I would also bet that the moths in question seen in the Stillwater area near
Carnation, King county were the day flying Cinnabar Moths - Tyria jacobaeae-
Tiger Moth family - Arctiidae - introduced to control "Tansy Ragwort" -
Senecio jacobaea in the Asteraceae - Aster / Composite family - links to
photos below.

The warning colors on the caterpillar and adult indicate a toxic moth
species - A Southern Alligator Lizard ate 1 caterpillar and the lizard died.
The plant is also toxic and because it is toxic to cattle it has been
prioritized for control and I presume the caterpillar absorbs and
sequesters the same toxin. I'm now both concerned about our (Northern)
Alligator Lizards and that the caterpillars may also start eating our rarer
native relatives of the "Tansy Ragwort" such as the locally rare Senecio /
Packera macounii - Macoun's Butterwort / Puget Butterwort. I have no
reports of the caterpillars on our natives so far, but yesterday I saw one
of the adult moths on a non-native "Dusty Miller" type Senecio and read that
the caterpillar has other foodplants in other parts of its range so I'm not
confident it will restrict itself to eating the alien Tansy Ragwort.

Some great photos of adults and larvae:

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=239

http://www.kuleuven-kortrijk.be/facult/wet/biologie/pb/kulakbiocampus/buite
n-kulak/fauna/Tyria_jacobaeae-jakobsvlinder-rups.htm

"Tansy Ragwort" - Senecio jacobaea in the Asteraceae - Aster / Composite
family:
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/weedspeciespage/tansy_ragwort/tans
y_ragwort_habit.html

Description and links from my plant description - link file for:

Senecio macounii (Packera macounii) - Puget Butterweed / Macoun?s
Butterweed -

Pacific Northwest endemic (SW BC to NW CA). Spottily distributed in drier
soils including open woods and more prairie-like sites. While I don?t have
records for butterflies nectaring on it, its relative - Senecio triangularis
is an important nectar plant in certain locales at certain times and I?m
optimistic that butterflies will nectar on S. macounii.

http://www.turnerphotographics.com/nature/flowers/flowers2004/040510Josephin
eCo/0405757_std.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/rodg/image/44504008/original

http://www.turnerphotographics.com/nature/flowers/flowers2004/040510Josephin
eCo/0405759.htm

http://www.turnerphotographics.com/nature/flowers/flowers2004/040510Josephin
eCo/0405760.htm

Stewart Wechsler
Ecological Consulting
West Seattle
206 932-7225
ecostewart at quidnunc.net

-Advice on the most site-appropriate native plants
and how to enhance habitat for the maximum diversity
of plants and animals
-Educational programs, nature walks and field trips
-Botanical Surveys

-----Original Message-----
From: william boehm [mailto:wdboehm at yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 7:19 AM
To: Rachel; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Stillwater moth question


i was out at stillwater last week and they were day flying, i believe in
the family Arctiidae which very typically many species have the red hind
wing. william boehm Mail. wdboehm at yahoo.com

Rachel <RachelWL at msn.com> wrote:
When out at Stillwater on the day we found the redstart, we saw some
very beautiful moths (at least I think they were moths, because they rested
with wings folded back). There were a whole bunch of them flying around the
edge of the meadow on the path to the Bank Swallow colony. In flight, they
looked bright rosy red, and, when alighted, their forewings were charcoal
gray with a few spots and lines of red. Does anyone know what they are? I
seem to have a ton of butterfly books, but nothing on moths. I took a
couple of photos which I can send to help with the ID.

Rachel Lawson
Seattle
RachelWL at msn.com/tweeters(and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty
Pleasures list.
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