WOOD TIGER

ADULT: Wingspan 32mm to 38mm.  A very eye-catching moth with black forewings embellished with a variety of creamy-yellow markings. These markings can be variable with the wings sometimes almost completely black or indeed creamy-yellow. The hindwings are a striking yellow-orange with variably sized black streaks and a black outer margin. The abdomen is orange-yellow with a black dorsal stripe in both sexes. LARVA: Blackish above and covered in grayish-black warts. From these warts arise blackish hairs except on rings four to six where the hairs are seen to be reddish. Foodplants include a variety of herbaceous plants including Forget-Me-Nots and Plantains. BEHAVIOUR: Adults are best seen through the day with the sluggish females often seen at rest. HABITAT:  A lover of acid grassland, heaths, moors, light woodland and chalk downland. FLIGHT PERIOD: June to early August. STATUS: A localised species that is well spread over most of Britain.