…to understand something of the wonders of a world which becomes the more wonderful the more we know of it.
~W.J. Holland, in The Moth Book, 1903
I set out my moth light for two nights a little over a week ago to see what species might drop by here at the house. Melissa and I gave a moth program at work the week before that and, though we didn’t get a tremendous number of moths that night (in part, due to the early hours for families), it did reignite my moth fever. One night I put the sheet on the clothesline out the basement door. The second night I strung it up on the back deck outside the living room. Both nights I turned outside lights on in addition to having a black light set up next to a cotton sheet. I checked the lights from sunset until about 12:30 p.m. both nights. Things started slow and peaked between 11 p.m. and midnight.
The thing I find so fascinating about moths is their diversity and beauty when you actually take the time to look at them. Many are, at first glance, just brown nondescript bugs, seemingly impossible to tell apart. But a closer look, and their colors and patterns are incredible. I do find them very challenging to identify, but there are a host of online resources that can really help. Among my favorites are: Moths of North Carolina, Bug Guide, Butterflies and Moths of North America, and the North American Moth Photographers Group.
But the real game-changer for me was the publication last spring of the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of the Southeastern North America. I had purchased their guide to moths of the northeast when it came out a couple of years ago and it had been helpful, but, obviously, not comprehensive for our region. But my copy of the new guide is already showing signs of wear as I have flipped through its pages countless times searching for a species new to me at the lights at home or at work. The challenge in moth identification is looking for key characteristics. A look at the online resources for any one species reveals the amazing variation between individuals of some species. And, of course, the printed field guide has space for only the most common variety (generally only one picture is chosen to represent an entire species’ variability). So, having said that, I have done my best (along with Melissa’s help) to identify these to species, but there is a chance some may be misidentified. If anyone catches a mistake, please share in the comments section.
Below are some of the larger moths (those approximately an inch or more in length) that came to the lights. More of the smaller ones will be shared in my next post.
How many of these have you seen?

I love the pattern and colors of this moth. It is either a Banded Tussock or a Sycamore Tussock Moth (Halysidota tesselaris/harrisii). They are apparently very difficult to tell apart, and both caterpillar species are common here.
Love them all! Thanks for sharing and for collecting these after dark.
Thanks. There is just not enough time in a day (or night) to see it all!
😊
Cool! It’s been an extremely bad year for all moths where I live (although a hibiscus moth managed to lay timed-release eggs–pests always survive). I have seen one luna, several Tineids, one Desmia, and just a few swallowtail and skipper butterflies.
The only pair I’ve seen *all* *summer* *long* were a couple of Tiger Swallowtails, those in town, two miles from my home.
Most years the orchard, walnut, and maple trees attract a rich variety and being scent-tagged by moths is a nuisance.
Interesting. The variability in their populations from year to year is amazing and I can only speculate….
beautiful moths…some I recognized from my kitchen window visitors, others were new to me. What a great way to spend a summer evening!
Thanks, Mary. Agreed, better than tv reruns for sure:)
Wonderful post! It has been a great year for moths in Kentucky and I’ve seen more variety in species at my moth light than ever before,most notably several catocala species and a carpenter worm (Prionoxystus robiniae.). In addition to a UV light, I’ve been painting a nearby stump with a solution of fermented fruit — which has brought in both underwings and zales. Thanks for including your list of moth ID resources — some I knew, and some are new to me. I didn’t’t know that there was a new Peterson guide for the southeast!
I need to do some baiting as well. Maybe on my next moth night. And, yes, that new field guide is wonderful. I’ll probably be buying another copy soon so both of us can flip pages searching for unusual species:)
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These are all so beautiful!
Thank you, Anne.