A moth today, in honor of National Moth Week which is July 17th to the 25th. This one, another night flyer who will come to your porch if you leave the light on, Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia miniata). Its length is .6 inch to .8 inch. And as the name implies, it’s a mighty pretty moth too. What a great color!
They can be found from British Columbia south through the western side of the Rockies to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas into many portions of eastern North America.
The larvae of this Lichen Moth eats lichens and blue-green algae found on tree trunks and rocks. Larvae overwinter in a thin silky cocoon in leaf litter. Remember to leave that leaf litter be! Don’t disturb the cocoons! Their caterpillars are brown speckled, covered in black spikes. I’ve never seen one of their caterpillars – maybe one day soon.
