www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I have noticed a few garden tigers this year and it got me thinking back to when I was 7 and how my passion with butterflies/moths started. It was actually this species that got me interested in butterflies and moths to start with. Back when I was 7, there was someone who wrote into a local newspaper. They were in a golf course and saw a "rare moth" and when I saw it, I instantly saw it as the Garden Tiger. The day before I was at a factory where my grandad worked, I was with him and found a female garden tiger there. I looked in my butterfly/moth book I had (still have the book) and found the moth. I was photographed for the newspaper with the book and the page the moth was on. So since then, this has been one of my favouite moths and decided it would be nice to rear them. I had several visit my Heath traps last month and now have around 20 caterpillars.

I am filming through their whole lifecycle, from caterpillar to adult and making a video of it. Here is one of the caterpillars up close:
you can see they are haity right from the start. And fast...I watched one of mine crawl across a leaf quite fast. I thought it was only as fully grown caterpillars they move fast, but no, its from the start. I call mine the "Speedy Gonzalas Group" for this reason

Here is 4 of them (sorry for two blurring, but could only get the two in focus as they are so small): Am I right in thinking that the adults don't feed? I know a few species in the same family do feed. An d would the caterpillars take ivy leaved toadflax? I raised white ermine on that before and it grows plentiful around my garden and walls of my house.

Here is entry on my blog: http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB2/b ... =915&b=347 and will keep an update there