Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera)
Here are a couple of shots of the relatively tame and relaxed Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera). While it actually blended in to this paint job relatively well, imagine it on a dead or decaying leaf, the rotting organic material curling up into similar patterns with a perfect color match. Sometimes I feel that I should be checking for moths more in their native habitats, right on their host plants instead of at convenient lights or by setting up ultraviolet sources…but that would take far longer and be much less productive with how well some of them can hide, and I do feel good about...
Read MoreStreaked Orange Moth (Nascia acutella)
This appears to be a Streaked Orange moth (Nascia acutella), a species that the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie describes as “uncommon” with its host plant “presumably grasses and sedges”. It is an example of how little we know about some of these scarce, cryptic, often local or specialized moth species. Only by extensive searching and subsequent discovery can we begin to unravel the mysteries of their life histories.
Read MoreBristly Cutworm (Lacinipolia renigera)
The Bristly Cutworm (Lacinipolia renigera) moth is apparently also called the Kidney-spotted Minor. I suppose I can understand that. In this case it was called to the sheet by an ultraviolet light, allowing me to photograph it before disappearing the next time I checked on the moth activity. Every time we try any nocturnal surveying we end up with different results with the thousands of often little-known species we call moths. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreLesser Maple Spanworm
I had literally one shot of this moth, and here it is! I suppose the camera and the flash at dusk was enough for it to think about finding a better spot as it flew off to another bush. It looks to be a Lesser Maple Spanworm (Speranza pustularia), a common species with its name as a host plant, among several other abundant trees. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreEastern Grass-veneer (Crambus laqueatellus)
This looks to be an Eastern Grass-veneer (Crambus laqueatellus) moth, one of those diurnal pick-ups that is only really possible thanks to following their flight once you flush them…unless you have a few hours each day to crawl around in the grass and stare at things! That actually sounds like a lot of fun, and what most of us did as children. We should probably do that as adults, too. Give it a go this weekend!
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