I was looking for sawflies on my garden roses today and whilst doing so spotted a caterpillar, c30mm long.
I believe this to be a Scarlet Tiger (Callimorpha dominula) larva. Please let me know if I've got this wrong!
I've only recorded this Local species a few times, mostly as adults.
I've only had it in the garden trap twice, I never thought it might be breeding here.
Walter's Ash, VC24
Hi Neil, that is indeed the larva of Scarlet Tiger. The moth is definitely no longer "local" though (have a look at our on-line Atlas map!). The Field Guide uses 300 10km squares as the cut-off between "Local" and "Common" and it had reached 487 post-millennium 10km squares by the time BC's own Atlas of Britain & Ireland's Larger Moths was published a few years ago using data only up to 2016. Many more 10km squares will have been added more recently as the moth continues its expansion in range.
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