Mothing 2023

Posted on July 31, 2023 by roadsendnaturalist

Life begins at night.

~Charlaine Harris

National Moth Week (NMW) is now officially over for 2023. This celebration of the insects of the evening was last week, July 22-30. It is meant to bring awareness to the incredible diversity of the nocturnal insects that many of us only see as something flitting around our windows or porch lights at night. Scientists estimate there are between 150,000 and 500,000 species of moths in the world. Here in North Carolina, there are close to 3000 species and the list is growing every year. That is one of the reasons for the worldwide effort of NMW – to learn about and document moths. We we are still learning so much about this amazing group of insects. Many moths are quite cryptic, and go unnoticed during the day. And there is so much to learn about the life cycles and ecological connections of many species. I am amazed when I finally identify a moth I have never seen to species and then find out online that we don’t know what the larvae feed on. NMW is a chance for “moth-ers” to become citizen scientists and record and share their observations with various online biological data repositories like iNaturalist.

We have a couple of black lights and some sheets that we set up on the front and back of the house to attract night-flying insects (moths are not the only things that come to the lights). Then we go outside and check to see who we have and attempt to photograph and identify them. I compile and submit those observations to iNaturalist. This is also a great way to add many new species to a project I started a few weeks ago to document all the invertebrates that we have here on our property (more on that in a future post).

Last Friday we had a moth party (if it were a dance it would be called a moth ball) and had a few friends over to share in our nerdiness. That same evening we also were one of the presenters of a virtual moth night hosted by Science Across North Carolina. Several people were livestreaming to the SANC YouTube channel from a number of different places. Our friend and museum scientist, Chris Goforth, was helping coordinate the effort and we had a blast.

So, here are just a few of the highlights of our efforts this past week at recording who is on the night shift in our woods. I have attempted to identify these using various apps and field guides and then posting on iNaturalist. But, if you see an error, drop me a note in the comments section. I don’t give sizes here, but photos were primarily taken on a white sheet (notice the weave for size comparisons) or the exterior wooden siding of our house, so you can see many of the subjects are quite small.

-Dimorphic Tosale Moth. Larval host plants are apparently unknown (click photos to enlarge).

-Beaded Lacewing. Okay, a lot of non-moths are attracted to the lights. If I got this ID correct, this critter is related to antlions and other Neuropterans. The larvae supposedly eat termites. And one reference I saw says the larvae (not sure if this is the case with this species) of this group approaches a termite and releases a toxic vapor from its rear end that immobilizes the termite so it can then be eaten. The article said the larvae basically “farts their prey to death”!

-Dotted Leaftier Moth. I love the patterns on various moths.

-Bent-line Gray, another subtle looker.

-Ilia Underwing. Though beautiful as is, the real surprise comes when this large moth opens its wings to reveal a bright flash of salmon color on its hind wings (you can see a hint of it where the wings meet).

-Red-fringed Emerald. This beautiful little moth has a reddish-brown early spring form and this emerald green summer form.

-Another non-moth, a massive Triceratops Beetle. The larvae live in rotting wood.

-Zebra Conchylodes Moth. I had never seen this one before and it is a stunner! Larvae feed on asters.

-The Hebrew Moth. Named for the resemblance of the wing markings to a Hebrew letter (nun). The caterpillar feeds exclusively on species of gum (Nyssa sp.)

-Juniper Geometer Moth. Also called the Juniper-twig Geometer. As the name implies, the larvae feed on Eastern Red Cedar (and possibly pines) in our region.

-Esther Moth. Another one whose larvae feed on pines.

-Oblique-banded Leafroller Moth. Larvae roll leaves of various trees to feed and hide.

–Macrocera sp. Belonging to a group known as Predatory Fungus Gnats, the larvae of which spin a web with droplets of acid fluids which kill their tiny invertebrate prey.

The following pics are from our moth night event last Friday. Again, this is but a sampler of the many species we recorded.

Banded or Sycamore Tussock Moth. I love the subtle pattern and colors of this group (you cannot distinguish between the two species without dissecting the genitalia of the adult moths!)

-Gold-striped Grass Veneer. A delicate little moth whose larvae are believed to feed on grasses.

-Eastern Hercules Beetle. One of my favorite non-moths to visit the lights. One of North America’s largest insects, this is a huge male (note the horns, females lack those). One reference said they are harmless to people, which is true…but they tend to be rather erratic flyers, and a female hit me right in the forehead last week. It didn’t hurt, but, needless to say, it startled me.

-Baltimore Snout. A distinctive moth with its triangular shape, bold markings, and “snout”, which is actually a pair of labial palps.

-Grape Leaffolder Moth. Larvae fold leaves and feed primarily on various species of grape and Virginia Creeper. Adults are day-flying moths but are also attracted to lights at night.

-Yellow-collared Slug Moth (also called the Inverted Y-Moth as its scientific name, based on the wing markings, is Apoda y-inversum. If anyone knows why many species of moths perch with their abdomen sticking up in the air, please drop me a note.

–Calyptoproctus marmoratus, another non-moth – a huge (1 inch long) plant hopper. It looks like a cross between a cicada and a plant hopper. This native species is related to the invasive Spotted Lanternfly.

-Southern Flying Squirrel. This little guy (and two of his friends) were the real stars of the show on Friday. Non-moths for sure (athough I believe they will consume moths that they can catch). One to three flying squirrels have been coming to the bird feeders every night for the past few weeks to dine on sunflower seeds. Even with three of them on the feeder, they don’t cause it to drop down to block the feeding ports as does just one Eastern Gray Squirrel. We livestreamed these to the SANC viewers and managed to get quite close images as this one stayed on the feeder as I slowly pulled it (it is on a pulley system) closer to the deck as Melissa filmed it with her phone. I took one shot with my camera as it happily fed while giving us the side eye.

-Rosy Maple Moth. One of our favorites, this beauty is a member of the Giant Silk Moth family, though it is not nearly as large as many of its cousins. We find the larvae mainly on maples. Adults, like other members of this family, have no functional mouth parts and do not feed.

-Imperial Moth. This was the largest moth (they can reach up to 6 inches in wing span) to visit us on our moth night (unfortunately about 5 minutes after our friends left at 11 p.m.). Their caterpillars are also huge and come in 4 color morphs.

I encourage everyone to seek out your local moth fauna. It can be as simple as leaving on a porch light for a few hours and checking out who flies in. But, please don’t leave your outside lights on all night as many insects get “trapped” by the lights and will remain at that spot until daybreak when they become easy victims for birds, outdoor cats, or other predators.

There are a lot of great resources out there if you decide you want to identify your moths. For our region, I recommend: The Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America; apps like SEEK and LEPS; and to confirm what you have found and learn more, websites such as BugGuide and the Moths of North Carolina.

Happy moth-ing!

Moth Night 2022

Posted on July 27, 2022 by roadsendnaturalist

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.

National Moth Week Ends

Posted on July 27, 2020 by roadsendnaturalist

I think that engaging with natural history – learning the identity and phenology of your neighbors by reading about their stories, and studying their lives alongside your own can give anyone a sense of rootedness.

~Henry Hershey

One reason I like National Moth Week so much is that it reminds me to make the effort to learn more about our little-known (and certainly under-appreciated) nocturnal neighbors. We were absent for much of this years’ event (plus evening thunderstorms hindered efforts) but we managed to set out a moth sheet and black light again last night. Visitors included several moth species new to me and a host of other night-flying insects, especially members of the beetle clan. Below are some highlights (as always, any species ID corrections are welcome)…

Common Spragueia Moth, Spragueia leo, a small bird-dropping moth (click photos to enlarge)

Another tiny moth, a Double-banded Grass-veneer, Crambus agitatellus

The adult form of one of our favorite caterpillars, the Crowned Slug Moth, Isa textula

Common Pinkband, Ogdoconta cinereola

A very small, but beautiful, Sooty Lipocosmodes, Lipocosmodes fuliginosalis

A snappy dresser, a Striped Oak Webworm, Pococera expandens

Neutral colors are in this year – Large Paectes Moth, Paectes abrostoloides

Dusky Groundling, Condica vecors

Terrenella Bee Moth, Aphomia terrenella – not much is known about this species but larvae may feed on the honeycomb and/or larvae of bees

Though simialr in appearance to others in its group, I think this is a Bicolored Angle, Macaria bicolorata

Large Mossy Glyph, Protodeltote muscosula

Dimorphic Macalla Moth, Epipaschia superatalis

The prize-winning moth of the night, a Virginia Creeper Sphinx, Darapsa myron (we both really love the sphinx moths for their beauty, patterns, and sleek design)

In addition to some cool moths, the light attracted many other critters. The most abundant (and smallest of the lot) were various species of caddisflies and the ubiquitous May Beetles (the ones that constantly pound on our windows at night). Here are some of the larger non-moth neighbors….

Several noisy cicadas (Neotibicen sp.) showed up last night

Grapevine Beetle, Pelidnota punctata

The formidable-looking Brown Prionid Beetle, Orthosoma brunneum

Several species of longhorned beetles showed up, including this Carolina Pine Sawyer, Monochamus carolinensis

A large White Oak Borer, Goes tigrinus

Another huge Eastern Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus, male made an appearance. These guys are like small tanks!

The fastest (and second largest) beetle of the night was this Fiery Searcher Beetle, Calosoma scrutator. These are in the caterpillar hunter group of beetles and can produce a strong musky odor and a painful bite if mishandled. Adults can live up to three years and can consume hundreds of caterpillars (including tent caterpillars and gypsy moth larvae) in their lifetime

Just because National Moth Week is over, don’t let that stop you from turning on a porch light or setting out a moth sheet to learn more about some of our amazing nocturnal neighbors.

Moth Week Plus

Posted on July 29, 2019 by roadsendnaturalist

I’ve always preferred moths to butterflies. They aren’t flashy or cocky; they mind their own business and just try to blend in with their surroundings and live their lives.

~Kayla Krantz

National Moth Week ended yesterday and I managed to miss most of it for a variety of lame reasons. But, even though I failed to put out my moth light (which is at work for summer camp use), I did manage to find some cool moths hanging out at lights or ones I flushed from their hiding place as I went about my work. With your permission, I’m going to cheat a little and present a few that I photographed outside the official moth week window. The group includes several that are new to me and several that meant more because I have photographed their larval forms in the past. So, get outside and look around, the beauty and variety of moths is astounding!

I found several large sphinx moths (most sphinx larvae are known as hornworms due to a prominent tail spike). They are the fighter jets in the moth world, typically with a sleek shape and rapid flight.

Plebian sphinx, Paratrea plebeja (also known as the trumpet vine sphinx) (click photos to enlarge)

Pawpaw sphinx, Dolba hyloeus

Rustic sphinx, Manduca rustica

It was also a good week for the underwings, so named because they tend to have bright colors on their hind wings that are only revealed when they open their forewings (this may serve as a predator avoidance aid when flashed).

Clouded underwing, Catocala nebulosa

Ilia underwing, Catocala ilia (also known as Beloved underwing or Wife underwing – photographed on tree trunk to show their wonderful camouflage)

Penitent underwing, Catocala piatrix

Saddled prominent moth, Heterocampa guttivitta

It was a good week for little green moths…

Red-fringed emerald, Nemoria bistriaria

Red-bordered emerald, Nemoria lixaria

Bad-wing moth, Dyspteris abortivaria (love this name)

Spun glass slug moth, Isochaetes beutenmuelleri (I really want to find this one’s caterpillar – look it up and you’ll see why)

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, a colorful day-flying moth, often seen pollinating various wildflowers

Rosy maple moth, Dryocampa rubicunda, one of our most beautiful, and common, moths

Gray-banded OR Oblique zale, Zale sp.

Brown-shaded gray, Iridopsis defectaria

Maple zale moth, Zale galbanata

Plain Plume Moth, Hellinsia homodactylus (the plume moths are among the strangest looking moths!)

The biggest surprise was a rather innocuous-looking little moth found outside one of the entryways to the office. As is often the case, a close-up image showed some beautiful patterns and subtle colors that I might have otherwise missed. But the shocker came when I identified it and saw its name – Wasp Parasitizer. That’s right, this little moth lays its eggs on paper wasp nests and its larvae consume the larvae and pupae of the wasps! The natural world, literally just outside our doors, is truly amazing.

Wasp parasitizer, Chalcoela pegasalis

Mountain Mothing

Posted on July 29, 2015 by roadsendnaturalist

It is looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper meaning.

~ Vincent van Gogh

If Van Gogh is correct, then I am ripe and have found deeper meaning, at least as far as mothing is concerned. On the final night of National Moth Week, 2015, I set up the moth light on a farm gate at my parents’ home in the mountains of southwest Virginia. The habitat is very different from where I live. Besides being near the mountains and a river running out back, there is a lot more open ground than I have in my Chatham County woods. In fact, it is mostly open pasture that Dad mows for hay twice each summer. I set the UV light and sheet up along a line of trees that separates their lawn from the pasture. I really wasn’t expecting the kind of diversity I saw in my wooded yard, but wasn’t really sure what might attend the moth party.

Mayfly (click photos to enlarge)

As I had anticipated, the nearby river provided plenty of insects that spend part (or most) of their lives in the river. Several Caddisflies and numerous white Mayflies were early arrivals at the party. I was hoping for some Dobsonflies, but they were no-shows. The first couple of visits to the light showed that I was probably correct – the moth diversity, at least of those large enough for me to even attempt to identify, was much less than in the woods at home. But, there were some beetles and lots of tiny flies, and what looked like very small wasps.

Double-banded Grass-veneer – Crambus agitatellus

There were also plenty of small moths, some of which turned out to be quite beautiful (or strange, depending on your perspective I suppose) when you take a closer look. Not surprisingly, almost all the ones I could identify are found primarily in grassy habitats, and their larvae feed on grasses. The name of one group reflects that – the Grass-veneer moths. I suppose the veneer part of the name comes from their habit of tightly clinging to grasses (usually the underside) during the day, making them tough to find unless you flush them out as you walk.

Elegant Grass-veneer – Microcrambus elegans

One Elegant Grass-veneer perched on my tripod next to one of the small bolts. That bolt is probably less than a half inch across so that gives you some idea of the small size of this individual. They are also distinctive in that this group tends to have long labial pals, giving them a snout-like appearance. The palps presumably function as sensory receptors of some sort.

Below are a few other species I was able to tentatively identify by flipping through my field guide and online resources. As always, any confirmations or corrections are welcome as this beginning moth-er finds it challenging.

Snowy Urola – Urola nivalis

Clover Looper – Caenurgina crassiuscula

Common Gray – Anavitrinella pampinaria?

Delicate Cycnia – Cycnia tenera – with a hitchhiker (a small midge perhaps?)

On my last check of the sheet that night, there was a new grou of moths represented – the Tiger Moths. There were at least 6 of these boldly pattered, medium-sized moths on the sheet. I recognized the group but when I started to try to identify to species i was amazed at how similar some of them are. So much so that Bug Guide let me off the hook in trying to nail down a species identification with this statement about the difficulty of identifying some related species in this group…The only full-proof method is dissection and examination of genitalia.

Nais Tiger Moth – Apantesis nais ?

Nais Tiger Moth – Apantesis nais – showing underwings that help in identification

Well, then, Vincent, time to call it a night I suppose. I am not sure I am that ripe or looking for that deep of a meaning quite yet.

Mothing

Posted on July 24, 2015 by roadsendnaturalist

I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.

~Vincent Van Gogh

This week is National Moth Week, an annual celebration of the incredibly diverse and beautiful world of moths. Wednesday was a busy day out in the yard, testing some different diffusion materials for my twin lites and spending a crazy amount of time photographing the Eastern Dobsonfly I discovered resting on a tree branch. In researching the dobsonfly, I read that they are often attracted to lights at night, so it reminded me of the need to go ahead and inaugurate my new moth light. Yep, you know you are a nature nerd when you have a special light for attracting moths and other night-flying insects. The light is an ultraviolet light, since it seems, for reasons no one is quite sure about, that moths are very attracted to UV light.

Moth light set up (click photos to enlarge)

The set up is simple: I stretched a cotton sheet between two step ladders (most people hang a line between two trees), clamped the sheet to the ladders, hung the light on a tripod handle, and placed the tripod in front of the sheet. I then went inside and checked on the sheet periodically over the next couple of hours.

The moth light and sheet in action

As I expected, when I went out to check, there were an incredible number of insects on the sheet. There were two male Eastern Dobsonflies, maybe one being the same guy I photographed earlier in daylight. Then there were twenty or more decent-sized moths, the largest having about a two inch wing span. But for every moth over a half inch in size, there were probably twenty or more smaller ones. It is no wonder. There are over 2600 recognized species of moths in North Carolina, well over 15 times the number of butterflies in our state. And many of that number are very small in size, making them more difficult (for me at least) to identify. I learned a few things from those few hours of moth-watching: there are a lot of moths and a lot of different species in these woods; photographs on a moth sheet are not the most natural-looking photos; I can spend hours trying to identify moths and still not figure them all out. Luckily, there are now many excellent resources for moth-ers. The ones I found most useful for this region are:

Peterson Field Guide to Northeastern North America, David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie; North Carolina and Virginia Moth Photos (part of Will Cook’s excellent Carolina Nature web site); Moths of North Carolina (part of the excellent series of web sites hosted by NC State Parks and the NC Natural Heritage Program); Bug Guide; and the North American Moth Photographer’s Group.

The field guide has a series of moth silhouettes that can help beginners get to major groups of moths to begin the search. Once you find something similar, you can use the various web sites to help narrow it down. I am amazed at how variable some of the species can be. But, it is a whole new world out there, and these critters are all playing various important roles in the ecosystem, from devouring the leaves and flowers of many plants, to pollinating many of our flowers, to providing food for many other species from insects and spiders to birds and bats. And many are visually stunning, so it is a pleasure to discover them just outside your door. You don’t need specialized equipment to enjoy the world of the night, just the motivation to move away from whatever screen occupies your thoughts and open the door. Look around the porch light, your windows, or simply shine a flashlight amongst your plants and you can enjoy the magical world of moths.

Here are a just a few of the species that showed up at the moth light (confirmations and/or assistance with identifications are welcome):

Brown Panopoda – Panopoda carneicosta

Esther Moth – Hypagyrtis esther

Polygrammate hebraeicum - The Hebrew on left; Iridopsis larvaria

The Hebrew – Polygrammate hebraeicum (left; Bent Line Gray – Iridopsis larvaria (right)

Red-fringed Emerald – Nemoria bistriari

Tulip-tree Beauty – Epimecis hortaria

Tentatively identified as Splendid Palpita Moth – Palpita magniferalis

Tentatively identified as Straight-lined Plagodis Moth – Plagodis phlogosaria

Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth, Lithacodes fasciola. Several of the lug moths have the strange habit of pointing their abdomen skyward when at rest.

One of my favorite woodland moths, a Rosy Maple Moth – Dryocampa rubicunda

Pink-striped Oakworm Moth - Anisota virginiensis - female

Pink-striped Oakworm Moth – Anisota virginiensis. This female is a little over an inch long and is surrounded by some of the tiny moths I have yet to try to identify.

One of the slug moths, the Smaller Parasa, Parasa chloris, on a nearby window screen.

Unidentified - perhaps Genus Acronicta - Dagger Moths???

Unidentified – perhaps Genus Acronicta – a Dagger Moth

In addition to the many moths, a few other critters were attracted to the light:

Never seen one of these before, a species of Cixiid Planthopper (I think)

One of the two Eastern Dobsonflies that showed up (both males)

A striking grasshopper, the Pine Tree Spurthroat Grasshopper – Melanoplus punctulatus – male

Monday Moths

Posted on July 28, 2014 by roadsendnaturalist

The more you know, the more beautiful everything is.

~George Santayana

I awoke early this morning, too early. What to do? I looked out and saw a moth at the lighted kitchen window. My brain drifts to my recent sightings of moths and their seemingly endless variety. Perhaps I will learn a new one today. I know something about some groups of moths, especially their caterpillars, but have never taken the time to get to know many of the adults. So, I sat down and looked at some moth images taken last week when I left the porch light on all night in hopes of attracting a few to the screen. Some of them stood out for their odd posture – they were perched with their abdomens curved up over their backs. I have seen this on many occasions, but never took the time to try to identify them. I have always assumed this has something to do with releasing pheromones for mate attraction. But, In researching this online, there doesn’t seem to be a clear explanation for this behavior. I was, however, able to learn a bit about the identity of my odd visitors.

Slug Moths often perch with their butts pointed skyward – this rather plain one is most likely a Red-crossed Button Slug Moth, Tortricidia pallida (click photo to enlarge)

This “moth mooning” is common in several families of moths, but one, in particular, seems to make it a habit – the Slug Caterpillar Moths (or just Slug Moths), Family Limacodidae.

Nason’s Slug larva

The group is named for their larvae, the so-called slug caterpillars. They are a fascinating and bizarre bunch which lack the usual paired prolegs found on most caterpillars, and, instead, move about in a slug-like gliding motion. They are one of my favorite groups of insects, as many of the larvae have odd shapes, colors, and armaments (several species have urticating spines which can inflict a painful “sting” if handled carelessly). But, I know relatively little about the adult moths of this group, so I dove into a few online resources this morning to try to figure them out.

Shagreened Slug Moth, Apoda biguttata

The North American Moth Photographer’s Group has a set of color plates that let beginners “walk through the moth families” as a way to get started on moth identification. You can scroll through the plates until you find a moth that resembles the one you have and then click on it for more species. I did that and quickly found that these moths belonged to the Slug Moth family. I then turned to my favorite online invertebrate resource, Bug Guide, and began to scroll through the images of Limacodid moths. I found what I think were all of the species resting on my screens that morning. The oddball name winner was the Shagreened Slug Moth. Shagreen is a name for untanned leather and must refer to the rough texture and color of this little beauty. Another common name is the Two-spotted Apoda. The genus name, Apoda, means lacking feet (the slug-like larvae); biguttata means two spots.

Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth, Lithacodes fasciola

I quickly identified the other species and then noticed that not all of the online images had these moths in that pointy-butt pose. So, I took a look at one moth I had found that seemded similar in size and shape, but that was apparently more demure and kept its derriere covered on my screen.

Inverted Y Slug Moth, Apoda Y-iversum

If I identified it correctly, it is another one with a strange name – the Inverted Y Slug Moth. It turns out that most of these species may rest with their abdomen tip curved up or tucked beneath the wings. The exposed abdomen tip posture may be an adaptation to avoid detection by predators that use sight to find food. The odd posture makes for an odd outline that may resemble a broken twig or piece of vegetation more than a moth. Whatever the reason, it did help me get started on a quest to learn more about the night-time visitors at my windows. Now that I know a little more about them, I look forward to seeing them and their kin on a more regular basis.

Blinded Sphinx

Posted on July 27, 2014 by roadsendnaturalist

…wings large and splendid, which were designed to bear a precious burden through the upper air.

~Henry David Thoreau commenting on a pair of moth wings floating down as a bird ate the moth

As National Moth Week comes to a close, I found a moth that I definitely wanted to share. I found it in a most unglamorous place – the window screen of a campground restroom in the mountains of Virginia. But the moth was a large and striking one, with an unusual set of wings.

A Blinded Sphinx moth blends well with tree bark (click photos to enlarge)

As soon as I saw it, I gently placed my finger under it to allow it ti climb up so I could move it back to camp for some photographs. The moth cooperated and I admired its unusual scalloped wing edges as we walked back to the car and my camera. I placed it on a tree trunk and was impressed by how well its striking pattern suddenly blended in with the textures of tree bark. Looking in the moth field guide I had conveniently brought along showed this specimen to be the Blinded Sphinx, Paonias excaecata.

Blinded Sphinx perched with upturned abdomen

These are large, somewhat common, moths of open deciduous woodlands and are found throughout much of the United States and Canada. But, this was my first, so I spent several minutes photographing it from several angles. Its abdomen curled upward when viewed from the side, a pose I have seen in many other species.

The moth was patterned in various shades of brown with a slight purplish cast in some areas

Key features for identification include the black stripe down the middle, the wavy edge on the hind part of the fore-wings, the purplish cast to the upper portions of the body, and a black area on the hind wings containing a blue spot with no black spot in it. This blue spot on each hind wing is said to resemble an eye iris. The lack of a black spot (or pupil) in that iris makes this a “blind” sphinx (hence the common name), when compared to other species that contain a black spot. But, my moth was apparently shy, and I was having trouble getting it to show me its “eyes”.

It gave me a partial glimpse of its hind wings before zooming off

I touched it a few times on the edge of its wings, blew on it, and all I got was it starting to climb the tree trunk and then the characteristic shaking that moths often do before taking off. Apparently, when they have been still for quite some time as was the case with my moth, they need to warm their flight muscles a bit before taking wing. The moth quivered (akin to us shivering when cold to warm up our muscles) for about a minute, and then zoomed off into the forest at the high rate of speed typical of Sphinx Moths, the fighter jets of the moth world. I got a quick shot of a bit of its beautiful eye spots, and you can see the blurring in the wings from the quivering. I’d say that was a fitting way to end National Moth Week. And I will continue to watch for and photograph them in the coming weeks, as they are an incredibly diverse and interesting group of organisms.

National Moth Week

Posted on July 22, 2014 by roadsendnaturalist

There’s mothing to do.

~from Nature Conservancy promotional article on National Moth Week

It is, indeed, the third annual National Moth Week (July 19-27, 2014). National Moth Week’s main goal is to promote awareness of moths, and to encourage people to observe and report their findings on this fascinating and little known (to most of us) group of insects. More information can be found on their web site at http://nationalmothweek.org/. So, in honor of this event, I thought I would do a couple of posts this week on moths and their caterpillars.

C arpentorworm Moth with finger for size comparison

Carpenterworm Moth on oak stump (click photos to enlarge)

A few weeks ago, a large oak out front had to be taken down because it was showing signs of imminent death – the bark splitting off, a large dead limb hanging out over the driveway, and sap oozing from some cracks near the base. One evening as I walked by the stump, I saw a large gray moth sitting on top. I wasn’t sure what it was, but then noticed something laying on the ground below.

Carpenterworm Moth pupal skin

It was a large brown pupal skin that I recognized. I had seen these once before, but instead of lying on the ground, they were sticking out of holes at right angles to the trunk of a large oak. I had identified them then as the pupal sheds of a Carpenterworm Moth, and now I had found a live adult.

A Carpenterworm Moth blends in with the colors of tree bark

It was probably lucky that this moth had crawled up to the recently cut surface of the stump, as I might otherwise have missed it. Their camouflaged coloration helps them blend nicely with the patterns of tree bark.

Carpenterworm Moth view head on

I believe this specimen was a female – they are larger than the males and lighter gray in color overall. She was close to 2 inches in length and must have just recently emerged as she allowed me to pick her up without taking flight.

Female Carpenterworm Moth

These moths are quite large, despite being members of the so-called Micromoth family. After looking in some field guides and online, I think this one is called Robin’s Carpenterworm, Prionoxystus robiniae.

Carpenterworm Moth and pupal skin

The larvae bore into the trunks of various hardwoods, creating large tunnels. They require up to 4 years to complete their life cycle. I still have never seen a larvae, but they must be quite large given the size of the pupal case and the resulting moth.

This is just one of the thousands of fascinating species of moths you might encounter here in North Carolina. Leave a porch light on or look for National Moth Week events in your area, and get outside to learn about this amazing and beautiful group of insects.

Roads End Naturalist

Educating myself and others about the natural world as I wander and ponder at road's end.

Tag Archives: national moth week

Mothing 2023

Moth Night 2022

National Moth Week Ends

Moth Week Plus

Mountain Mothing

Mothing

Monday Moths

Blinded Sphinx

National Moth Week

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