Butterfly of the year 2021

January 11, 2021

teaser-bildGarden tiger moth (Arctia caja)

"Moths" are not necessarily thought of as butterflies. They appear at night unexpectedly, quickly and more or less chaotically flying around. Thus, they fulfill the image generally expected from them of the unpleasantly disturbing and disgusting insect...

..., just quite different from what butterflies are actually supposed to be. The title "Butterfly of the Year" is not awarded on the basis of beauty. Rather, it is used annually to draw attention to the threat posed to insects by human actions. The Garden tiger moth (Arctia caja) is to be regarded as a representative of nocturnal insects. This group of insects, like all other organisms, fulfills a wide variety of tasks in the ecosystem, which we humans cannot live without. The "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rheinisch-Westfälischer Lepidopterologen" would like to point out habitat loss and nocturnal light pollution as endangering factors for the moth and its relatives. In the project area of LIFE "Patches & Corridors" the species can still be found in many places. However, one must be on the lookout at night with a suitable light source at the end of summer.

Arctia caja RaupeCaterpillars look "fuzzy"

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