Sept. 6, 2015 - Beautiful Moths

Most North American moths are night creatures so people rarely get to see them. Many moths are attracted to light. At our home in northern Minnesota, I sometimes turn on the porch light at night and photograph the more spectacular moths that show up. Here are some that I’ve seen this summer.

This is a Common Lytrosis, found all across the eastern United States. Our home is at the northern edge of its range. It has a 2-inch wingspan. With the brown bark-like pattern on its wings, this moth would be very difficult to spot if it was perched on a tree.

MothLytrosisCommonunitariaDunningLakeBovey20150702

The wings of the Bold-feathered Grass Moth give off an iridescent shine. It’s a fairly small moth with a wing span of just over 1 inch.

GrassMothBoldfeatheredHerpetogrammapertextalisDunningLakeBobey20150717

What is a Wooly Bear caterpillar doing in a group of moth photos? Well, in the next stage of its life, it becomes an Isabella Tiger moth (see next photo). Folklore tells us that the Wooly Bear can predict the severity of the coming winter. Supposedly, if the center reddish section of the caterpillar is long, it will be a mild winter. If the reddish section is short, it will be a severe winter. Sorry to burst the Wooly Bear’s bubble, but that just doesn’t hold true. First of all, the same batch of eggs can produce caterpillars with reddish sections of varying lengths. Secondly, as the Wooly Bear gets older, the reddish section expands farther into both of the black sections. So, your winter prediction would be influenced by which Wooly Bear you were seeing and by how old it was. That would produce a track record no better than the predictions of weather forecasters.

MothisabellaTigerWoollybearPyrrharctiaDunningLakeItascaCounty20150903

This Isabella Tiger Moth is the adult stage of the Wooly Bear caterpillar (see last photo). It’s not a very showy moth but it does have a wingspan of just over 2 inches.

MothIsabellaTigerPyrrharctiaDunningLakeBovey20150715

Here’s a Tiger Moth that is pretty spectacular. It’s a Virgin Tiger Moth with a wingspan of 2½ inches. The black and white pattern of the forewings is interesting in itself. But, when the forewings are spread, the spectacular hindwings are revealed.

MothTigerVirginGrammiavirgoDunningLakeBovey20150710

Here’s my prize find for the summer. It’s a Polyphemus Moth, a member of the Giant Silkworm moth family. Its wingspan can be from 4 to 6 inches. Giant eyespots are located on each wing. This is truly a beautiful moth.

MothpolyphemusAntheraeaDunningLakeBovey20150702

The underside of the Polyphemus Moth’s wing is not as spectacular as the upper side. However, the eyespot still shows through.

MothpolyphemusAntheraeaDunningLakeBovey20150702

Here’s a moth that is very dull if its forewings are not spread. It would also be easy to overlook because it is so small. This Joyful Virbia has a wingspan that measures only ½ inch.

VirbiaJoyfulopellaDunningLakeBovey20150715