Nov. 8, 2020 - Summer - Moths

Here are some more photos I took this spring and summer but haven’t used yet for Pictures of the Week. All of them were taken at our northern Minnesota home.

I didn’t see any large, spectacular moths this past summer, but here are some of the most interesting ones I was able to photograph. This is an Arched Hooktip moth. It has a wingspan of 1 to 1½ inches. It’s a widespread species found over most of North America.

HooktipArchedDrepanaarcuataDunningLakeItascaCounty20200519

This American Lappet Moth is perched with its wings folded up in a tent shape. When its wings are spread out, it has a wingspan of 1¼ -2 inches. It is also found over much of North America.

LappetMothAmericanPhyllodesmaamericanaDunningLakeItascaCounty202200626

This tiny Chestnut-marked Pondweed Moth has a wingspan of only ¾ inch. It is found in southeastern Canada and northeastern United States. Ponds, marshes, and lakeshores are good places to find this moth. True to its name, the caterpillar does eat pondweed.

MothChestnutmarkedPondweedDunningLakeItascaCounty20200629

Here’s a Pale Metanema Moth. It has a wingspan of 1 – 1½ inches and is found over most of North America.

MothMetanemainatomariaDunningLakeItascaCounty20200614

The Northern Petrophora Moth is found in areas surrounding the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a small moth, with a wingspan of only ¾ inch. It’s caterpillar feeds on ferns.

MothPetrophoraNorthernsubaequariaDunningLakeItascaCounty20200518

With a wingspan of only ½ inch, this Montana Six-plume is an especially small moth. Each wing does look like it is divided into six plume-like structures giving it the appearance of having feathers.

MothSixplumemontanaAlucitaDunningLakeItascaCounty20200820

This is a Spotted Tussock Moth. It has a wingspan of about 1½ inches. It’s found in the northern and eastern United States and up into Canada.

MothSpottedTussockLophocampamaculataDunningLakeItascaCounty20200613

Here’s a Soft-lined Wave Moth. The wavy lines along the edge of the wings look like fancy lace decoration. It has a wingspan of ¾ to 1 inch. In North America, it’s found east of the Rockies.

WaveSoftlinedScopulainductataDunningLakeItascaCounty20200704