Tyria jacobaeae || Tigger'pillar

I'm beginning to consider myself something of a Bug Whisperer these days. It's becoming a bit of a passion to identify and figure out what belongs in my garden, and what The Great Big Is (what I call God) created to keep us on our toes and to keep them thar toes covered.
For example, fire ants.
Keep your toes covered around fire ants. In fact, just stay far away from them.
Moving on, we discovered tiny tiggers in our garden a few days ago, around the same time we found *Lumpy.

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LOOK AT THEM MUNCHING AWAY ON RAGWEED!
They're beneficial. Because they eat weeds. Especially the icky ragweed that will overcome any decent yard in one season.

These will become cinnabar moths, I think I posted about that awhile ago... yeah.

So perhaps our visitor in June brought us these!

I found a bit more information on the Tiny Tiggers at the Wildlife Trust site:

Cinnabar moths start life as yellow and black caterpillars and are particularly fond of munching on ragwort plants. Their bright colours warn predators that they’re poisonous, but they only build up their poison after feeding on the ragwort. The caterpillars spend the winter as cocoons on the ground before emerging as moths in the summer. Cinnabar moths can be seen flying during the day and night and are often mistaken for butterflies.

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I was especially interested in the close up of their thin "hairs" -- because I have a few of my own that show up on my chin. I feel very bonded with these caterpillars. Furthermore, Tigger is one of my favorite characters from Winnie The Pooh. He's got ADHD like me!
Tigger
Image is from Disney Clips and used with permission.


Thank you, so much, for reading and I always welcome your comments!
Take a look at @Labyrinths when you have a moment, and join our labyrinth community on HIVE if you're interested. We just started it, so there's not much going on yet, but if you're ever in the need for a "down to earth" (but not too earthy) psychic, you can find me online at Brigid's Aether.

Any images and graphics (unless noted) are mine.

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4 comments
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I love seeing working ecosystems in action

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Looks like thems are making quick work of that plant! They will be looking for dessert next.

Oh gotta love Winnie The Pooh. Of course I am a Eeyore fan 😊

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The Big Guy (@denmarkguy) used to look forward to the annual Eeyore festival in Austin each year. What's not to love?

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I've not seen this type of caterpillar but I suspect we have no shortage of ragweed. I will have to keep my eyes peeled...

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