The Cinnabar moth, Tyria jacobaeae, is so-called because the patches of red on the otherwise black forewings are similar in colour to the bright red colour of the toxic mercury sulphide mineral, cinnabar. The adult moth may be seen flying between May and July on waste ground, grassland and in gardens.
The female moth normally lays batches of eggs on the underside of ragwort leaves and, on hatching, the young larvae start to feed on the plant itself. Ragwort contains toxic alkaloids which are absorbed, and stored, by the larvae (and remain in the adult moth after pupation).
The bright yellow and black markings of the larvae, and the contrasting red and black wings of the adult moths, act as a warning of their unpalatability to would-be predators.
