Last night was fairly warm and humid so I put out the black light. The moon is getting bright and that lowers the effectiveness of a black light for attracting insects, but I did alright. Finally, a break in the humidity too, today is warm but not so humid. It feels good.
A Red Admiral nectaring on Purple Coneflower. The coneflowers are flowering in abundance right now. A poor photo of a Striped Hairstreak. This is only the second one I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t get a clear shot and then it took off and disappeared. The other one I saw was in the Black Hills in July 2016. I got a better photo of that one, which can be seen at this LINK. At the black light, a Small-eyed Sphinx. I have seen these in the Black Hills but this is the first time I’ve seen it in Harding County. An attractive moth, Haploa lecontei, Leconte’s Haploa. First South Dakota record in the BugGuide database. Hypercompe permaculata, the Many-spotted Tiger Moth. Also a first South Dakota record in the BugGuide database. Marathyssa inficita, Dark Marathyssa. A very unusual looking moth. I guess the perching pose is defensive camouflage, but I cannot find any reference to it. A first South Dakota record in the BugGuide database. Larval foods include sumacs and poison ivy, both of which are abundant here. The moth is perched on the cord to the black light.
2 replies on “Butterflies and Moths”
You’re getting a lot of first in county records! Those are very interesting and pretty moths and butterflies. I’ve seen the Many-spotted Tiger Moth in Texas so I guess they have a wide spread range.
There are similar species too. The Many-spotted Tiger Moth has been recorded a few times in far western Texas, over the rest of Texas another one, Hypercompe scribonia, Giant Leopard Moth, seems to be much more common. Many-spotted Tiger Moth is a western species and the Giant Leopard Moth is eastern. I’m looking at records in BugGuide, Butterflies and Moths of North American (BAMONA), Moth Photographers Group, and iNaturalist. I’ve never seen a Giant Leopard Moth and until the other night, I’ve never seen a Many-spotted Tiger Moth either!
2 replies on “Butterflies and Moths”
You’re getting a lot of first in county records! Those are very interesting and pretty moths and butterflies. I’ve seen the Many-spotted Tiger Moth in Texas so I guess they have a wide spread range.
There are similar species too. The Many-spotted Tiger Moth has been recorded a few times in far western Texas, over the rest of Texas another one, Hypercompe scribonia, Giant Leopard Moth, seems to be much more common. Many-spotted Tiger Moth is a western species and the Giant Leopard Moth is eastern. I’m looking at records in BugGuide, Butterflies and Moths of North American (BAMONA), Moth Photographers Group, and iNaturalist. I’ve never seen a Giant Leopard Moth and until the other night, I’ve never seen a Many-spotted Tiger Moth either!