There are moths outside, ready to die for a light they crave but which is denied to them, … Sometimes, in the midst of all I have been given, I watch the moths in us all. Everybody has a light which they think they cannot live without.
~Alma Alexander
A bit of a deep starting quote perhaps, but, with all that is happening right now in our world, I realize even more now that, for both Melissa and I, nature is the light that we cannot live without. So, we did find the time and energy to have a few friends over this past weekend for our annual moth night. This week is National Moth Week, where thousands of people around the world are out looking at our nocturnal neighbors. It is a simple thing that anyone can do, and it opens up a new world of biodiversity and beauty right in your own backyard.
Moths are insects, related to butterflies, but they differ from their better-known cousins in many respects. Most moths fly at night (we do have some common day-flying moths in our area, like the Hummingbird Clearwing). Moth antennae are either tapered or feathered in shape whereas butterflies have knobs or hooks at the tips of theirs. And many moths have a “hairy” looking body, whereas a butterfly’s body tends to be leaner and smoother.
In North Carolina, 177 species of butterflies have been recorded. Compare that to the 2962 species (and counting) of moths we have. Though they can often be challenging to identify to species, there are now several great resources for moth enthusiasts. Some of my favorites include: Peterson Feld Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America; BugGuide (https://bugguide.net); North Carolina Biodiversity Project (https://nc-biodiversity.com/); and two free apps – Leps by Fieldguide and Seek by iNaturalist. And, don’t forget, you can still enjoy the beauty and wonder of these members of the neighborhood night shift even if you can’t find them in a field guide.
We have a couple of inexpensive black lights that project light in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. We set them outside, next to a suspended white sheet, one on the front porch, one on the back deck. then we go out periodically to see what has been attracted to the light. This set-up brings in many species of moths as well as other night-flying insects. Many species tend to come in and just sit on the sheet, making them easy to observe. A few tend to fly in and bounce around, never settling for very long as you desperately try to get a photo for identification.
Here is a sampling of our tally for the night. Most are fairly small (except where noted) and photos are taken with a 100mm macro lens. I have done my best to identify using the two apps I mentioned, plus corroborating with various field guides. As always, if you see an error, please let me know in the comments.
By far, the most abundant creature of the night – a May Beetle, Diplotaxis sp. These are the beetles that keep banging on our windows every night during the summer until we turn off our inside lights. (click photos to enlarge)The first moth of the evening, this mohawk-adorned species is an Eastern Grass Tubeworm Moth, Acrolophus plumifrontella. I’m guessing this is a male since the description says the mohawk is actually a pair of elongated, recurved labial palps that the male moth holds over its head. Labial palps are paired mouthparts that act as sensory organs.A Double-banded Grass Veneer, Crambus agitatellus. I love the scale details toward the rear of the wings.A tiny Dimorphic Tosale Moth, Tosale oviplagalis. The posture (tip of abdomen up, wings down) is distinctive for this species.Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth, Lithacodes fasciola. Another small moth with a distinctive posture. The larvae of this species have “stinging hairs” though I doubt they are painful as the caterpillars are pretty small.Another non-moth visitor, this enormous (1.5 inches) Triceratops Beetle, Phileurus truncatus. Males and females have horns on their head. Larvae are believed to feed on decaying wood and the adults may be predatory on other beetle grubs.White-roped Glaphyria Moth, Glaphyria sesquistrialis. Not many details online about this species other than it has a long flight period from February to November.Walnut Caterpillar Moth, Datana integerrima. One of five similar-looking species of Datana moths in our state, the caterpillars of this one are gregarious feeders on walnut and various hickories.Variable Reddish Pyrausta Moth, Pyrausta rubricalis. Named in 1796, but I could not find much at all on this species online.One of the most common moths in our woods, the Tulip-tree Beauty, Epimecis hortaria. These are fairly large moths that hide in plain sight on tree trunks by day.Another of the very cryptic moths, a Brown-shaded Gray, Iridopsis defectaria. This is another common species on our property. The larvae feed on a variety of hardwood tree leaves.It is always a delight to see a beautiful Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda. This is one of the smaller members of the Giant Silk Moth family, Saturniidae. The larvae feed on maple leaves. A much larger (about a 4-inch wing span) Saturnid moth, a Tulip-tree Silkmoth, Callosamia angulifera. This guy rarely sits till for a photo, but instead flaps wildly as it bangs around on the sheet or flies into your head (it landed momentarily on one of our friends’ nose). A showstopper at any moth event, a Luna Moth, Actias luna. Unfortunately, the two Luna Moths arrived after everyone had left for the evening. Larvae feed mainly on Sweetgum in our area.A much smaller (about 1-inch wingspan) lime green moth, a Red-bordered Emerald, Nemoria lixaria. Larvae feed on oak leaves, one of the most important food plants for the larvae of many moth species.Mottled Snout, Hypena palparia. Larvae feed on American Hornbeam and American Hop-hornbeam, both of which are found in our woods.A Hebrew Moth, Polygrammate hebraeicum. The common and species name likely refer to resemblance of the pattern to characters in the Hebrew alphabet.Decorated Owlet, Pangrapta decoralis. Often seen perched with wings spread. Larvae feed on blueberry plants and Sourwood.Citrus Flatid Planthopper, Metcalfa pruinosa. The most common of the planthoppers found in our yard during the day, it is also attracted to lights at night.Green Cone-headed Planthopper, Acanalonia conica. Another common species that feeds on a variety of herbs, shrubs, and trees.I wasn’t sure what type of insect this was when I first saw it, but enlarging the photo on the computer and using the Seek app, it appears to be one of the Cixiid Planthoppers, Bothriocera sp.
A nice sampling of the nocturnal critters in our back (and front) yard and an enjoyable evening spent oohing and aahing with friends. I highly recommend it.
Thanks, Kim. Yes, we were happy, although it was not quite as many as usual, but it had rained hard a couple of hours before so that may have influenced it a bit.
Oh my gosh! Amazing array of night critters and incredibly beautiful moths. Thank you Mike for giving us a glimpse into this nocturnal world and all the beautiful variety out there!
Mike Did you find out more about your squeaking little hummingbird? I thought about it, meant to comment and went on about my business and am just getting back to it. I wondered if it was a “late bloomer”, a little one hatched after the others were bigger, and getting pecked on or picked on, as your post suggested, so it was afraid to go for sugar water. The big ones do their aerial acrobatics and dive bomb each other, so it could be a shy one. I’m glad it got a good long sip. Thanks for all your beautiful pictures, Joy
Seems as though it was a young bird. Have not seen or heard it begging anymore but not sure if it has just become one of the other swooping ones all over the yard or not. Hope so.
Thank you for the detailed description of the insects. I don’t have a black light but I will hang a sheet over our picture window tonight, turn on the lights inside the den and see what shows up!
Roads End Naturalist 
This is terrific!
Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks, Virginia.
Congrats on a successful moth night…you got lots of beauties!
Thanks, Kim. Yes, we were happy, although it was not quite as many as usual, but it had rained hard a couple of hours before so that may have influenced it a bit.
Fantastic species and photos.
Thanks, Michael.
Welcome. My pleasure.
Wow! That’s a lot of different moths! I love the color of the Rosy Maple Moth. All of them are so interesting. Thank you Mike!
Thanks, Mary Kay. I love those Rosy Maple Moths as well.
Oh my gosh! Amazing array of night critters and incredibly beautiful moths. Thank you Mike for giving us a glimpse into this nocturnal world and all the beautiful variety out there!
Thanks, Joy, glad you liked it.
Mike Did you find out more about your squeaking little hummingbird? I thought about it, meant to comment and went on about my business and am just getting back to it. I wondered if it was a “late bloomer”, a little one hatched after the others were bigger, and getting pecked on or picked on, as your post suggested, so it was afraid to go for sugar water. The big ones do their aerial acrobatics and dive bomb each other, so it could be a shy one. I’m glad it got a good long sip. Thanks for all your beautiful pictures, Joy
Seems as though it was a young bird. Have not seen or heard it begging anymore but not sure if it has just become one of the other swooping ones all over the yard or not. Hope so.
Such a great collection of visitors in the night! Thanks for sharing it all with us.
Thanks Mike for sharing info and photos of these nocturnal beauties. Such intricate variations!
Thanks, Ann
Thank you for the detailed description of the insects. I don’t have a black light but I will hang a sheet over our picture window tonight, turn on the lights inside the den and see what shows up!
Thanks, Vicki. I’m sure you’ll see some cool moths and other nocturnal critters. Good luck!