Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Tansy Ragwort and Cinnebar Moth Larvae. 7.3.19

Tansy Ragwort and Cinnebar Moth Larvae.  7.3.19
Very cool to look at.  I try to keep ahead of weeds, especially the toxic and invasive Tansy Ragwort.  However, sometimes I miss them at the edge of the property, until I see them bloom.

This time, I see the cinnebar moth caterpillars having a feast on tansy ragwort flower heads.

I will leave the plants in place until the caterpillars are done, then pull the plants out.
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2 comments:

  1. darwindude7:34 AM

    Wow! Feasting they are! I won't allow my hornworm caterpillars to eat my tomatoes or potatoes.

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  2. Daniel Wachenheim7:48 AM

    Hi Randy! Great to read your comment. Hope you are well. Cinnabar moths were introduced to the Pacific Northwest as biological control for the invasive and toxic Tansy Ragwort. Tansy Ragwort - not the unrelated garden herb, tansy - grows in pastures and kills cows via veno-occlusive disease of the liver. It's fun to see the cinnabar moth larvae at work. I interesting I have about a half dozen tansy ragwort plants, and only one is infested by the cinnabar moth caterpillars. I plan to remove the uninfested plants so they don't make seeds and spread more weeds.

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