General Neko's Moth-Watching Thread

Very little moth activity during this cool spell, but I got a Scalloped Sallow last night. Some individuals have darker lines that make the patterns pop more.

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150 and more to see!

Anime Psyclone said:
weird glitch going on where I can't see the images
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I noticed that the other day. I imagine it was something on Imgur's end. Everything seems to be loading fine now (for me, anyway).

OVERGRO said:
I bet there's one moth you won't be able to get a picture of any time soon: the mammoth.

Haha... I'll take my leave now

(Actually though, really cool pictures. Love to see when people have such a huge passion for something! Do I sense a current / future ecologist?)
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:p

I had to check if there was a Mammoth Moth to spoil your joke, but there doesn't seem to be one! (Although some people call the giant silkmoths "mammoth" moths in reference to their size, in which case I've got a few.)

Right now it's just a hobby. I majored in graphic design in college, but I certainly wouldn't mind going back to study this sort of thing in the future (especially since there's so much competition in the art world). I actually wanted to be a scientist when I was a kid but changed gears over the years. I love sharing things that I've found/learned, so I could see myself as some kind of science/biology teacher. (I also have an interest in fossils, mainly plants and marine invertebrates, though I don't hunt them as actively anymore since I think I've already collected all of them on the property.)
 
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I've passed 150!

Ipsilon Dart (aka Dark Sword-Grass Moth)
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Roadside Sallow
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Bicolored Sallow (aka Shield-Backed Cutworm Moth)
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No new moths sadly (probably won't be getting anymore this year), but here's a caterpillar I found last month. I think it's one of the Hypena-genus species.

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I also hung up some of my moth photos. My room already reflected most of my interests (Pokémon, anime, and fossils), but there were no moths in sight! I spent most of the yesterday out with my mom and aunt and picked up some frames at a thrift store then got home and printed some of my favorite/more artistic examples.

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I also added a link to my "Moth Dex" on Facebook to the first post, just in case some images aren't loading correctly. It seems like Imgur has been having issues. :/
 
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Are these Moths all where you live, or do you go out of your way to find the most interesting ones?
 
Oh noes! Although it's in the album I recently added to the first post, I'd never posted the Chickweed Geometer in the thread. It's such a cutie, too!

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I'm not sure which color I enjoy seeing on moths most, pink or green!
 
It just occurred to me that one of my past moths, the Canadian Owlet, is one of the "Vampire Moths" (Calyptra). I was formerly under the impression that members of this genus were exclusive to Eurasian countries.

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Many Calyptra-genus moths have a barbed proboscis used to pierce fruit and seeds for feeding, but some also have a habit of feeding on the blood of vertebrates (much like mosquitoes). Only males are known to feed on blood.

The Canadian Owlet is the only known moth of its genus to exist in North America. Though some claim to have been bitten by this species, it has yet to be scientifically proven to bite humans. However, in recent years, it has been documented that its proboscis can at least pierce a strawberry, so human skin penetration may indeed be possible.
 
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Happy St. Paddy's Day! Here's hoping for more greenies this year!

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Hopefully it won't be long until moth activity picks up again. I've seen a few this past week, but nothing particularly interesting.
 
Wow, those are beautiful Neko! Are they all species that you've seen and photographed yourself?
 
bbninjas said:
Wow, those are beautiful Neko! Are they all species that you've seen and photographed yourself?
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Yeppers! Those are all my green ones so far. I'm really hoping to get at least one of the green sphinxes. I got a Virginia Creeper (a species that can be green) last year, but it was unfortunately the brown variety.
 
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The variety is insane! I think you've said before that the area you live in is rich with many different moth species; do you reckon the same diversity exists in other areas and we just don't look, or do you simply live in the perfect place?
 
bbninjas said:
The variety is insane! I think you've said before that the area you live in is rich with many different moth species; do you reckon the same diversity exists in other areas and we just don't look, or do you simply live in the perfect place?
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I'm sure living near the woodline helps, but I imagine that a lot of people just aren't looking. I've been living on this property for 16 years and, other than a couple Lunas, I hadn't noticed any striking moths until about 5 years ago. It wasn't until then that I started keeping my eyes peeled, and only in the past couple years that I intentionally started keeping the porchlight on late in hope of attracting something cool.
 
My most boldly-marked moth so far this year! I think it's a Distinct Quaker.

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Here are some others I've gotten over the past week:

Phigalia sp.
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Signate Melanolophia
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Hydriomena sp.
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Orthosia?
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Whoo-hoo! First giant silkmoth of the year!

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Although it can be difficult to tell apart from female Tuliptree Silkmoths, I'm thinking (or at least hoping) this is a female Promethea Moth. There's some overlap in the key differences between these closely-related species, but Prometheas tend to be a bit smaller and more reddish from what I gather. (The lines are also supposedly wavier on Tuliptrees, but I can't see it...) Males are much easier to ID.

Also, just in case any of you didn't catch on, the moth in my previous post was a joke. It's a three-way splice between a Luna, Io, and Pink-striped Oakworm Moth.

EDIT: Looks like she IS a Promethea. Sweet!
 
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