Allotments 4 All

Hi there we have found the following bug growing on our sweedes anyone know what one it is at all.

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Cheers there

They look awfully like Cinnabar Caterpillars to me.

Cinnabar caterpillars! I agree with Fork!

"Cinnebar caterpillars are considered beneficial because the feed on Ragwort, a wildflower that is toxic to livestock. Cinnebar catepillars are often introduced into Ragwort infested areas as a plant control strategy"

Source: http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://greennature.com/gallery/pictures-of-insects/caterpillar3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://greennature.com/gallery/pictures-of-insects/caterpillar3.html&h=386&w=375&sz=21&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=0f4jW-cRVzRBgM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcinnebar%2Bcaterpillars%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

I used to work on my cousin's dairy farm when I was about 5-10yrs old. My main job whilst we were staying there was 'ragwort duty': Digging up all the ragwort in the cows' fields. I wish I'd had a bagfull of cinnebar moths whilst I was there!

Oh and a LOVELY memory! My cousin's farm had a really tame and lovely freesian cow called Fanny-Ann. When I went to her field to dig up the ragwort, we always had at least an hour of me riding on her back as she galloped around!

We used to get them all over the place round Oxford wirth all the ragwort there. These days I only see the odd one.

I get them on my allotment, and thanks Trixiebelle i know the black n red moth i sometime's see is there mummy or daddy.If the caterpillars is called Cinnabar what's the moth called?. ???

Cinnabar moth ::)

Are they not the ones that cover & demolish Groundsel?

Yes Tim that's where i find them on my plot, they eat Groundsel then turn into ... :-[ Cinnabar moths.. :-[... :P. Well if ya don't ask ya don't known. ;)