The moth that thinks it's a butterfly

Quite often, I find moths in the trap which look dead - lying on their backs or sides like the White Ermine a couple of posts below. But like Jairus' daughter, they are not dead but sleeping. This nice little Cinnabar, above, is dead, I'm afraid. I found it in the greenhouse on a window sill, either doomed by the heat and failure to find the door, or caught by a spider. A strand of web entangled its legs.

This is a common moth but interesting. It flies by day and has simple antennae, two of the features which distinguish butterflies from moths. My moth Bible describes its colouring as red and black, but I detect a greenish tinge to the 'black'. It has similar cousins in the Burnet moths which have the same colourways (cinnabar is the reddish ore from which mercury is made) and butterfly habits. So is it a butterfly? No. The antennae are not clubbed at the end, which is always the case in butterflies, and the Cinnabar is equally happy flying at night which no British butterflies do (unless you disturb a hibernating Peacock or Small Tortoiseshell from your curtains). No doubt there are other more scientific and taxonomic reasons which I will master one day.

Cinnabar caterpillars are a major reason for supporting ragwort against its enemies among the tidy-minded and over-anxious horse owners. Boldly striped in black and yellow they are easy to find on the bright and sturdy weed between July and early September. They feed quite openly and unconcerned because their bold colouring cries out to birds: Careful! I am poisonous. Some humans may wonder if they are also radioactive.

One final moth in this day-flying group is the pleasantly-named Burnet Companion, which looks completely different but enjoys daytime outings, often in company with Burnets or Cinnabars. Thanks for the catty pic to www.wyeweb.org. Oh, and here's an update: check our Comments and also this excellent blog: Ragwort-hysteria.blogspot.com. We should all defend the noble weed.