This year for the first time I had stripey Tigers in my garden, but they’re not real tigers.
I’m talking about Jersey Tiger moths and it seems to have been a good year for them. They are beautiful moths that fly both during the day and the night, behaviour which is known as cathemeral. When they’re perched up they look like little stripey Vulcan bombers.
This year lots of people round Thanet have been reporting sightings of these zebra striped beauties. They also have a beautiful orange underside as you can see here in my little survey pot.
I use a moth trap which uses a light to lure moths at night time so I can survey them. Jersey Tiger moths love gardens, disturbed ground, hedgerows and are well known to be resident around our coastal cliffs.
The old Hoverport site in Pegwell Bay is a good spot for them. They are resident and also suspected immigrants and they have been increasing since the 1970s.
Jersey used to be their most northern range, hence the name, but our climate is changing. As caterpillars they feed on a wide variety of plants including nettle, Ground Ivy, Hemp-argimony and brambles.
Adults seem to love the Buddleia (butterfly bush) growing in my garden. If you want to attract them into your garden, plant those varieties.
This is a very attractive moth so keep an eye out.
Thanet nature expert Nik Mitchell runs the Get Wild page on facebook
