American Ermine Moth
These look to be the American Ermine moth (Yponomeuta multipunctella), a common if tiny sighting in the middle of the summer. These individuals helped me sight them by coming to the porch light at night, but I have seen a few in random places even during the day, including one on the door of my Jeep a couple weeks ago. In fact today while running out I saw another very small moth that I did not know on the Jeep…moths are everywhere, all the time! Keep an eye or two open… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSuzuki’s Promalactis (Promalactis suzukiella)
Happy National Moth Week! We will be showing you many cool species over the next week so we can all appreciate these incredible insects even more. I have a bunch of individuals that I still have to key out from mothing during the past couple of months, and I have tried to do some field work at least every week or two with them. This was one of my first finds last night, and I swear that I knew immediately when looking at it that it would be a non-native species. It seemed divergent to me in some way. Even though many North American moths are staggeringly beautiful, with vibrant shades, odd...
Read MoreStriped Skunk
Happy Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) Saturday! I met this friendly individual – from afar and thanks to a helpful window – last evening while it was foraging in this yard. The skunk was using its powerful claws and paws to dig through the ground for grubs. All of the heavy rain that has been saturating the earth across the local area and much of the Northeast as a whole has been creating ideal conditions for grubs to come to the surface. This also makes it easier for the skunk to dig into the ground for a tasty treat…many, many tasty treats. Skunks are beneficial...
Read MoreJuniper-twig Geometer
Here is the Juniper-twig Geometer (Patalene olyzonaria) moth, one that Sean and I have been spotting a bunch of lately. This is a worn individual that must have been having a good summer to be flying around still, avoiding predators or any real damage. One of the amazing things about mothing is how much the species makeup in your yard can change from week to week…or less! You never know what you will find next. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreHorned Spanworm Moth
Here is Nematocampa resistaria, the Horned Spanworm moth…does its appearance remind of you anything? For some reason all I could think of was an ancient and fraying map of sorts from another era, with intricate patterns and carefully crafted lines plotting out unique features all over those wings. Some of these spectacular little moths really make my imagination wander! When you were a child drawing all sorts of seemingly nonexistent creatures with your crayons you may have been closer to reality than you thought. Wrapping your mind around the thousands upon thousands of lifeforms on...
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