Nov. 4, 2018 - Summer Insects

Here are some insect photos taken this summer. This 1-inch long moth is called a Brown Angle Shade. I saw it at our home in northern Minnesota in the middle of August. The dark brown spots on its wings are diagnostic. Notice how it rolls the ends of its wings when it’s at rest.

AngleShadesBrownPhlogophorapericulosaDunningLakeItascaCounty20180816

This orange moth with white spots on its wings is an Osmunda Borer. It’s about an inch long and feeds on flowering ferns. In Minnesota, it is found along a narrow band across the middle of the state.

MothBorerOsmundaPapaipemaspeciosissimaShoreview20180904

The end of October is pretty late to be looking for moths in Minnesota. But we had a few unseasonably warm nights, so I turned on the porch light at our lake home just to see if any moths would appear. I was surprised to find about a half dozen Linden Looper moths near the light. I looked them up on BugGuide.net and found that they are late season moths with most of them seen in October and November.

MothLooperLindenErannistiliariaDunningLakeItascaCounty20181018

For part of the summer, the windows of our log home were covered with plastic because the logs were being re-stained. I came out one morning to find this unusual insect clinging to the plastic. I submitted a photo to BugGuide.net and someone identified it as a Pelecinid Wasp. It’s a female, and with her very long abdomen, she measures about 2½ inches long.

WaspPelecinidPelecinuspolyturatorfemaleDunningLakeItascaCounty20180907

Here’s a view of the Pelecinid Wasp from the side. Males are smaller but according to BugGuide.net, they are seldom seen. This species is found from the eastern half of North America all the way to Argentina.

WaspPelecinidPelecinuspolyturatorfemaleDunningLakeItascaCounty20180907

In early August, this colorful moth was on the outside door of our apartment building in Shoreview, Minnesota. It’s a Pearly Wood-nymph and it measures about ¾-inch long. The coloration of many moths helps them blend in with their surroundings, so they are less visible to predators. The Pearly Wood-nymph is quite visible, but predators avoid it because it looks like a bird dropping.

WoodNymphPearlyEudryasunioourapartmentShoreview20180806composite