One of the interesting parts of writing a book about moth-watching, besides all the local moths I’ve gotten to know, is how many people reach out to me with photos of the insects they find in their own backyards. I find this thrilling, because it means there are a lot of curious people out there. The moths below, for example, were all found and photographed by friends who weren’t even looking for moths. But they recognized something interesting when it crossed their path, snapped a picture, and sought out more information.
Which leads me to the hard part of finding these photos in my Inbox: I’m an amateur moth enthusiast and most of the time I have no clue what the insect in question is! But I have a lot of field guides—print and online, and I always have fun looking into it. Here are a couple photographs sent to me by friends in the northeastern US this summer, including two that came in just today. I hope they inspire you to look for moths in your neighborhood!
This image was sent to me by my friend Amelia, who woke one morning to find these gorgeous luna moths (Actias luna) hanging out at her door. They were surely attracted to the porch lights which, for the record, are fit with regular old lightbulbs. You don’t need fancy blacklights to attract moths! (Although blacklights will definitely increase the number of moths that visit you.) This moth was found by my friend Mariano on his porch in central Massachusetts, at about 2am. I had no idea what it was, but with the help of iNaturalist (see comment below), I was able to zero in on similar-looking moths seen in the same part of Massachusetts recently. Based on that list, I think this is Robin’s carpenterworm moth (Prionoxystus robiniae).This moth was spotted by Becky and her family (who happen to star in YOU’RE INVITED TO A MOTH BALL!) during a visit to Cape Cod. At first I told Becky I thought it was a Giant Leopard Moth, although its wings looked funny, as if all the scales had rubbed off. As I told her that, a little alarm went off in my head; I thought I might have told someone else that same thing recently. (See next photo.) A little additional research online led me to the correct identification: Leopard Moth (no “Giant” … Zeuzera pyrina). I think. 🙂This picture came to me in a text from my daughter, who was hanging out at a skate park at the time. She and her friends found it under the park lights after dark and I told her, “I think this is a Giant Leopard Moth, but it kinda looks funny.” I left it there, but a later moth (see previous photo) helped me realize my error. Now that I’ve mis-ID’d this Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina) twice, I think it’ll stick with me. Last but not least, this beauty sent to me by my favorite tennis player of all time, Trisha. Her text said, “Not sure what it is or why it is stuck to my window, but it made me think of you.” Ha. I don’t know why it decided to land on her window either, but I do know it’s not a moth. It’s a Red Admiral butterfly!
