This past Wednesday, I found three moths in the garden!
In the morning, I found a Yellow Bear caterpillar on the Joe-Pye Weed in the East Bed. It was a pale yellow. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of it. Click
here for someone else's images.
The Yellow Bear caterpillar turns into the Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica). I have not seen one of these moths, so click
here to see someone else's image.
The Virginia Tiger Moth is in the Tiger, Lichen, and Wasp Family (Arctiidae; Subfamily Arctiinae). The moths in this family are easily recognized as they are densely covered with setae (hairs, for lack of a better word) that bear microscopic barbs. Don't touch them!
Later that same afternoon, I found two different moths on the Bee Balm (Monarda didyma). (A big thank you to Dave Horn, a member of The Ohio Lepidopterists, for helping me identify these moths!)
Both of them are in the Loopers, Inchworms, and Spanworms Family (Goemetridae). According to "Caterpillars of Eastern North America", these are important forest lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) as the caterpillars are a good food source for forest-nesting birds in the spring. Because they are so sought after by birds, they need to protect themselves. As a defense, the caterpillars attempt to match their background (crypsis). They do this by mimicking plants parts (bark, flowers, buds, twigs, leaves, etc).
I tried to find pictures on the web of these caterpillars, but I could not. I wish you could see them. Maybe it's because they are so good at hiding that no one has pictures of them!
The first moth is Yellow-dusted cream moth (Cabera erythemaria). Its caterpillar's host plant or food source are willows. My Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) leaves were stripped earlier this year then the main stems got mauled by a rabbit. I'm glad something good may have come out of it!
The second moth is the Large Lace-border (Scopula limboundata) moth. It has many host plants. The plants that I have that could have been this moth's food include blueberry, cherry, dandelion, and sweet pepperbush. Our next door neighbors also have a chokecherry tree that could have been its food source.
Three white moths in one day... like angels from the heavens.
