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Tansy ragwort - 2, Berghem, Netherlands Abundant flowers on the Tansy ragwort, in many languages named the &quot;St Jacob&#039;s herb&quot;. Look closely and you may find a Tyria jacobaeae larva in the scene. Which is a daytime moth named Cinnabar moth in english, yet &quot;St Jacob&#039;s butterfly&quot; in some other languages. <br />
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Larva and adult by others:<br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67877/tyria_jacobaeae_-_various_stadia_caterpillars.html" title="Tyria jacobaeae - Various stadia caterpillars"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3043/67877_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1763596810&Signature=SgodNvAz7UuCvnkHuly%2FTo0fcm8%3D" width="200" height="150" alt="Tyria jacobaeae - Various stadia caterpillars Adding some earlier development stages to JD ...<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67876/tyria_jacobaeae_-_eggs.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67881/tyria_jacobaeae_-_hatched.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67880/tyria_jacobaeae_-_empty_eggs.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67878/tyria_jacobaeae_-_first_stadium.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67879/tyria_jacobaeae_-_young_larvae.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67877/tyria_jacobaeae_-_various_stadia_caterpillars.html Caterpillar,Cinnabar moth,Erebidae,Lepidoptera,Tyria,Tyria jacobaeae,moth caterpillar" /></a></figure><br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/50624/tyria_jacobaeae.html" title="Tyria jacobaeae"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2527/50624_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1763596810&Signature=tRMCvBx5bbcwX%2Br001mqydsO5OM%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Tyria jacobaeae Tyria jacobaeae Cinnabar moth,Moth Week 2018,Tyria jacobaeae" /></a></figure><br />
The larvae of the Cinnabar moth are notoriously self-defeating. Due to the large quantity of eggs, they appear in large numbers. There&#039;s no limit to their appetite. As they ferociously feed on ragworts, they become chemical waste bins themselves, unattractive to predators. Without pressure from predators, most can continue feeding until ultimately food runs out, and they die from hunger before reaching adulthood. Before that, many turn cannibalistic. Berghem,Europe,Jacobaea vulgaris,Netherlands,Tansy ragwort,World Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

Tansy ragwort - 2, Berghem, Netherlands

Abundant flowers on the Tansy ragwort, in many languages named the "St Jacob's herb". Look closely and you may find a Tyria jacobaeae larva in the scene. Which is a daytime moth named Cinnabar moth in english, yet "St Jacob's butterfly" in some other languages.

Larva and adult by others:

Tyria jacobaeae - Various stadia caterpillars Adding some earlier development stages to JD ...<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67876/tyria_jacobaeae_-_eggs.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67881/tyria_jacobaeae_-_hatched.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67880/tyria_jacobaeae_-_empty_eggs.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67878/tyria_jacobaeae_-_first_stadium.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67879/tyria_jacobaeae_-_young_larvae.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/67877/tyria_jacobaeae_-_various_stadia_caterpillars.html Caterpillar,Cinnabar moth,Erebidae,Lepidoptera,Tyria,Tyria jacobaeae,moth caterpillar

Tyria jacobaeae Tyria jacobaeae Cinnabar moth,Moth Week 2018,Tyria jacobaeae

The larvae of the Cinnabar moth are notoriously self-defeating. Due to the large quantity of eggs, they appear in large numbers. There's no limit to their appetite. As they ferociously feed on ragworts, they become chemical waste bins themselves, unattractive to predators. Without pressure from predators, most can continue feeding until ultimately food runs out, and they die from hunger before reaching adulthood. Before that, many turn cannibalistic.

    comments (2)

  1. That's crazy that they cannibalize. Posted 5 years ago
    1. Yes, and I've read it's not just out of desperation or a last resort, there's examples of them doing it with plenty of food around. Posted 5 years ago

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"Jacobaea vulgaris", syn. "Senecio jacobaea", is a very common wild flower in the family Asteraceae that is native to northern Eurasia, usually in dry, open places, and has also been widely distributed as a weed elsewhere.

Similar species: Asterales
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Ferdy Christant's profile

By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Sep 6, 2020. Captured Jun 22, 2020 15:03.
  • NIKON D850
  • f/3.0
  • 1/8000s
  • ISO400
  • 105mm