Rivals duo fans, is this yours?

@paeinovis submitted: A neat caterpillar, the Girls outside my door, and a moth my friend found (Gainesville, FL)!

The girls!!! They're doing a great job building their nest, good for them. Tell them they're perfect. That's a BIG moth. Very pretty color, polyphemus moths aren't usually so dark. I don't recognize the caterpillar! But I do love them...

Update: caterpillar is a southern pink-striped oarkworm!

Was walking one of the beginner’s trails at Black Bayou with a friend her daughter when I happened across this caterpillar being attacked by ants.  I had never seen one like it before and it had antennae like monarch caterpillars.  My friend’s little girl wanted to rescue it and put it in the grass but we told her that “it couldn’t be saved”, which it couldn’t but I understand where she was coming from.

Realistically, the caterpillar had two reasons why it had to be left alone.  One was it was obviously food for the ants.  If it wasn’t left there, they would have missed a good-sized meal.  On the other hand with the less obvious reason to most, there could have been something wrong with the caterpillar.  It could have been diseased and, if it was, it was better to let the ants take care of the problem.  One person one Facebook said I should have stepped on it to put it out of its misery.  Uh, I wasn’t going to step on it and we can’t step on every animal that’s suffering from an ant attack.  Anyway, I hope the next time I see one it’s not dying or dead.

Hello there! Would you mind posting a few fluffy/aesthetically pleasing moths? Thank you!

Yea no problem

:warning:

Most of these guys are toxic, especially their caterpillars and larvae, if you see theses guys please don't pick them up.

Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth Tolype Moth

Jewel Moth venezuelan poodle moth

Southern flannel moth Rosy maple moth

I'm not too sure what "aesthetically pleasing" means so I hope these guys do the job

Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis)

Luna Moth - Actias luna

To conclude Moth-mania, there is one final specie to showcase, and it’s the grandest one of all. It’s certainly the most distinct of all given its pale green colors, big and bold wings and long hindwing tails. Presented to you, we have the stunning Luna Moth! Revered for their delicate, gorgeous forms and long tails, it’s hard to mistaken these Moths for anything else (except for maybe a Butterfly perhaps). Like most of the Moths on showcase for Moth-mania, this is a Royal Moth, earning its name from the Moon. Like most other Royal Moths, they bare eyespots, one on each wing. This is thought to be used to confuse predators, although these eyespots aren’t nearly as prominent as those of the Io or Polyphemus Moth, so knows what the effects may be. It’s certainly a large Moth, especially with a finger for scale, so other insects may have their own views when they see the spots.

While the eyespots may discourage some predators from attacking, Luna Moth’s may owe more protection from their tails than anything else. Since they are nocturnal insects, they are at risk of being pursued by hungry bats who use echolocation to find prey. With intact tails, more Moths were able to escape compared to those who had clipped tails. Maybe it’s echolocation distortion, or maybe its the bat grabbing a bit of the wing and the Moth is able to escape, but whatever the case, it seems the tails are more than just for show. Nevertheless, it’s a good thing this Moth has both her tails intact; makes for a great first picture to grace the blog. The size of the antennae and abdomen confirm this Luna Moth as female; males have more featured antennae and thinner abdomens. Good thing she landed on a screen making a picture of the underside possible too! It’s not just fluff covering her abdomen, or eggs inside for that matter. Since Royal Moth lack, or have reduced mouthparts, they need to rely on internal fat reserves from their time as a Caterpillar to give them the energy to find a mate. It’s a fleeting existence, but a beautiful one to be sure. Thank you brother, for sending me all these amazing pictures!

With that, Moth-mania comes to close. Click below to explore the other Moths showcased earlier. Hope to see them all again next year.

Polyphemus Moth | Io Moth | Pink-Striped Oakworm | Little Tiger Moth | Luna Moth

Pictures were taken on June 20, 2020 in Muskoka with a Samsung Galaxy S8.

i have fallen in love with cats (caterpillars) this summer! top left: gold moth cat, top right: pink-striped oakworm, bottom left: spiny oak slug moth cat, bottom right: monarch cat

Pink-Striped Oakworm - Anisota virginiensis

Moth-mania continues! On Tuesday the Polyphemus Moth and Io Moth made their debut , and today they will be joined by 3 new Moths! It’ll be quite the spectacle! All of these new insects were spotted in Muskoka by a very brotherly friend of mine, and I’m very appreciative of these finds. Firstly, a new Royal Moth is revealed: the Pink-Striped Oakworm. When I first tried identifying this Moth, I looked more towards similar colored distant relatives such as the Primrose Moth and the Rosy Maple Moth, but neither of those were a good match. It was only upon further researching the Saturniidae (Royal Moths) family that a match was found. The spots on their wings aren’t really as prominent as the eyespots on the other Royal Moths previously showed, but it’s still a gorgeous specimen to behold. Females are much larger than the males, but with only a screen door to scale, its much harder to tell which gender of Moth this is. 

Bugguide describes this specie of Moth as separated into 3 subspecies, all of which conveniently have their habit confined to the eastern parts of North America. The subspecies inhabit specific ranges broken up by latitudes, and based on the geography, this is likely the subspecies: A. verginiensis verginiensis, or Northern Pink-Striped Oakworm. Its range apparently extends to North Carolina. Since this subspecie of Moth spends its time in climate that has a longer cold season, it has only one generation of adults a year here, while other more southern subspecies may get up to 3 flights! More flights means more Caterpillars! Apparently this Moth likes to find mates in the daylight, and lays its eggs at night underneath oak leaves, and the sooner the better! Like other Royal Moths, the adults do not eat. As the generations of Moths venture closer to winter, those who pupate in Autumn will overwinter as pupae, emerging a yellow and pink adult when warm conditions return. Since they only fly for about a week up in Canada, consider yourself very luck if you see one. 

Picture was taken on June 20, 2020 in Muskoka with a Samsung Galaxy S8

Io Moth - Automeris io

To continue with Moth-mania, this image and the images that will be uploaded on Friday are showcasing the gorgeous Moths found by some of my closest friends over the last few days. The next few Moths that will be showcased came from a cottage retreat from a friend whom him and I are practically brothers. I’m deeply thankful for what he’s found and sent my way. To it, the Io Moth is a Royal Moth, of the family Saturniidae, alongside the previously featured Polyphemus Moth, and will be joined by the Luna Moth and Pink-Striped Oakworm next. Its yellow scales and wing patterns make it easy enough to confirm the identification. It’s also easy enough to distinguish males and females when they are found; Males, like the individual shown here, are primarily yellow all over (wings, legs and body) while females are a reddish-brown color, still sporting a similar body and wing shape. Males also have more feathered antennae, but its hard to tell in this picture, but you can take my word for it.

While this specie may look somewhat plain at first glance, it hides a secret on the hindwing! Like the Polyphemus Moth, this moth (both males and females) features eyespots, only these are VERY prominent. They should consider renaming this the “Eye Moth”. The right spot can be seen peeking out a little bit on the right side due to a small chip on the forewing. Flashing an eyespot might help startle a predator enough for the Moth to escape being eaten. Also, similar to the Polyphemus Moth, the Io Moth has reduced mouthparts, meaning it doesn’t eat; it only finds a mate and/or lays eggs (finds a mate in this case). The Caterpillars that hatch from this Moth begun their journey as orange wigglers and slowly turn green with each instar. The more they mature, the more they look like they are covered in little sharp trees, and its not recommended you touch them! Their spines are filled with a skin-irritating venom! Maybe use some gloves and look for older individuals as the younger ones like to aggregate in the leaves. Either way, proceed with caution. The adults can be handled much more safely.

*Note: To clarify, it’s pronounced ”eye-oh”, rather than “low”. 

Pictures were taken on June 20, 2020 in Muskoka with a Samsung Galaxy S8. It’s much appreciated, my brother!