Birds & Blooms Extra! - USA (2020-09)

CLOCKWISE

FROM

TOP

LEFT:

ANDREI

SOURAKOV,

FLORIDA

MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY; CONRAD BARRINGTON/SHUTTERSTOCK; CHRIS TENNEY;

Some of the more common

types include the primrose

moth, clouded crimson,

ragweed flower moth and

arcigera flower moth. With

so many species in this group,

they are found practically

anywhere in North America.

The ornate bella moth is

unrelated to flower moths

but is equally beautiful. Its

forewings are pale pink with

rows of tiny black dots; when

it flies, its hindwings flash

a bright reddish pink. This

moth is commonly found in

open fields, fluttering low over

the grass on sunny days.

STINGERLESS

MIMICS

While some moths might

be passed off as butterflies,

others may not be noticed

because they look like wasps

or other insects. One example

is Virginia ctenucha, common

in the northern and central

states and southern Canada.

With a slender metallic blue

body, narrow dark wings

and an orange head, it can be

easily mistaken for a wasp

as it actively crawls around

flowers. Other ctenucha

moths and a related species

called the yellow-collared

scape moth also look like

wasps at first glance.

Some of the southern and

subtropical moths are even

more impressive mimics. The

polka-dot wasp moth looks

like a black-and-white wasp

with a red tail tip and lives in

Florida and the Southeast.

The Texas wasp moth (which

sometimes wanders far north

of Texas) has yellow and black

bands like a hornet and may

fool even a careful observer.

Although it’s completely

harmless, predators tend to

leave it alone because it looks

as if it could sting.

Here’s the best news about

these little marvels: If you

have a flower garden, some

of these moths are probably

visiting your blooms already.

To attract even more of these

Ornate bella
on rattleweed

Yellow-collared

scape moth

on goldenrod

Texas wasp

moth on

mistflower