This summer I have noticed a number of striped black and white moths in our garden and on walks around the nearby lakes. It was only when I moved a moth from my studio that I noticed the flash of red as it flew off into the garden. A quick online search identified it as Euplagia quadripunctaria, one new to me.
Commonly known as the Jersey Tiger moth, it is a diurnal moth that was first described by Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus (a scholar, entomologist and Jesuit priest) in 1761. Poda von Neuhaus published his study Insecta musei Graecensis, where he mentioned several species of insects that had not been known to science before.
The Jersey moth is also known as the Spanish Flag moth and is usually found in Europe from Estonia in the north to the Mediterranean coast and islands in the south in summer months. Previously found only in the Channel Islands (hence the Jersey in Jersey Tiger) it was described as "a great rarity in the South of England"
This year’s warm and dry British summer or the effects of more general global warming might explain why the Jersey Moth has been sighted here in Berkshire in recent times.
Read more about this particular moth on the Butterfly Conservation website here or page through Poda von Neuhaus’ digitised book here, all in Latin.
“Jersey Tiger”, photograph, Esté MacLeod, 2025
Colour Combination
The colours this week are Parchment, Vermillion, Dusty Brown and Charcoal. Use the colours along with a contrasting dark and neutral light colour if you wish. Create an artwork in any medium or style.
I love seeing what you’ve create. If you’re posting on Instagram, please tag #coloricombo and #estemacleod and join us in the private Facebook group Creative Prompts.
Speaking of moths…
I love reading short stories and I also enjoy listening to them on podcast apps when I work: true stories are actually more interesting to me than fiction.
As Mark Twain said: Truth is stranger than fiction, it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.
Do you know of The Moth? It is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented over 50,000 stories, told live and without notes to standing audiences. Search for them on your favourite podcast platform.
Are you also a podcast devotee? Do you have favourite ones? Please let me know in the comments section below.
How beautiful, that flash of red is a great signal of danger to possible predators.
Beautiful moth!! I cannot se the connection with the Spanish Flag though 🇪🇸 ☺️