Scarlet tiger moths take flight in Shropshire
At the Gatacre allotments in Shropshire, the scarlet tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula) is on the wing, taking advantage of sunny afternoons from May to July. Described as 'part burlesque, part pirate', this bohemian moth has silky-black wings with a green sheen, white and yellow markings, and bright scarlet hindwings, resembling a painting by David Hockney.
A synanthropic species thriving alongside humans
This year has been particularly good for scarlet tigers, which are synanthropic—living alongside people to benefit from human environments. They have been consolidating and increasing their range around the fringes of English towns by widening their diet to include garden plants. The allotment, situated in the shadow of the Old Oswestry hillfort (Hen Ddinas in Welsh), is a prime example of this trend.
The caterpillars, yellow and black striped, particularly like comfrey, which is abundant on the allotments for its traditional use as a fertiliser. According to the article, the scarlet tiger moth's presence highlights how history is not exclusive to people but includes the lives of fellow travellers like crow tribes, sheep, and moths.
A scene echoing through millennia
Above the allotment, jackdaws and rooks lift from careful stepping into the wind to fly and call, mingling with singing voices from a nearby school. These corvids are shadowing the Soay/Hebridean cross-breed sheep that graze the Old Oswestry hillfort. The scene echoes through a thousand years of occupation until the Roman conquest, with the sheep being the closest to those farmed by the Iron Age tribal people of the Cornovii—'the people of the horn'.
As if to underline the synanthropic kinship, a spent tiger moth on the allotment is snatched up by a blackbird. The author observes: 'He cocks his head so that we watch each other. He has a beak full of scarlet wings and worms. I have a bag of salad greens and raspberries.'
