1
Light Arches 1
Flame 2
Buff Ermine 1
Map-winged Swift 2
Garden Tiger 1
Silver Y 1
Beautiful Golden Y 2
Plain Golden Y 1
Double Square-spot is a species I have been hoping to see, so it was a pleasant surprise to see one in my trap this morning!
Double Square-spot
The most exciting find however was the beautifully striking Garden Tiger.
Garden Tiger
Garden Tiger
Garden Tiger
Garden Moth
Not only is the Garden Tiger a stunning moth, but it is also a highly evolved species. The striking markings warn would be predators that it does not taste too good. When threatened the species will flash its very bright orange underwing as a warning. The moth can also secrete a toxic fluid from ducts behind the head. This is clearly a moth not to be messed with! What is perhaps more amazing is the adaptation the Garden Tiger Moth has to avoid being eaten by Bats. The moth has a furry body which absorbs the sounds omitted by bats for echo location purposes. The moth is able to ‘jam’ the sonar of a Bat by emitting a series of clicks! This is a species that clearly is as incredible as it looks!
