Garden Tiger Moth

Arctia caja — the garden tiger moth — is one of the most spectacularly-patterned tiger moths (family Erebidae, formerly Arctiidae) in Europe and a flagship species of European insect biodiversity. Adults reach 6-8 cm wingspan with chocolate-brown forewings cross-cut with bold cream-white stripes (the cream pattern is highly variable across individuals; some are nearly solid white, others nearly solid brown), and brilliant orange-red hindwings carrying bold black spots. The species' defensive display is multi-layered: at rest, the moth is partially camouflaged by the cream-and-brown forewings. When threatened, she rapidly opens the wings to flash the orange hindwings and simultaneously exposes a bright red collar at the base of the head — a sudden visual flash that startles approaching predators. The visual warning is backed by genuine chemical toxicity: garden tiger caterpillars feed on a wide range of toxic herbs (ragwort, dock, dandelion, plantain, others) and sequester cardiac glycosides and pyrrolizidine alkaloids that make adults bird-aversive. The 'woolly bear' caterpillar is one of the most familiar caterpillars in European folklore — bristly, dark with reddish-brown sides, and frequently encountered on garden plants in autumn. Caterpillars overwinter and resume feeding in spring before pupation. The species has experienced significant population declines across Britain and northern Europe since the 1970s — UK population estimates have fallen by 89% over 40 years (Butterfly Conservation UK), making the garden tiger moth a flagship species in European insect-biodiversity decline research and a centerpiece of UK 'moth night' citizen science programs aimed at population monitoring.