Many people contacted us this summer about the Toady Tiger Moth.
This large and rather attractive moth can be seen very easily during July and August in the London area and in adjacent counties. It is especially fond of Buddleia bushes where it feeds on nectar from the flowers.
As recently as ten years ago this was a real rarity in our area. It has spread out from its base in the West Country and seems to find the urban area, in particular, to its liking. Adult moths can be seen almost anywhere in London and most of Hertfordshire.
The usual form of the moth has a red hindwing (with black spots), but about 10 percent of the population have bright yellow instead of red. The reasons for this are not known.
In spite of now being widespread and very common, we have almost no information about which plants the caterpillars feed upon - we welcome any observations on this.
We are continuing to monitor the spread of the Jersey Tiger moth and the County Moth Recorder will be very pleased if you send him a brief note of your own sighting.
A place name (e.g., the postal address), the date and your name are the minimum, but feel free to give extra information. Send sightings to Colin Plant

13 Aug 2019 was the launch of our new website design with larger maps updated to 2018 and a less cluttered layout.
Any comments or issues please please contact Andrew Wood if you find any problems.

During 2019 several new species have been added to the Hertforshire county list but are not yet in the database so cannot be mapped. These are:

62.033 (1435) Acrobasis tumidana
70.164 (1824) Eupithecia egenaria Pauper Pug
72.048 (2046) Eilema pygmaeola Pigmy Footman
72.074 (2407a) Eublemma purpurina Beautiful Marbled
72.081 (2455) Dark Crimson Underwing
73.196 (2259a) Conistra rubiginosa Black-spotted Chestnut