Have you spotted the Jersey Tiger?

If you live in southern England and Wales, you may have been lucky enough to spot a very striking day-flying moth this year, which is new to the Big Butterfly Count identification chart.

Often confused for a butterfly because of its beautiful colours and patterns, the Jersey Tiger moth flies during the day as well as at night and can be spotted in increasing numbers across the south of the UK, including London.

The adult Jersey Tiger can be found flying on warm days, visiting flowers such as Buddleia. They also fly at night and like gardens, rough and disturbed ground, hedgerows, coastal cliffs and higher parts of beaches.

Jersey Tiger © Mark Parsons

Butterfly Conservation’s annual three-week citizen science project, the Big Butterfly Count, is now well underway. With just a few days to go, over 100,000 butterfly counts have already been recorded, with experts encouraging more of us to sign up this year.

The UK-wide survey is open to everyone, of any age, living in towns, cities or the countryside. Those taking part are asked to spend just 15 minutes in an outdoor space counting the amount and type of butterflies and day-flying moths they see. The results are then logged onto an interactive map and compared to findings from previous years.

The aim of the campaign is to assess the health of our environment and to inspire people to help protect butterflies and other pollinators, which are declining in the UK.

Big Butterfly Count ID Chart (click to expand)

The Big Butterfly Count runs until Sunday 8^th August 2021. To sign up and submit your sightings, visit; www.bigbutterflycount.org – or download the free Big Butterfly Count app.

Main image: Jersey Tiger © Luigi Sebastian, Butterfly Conservation

Concise Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland

This essential guide, published by Bloomsbury Wildlife, includes brief but comprehensive field descriptions of all the macro-moths in Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands and features more than 1,600 superbly detailed colour artworks, covering around 900 species.

£14.98

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