Lepidoptera of 2022
Moths and butterflies I've found during the 2022 season.
Image quality and composition may vary; my main goal with these is documentation foremost and aesthetics second.
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Eulithis sp. September 02 I saw a chickweed geometer this same night but couldn't get a picture of it. That one had been on my want-to-find list ever since I started moth hunting. But whatever... this guy was pretty cool. I don't know why it was fuckin' STANCED like this, though. Dude was throwin it back |
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Ailanthus webworm, Atteva aurea August 25 This is the second evening I've seen one of these guys but the first in which I got a decent picture of one. Pretty interesting to look at. |
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Toothed brown carpet, Xanthorhoe lacustrata August 25 |
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Clymene moth, Haploa clymene August 24 I haven't seen one of these guys since last year... it's very late in their season according to the species' observation rate on iNaturalist. They have such a striking pattern and this one was just so cute. It hung out with me for a few minutes on a short walk. |
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Glorious habrosyne, Habrosyne gloriosa August 22 This fella had a really intriguing pattern on its forewings. Coincidentally, someone I follow on Instagram found one of these guys the night prior. |
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Faint-spotted angle, Digrammia ocellinata August 19 I admit I'm inordinately fond of geometers but this gal was just absolutely beautiful. The patterns on her wings stood out magnificently against the white. |
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Porcelain grey, Protoboarmia porcelaria August 19 I'm not one hundred percent positive on the ID. However... it's my website and none of you can tell me I'm wrong. |
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Faint-spotted palthis, Palthis asopialis August 19 Saw one of these guys last year. What a cutie! I kidnapped it from my friend's place and it hung out with me for the walk back home. I think these guys kind of look like weird aircrafts. |
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Elophila sp. August 01 My star find for the evening I found it. THis guy was just so adorable. I thought it looked surprisingly similar to one of my favorite species, Paracymoriza vagalis, but those guys are mostly in India or something. They are both in the family Crambidae though which might account for the similarity. |
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Tissue moth, Triphosa haesitata August 01 People on iNat keep trying to identify this guy as other species that it's very much not; I'm not saying I'm infallibly right with my iD but I am saying they're wrong. |
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Hayworm, Hypsopygia sp. July 23 |
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Silver-spotted skipper, Epargyreus clarus July 09 There was a whole bunch of these cuties flying around, thankfully this one stayed still long enough for me to get this picture. I loved the color on these guys. |
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Johnson's Euchlaena, Euchlaena johnsonaria July 09 I really loved the scalloping on this one's hindwings. This boy was just so.... shaped. |
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Great spangled fritillary, Speyeria cybele July 08 |
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Macaria sp. July 07 It was so tiny!!!!! |
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Blinded sphinx, Paonias excaecata July 07 The third sphinx I've ever been so lucky to meet! I rescued this guy out of a cobweb and it chilled on the lapel of muy jacket for a few hours. It eventually flew off on a hike once it got sick of my company. What the dorsal side of this species' wings lack in variety of color at first glance, its hindwings and ventral side more than make up for: the hindwings sport a gorgeous pair of azure eyespots in a field of peachy pink, and the underwings have some magnificent color banding with shades of cream and orange. |
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Rosy maple, Dryocampa rubicunda July 07 My second silk moth of the season, and my second time encountering this species. This fella was very pretty and the pink tones in its wings were very brignt compared to the other specimen I saw last year. |
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Pale beauty, Campaea perlata July 06 This girl had seen better days for sure by the time I met her. She couldn't fly very well, as anyone could guess by the condition of her wings, but she was still a very beautiful specimen. |
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Tortricidia sp. July 05 Looked like a dick. No comment |
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Petrophila sp. July 05 I see a million bazillion of these every 5 seconds. At the time of my writing this (2022-08-27), we're nearing the peak of Petrophila season and I see a handful of the little guys almost every single night. I like their little eyespots on the hindwings. They're one of my favorite genuses, honestly, and I consider myself lucky to get to see them so often. |
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Beggar moth, Eubaphe mendica July 05 I literally chased this fucker down and did a barrel roll with it when I caught it. Very cute 10/10 would get grass stains on my good cargo pants again |
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Eastern tent moth, Malacosoma americana June 27 Words fail me for this one. I was OBSESSED with this little guy. I think if I were a moth I'd want to be this kind. |
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Virginia creeper sphinx, Darapsa myron June 20 First sphingid I had ever seen IRL! This cutie was one of the first things I saw leaving work this day and I was beyond thrilled to make its acquaintance. |
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Pale beauty, Campaea perlata June 03 I simply could not get a nice picture of this one's wings at this hour due to lighting and whatnot so enjoy this close-up of its face. |
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Luna moth, Actias luna May 27 I have no earthly idea what happened to this poor fella's antennae, but he was still gorgeous nonetheless. |