A Big Bear

I found a beautiful moth in my hall friday and after doing some research I found out it's called a Big Bear (Arctia caja) in Dutch and Garden Tiger in English. I tought it was quit funny to see how two different languages both call them after other animals!

The Big Bear (Garden Tiger) Moth is a very popular and attractive moth with the larvae being better known as the 'woolly bear' caterpillar. The eggs of the species hatch late August and it overwinters as larvae. The larva starts to feed again early spring and is full-fed by the end of June. After going through the pupal stage the moth emerges and flies during July and August. It is univoltine (i.e. has one generation a year) and is very popular with breeders due to its large variation in markings and colouration of the adult moth, with examples from yellow to dark brown.

Arctia caja is polyphagous (i.e. eats a wide variety of plant types) and was commonly found throughout the upper Europe. However, over the past 20 years there has been a steady decline in the species with numbers falling by around 30%. The species has been well documented by the Rothamsted Insect Survey. Climate change has been implicated as weather does appear to be a contributory factor. It has been demonstrated that warm, wet winters and warm springs are followed by a decrease in the number of tiger moths the following summer (Conrad, Woiwod & Perry, 2002).