Subject: Huge butterfly
Location: Ruston, LA
May 20, 2013 7:35 am
What kind of butterfly is this? It was photographed in Ruston, LA (near Monroe), on 5/20/2013, around 9 a.m.
Signature: John
Cecropia Moth
Hi John,
This is a Cecropia Moth, not a butterfly.
Subject: Fantastic hawkmoth(?)
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
May 18, 2013 7:56 pm
Hello bugfolk,
My coworker and I found this gorgeous mothy hiding out from the rain in a greenhouse just a few days past. We’re located in the middle Tennessee area. I was hoping to find out more about it–it looks like it’s in the Sphingidae family.
Thanks bunches!
Signature: Critter Crazy
Achemon Sphinx
Dear Critter Crazy,
This lovely moth is an Achemon Sphinx and we hope you had an opportunity to see its pretty pink underwings which are hidden while the moth is at rest. You can read more about the Achemon Sphinx on the Sphingidae of the Americas website.
Subject: Please ID This Insect
Location: Arlington, VA 22204
May 17, 2013 11:05 am
We found a Luna Moth is Arlington, VA 20850 on May 17, 2013.
This insect, thought to be just a leaf at first, was seen on May 17, 2013 in Arlington, VA adjacent to Washington, DC. It was lying on a parking lot floor which is open to the surrounding area. This is an urban area of businesse and residences. Reasonable density of trees, bushes.
It was alive when the attached picture was taken. The wingspan is about 4-5 inches.
Light green in color, obvious antenae upon close inspection. Large spots positioned symetrically on the wings look like eyes. Probably great example of use of both camouflage and threatening appearance at the same time.
Signature: Harold Cypress
Luna Moth
Hi Harold,
Thanks for sending us your photo of this lovely Luna Moth. It is nice to know they are found in urban Arlington.
Luna Moth in West Virginia
Luna Moth
Luna Moth and Great Poplar Sphinx
First Reported Luna Moth Sighting of 2013
Subject: Purple Plagodis taken at blacklight
Location: Frederick, MD
May 16, 2013 5:41 am
Hi Bugman,
Here’s a Purple Plagodis that showed up at my blacklight trap on May 9th. Love the site!
Signature: Ben M.
Purple Plagodis
Hi Ben,
We had not heard of a Purple Plagodis, Plagodis kuetzingi, prior to your submission and we are happy to post this new Geometer Moth to our site. According to BugGuide it is found from: “Nova Scotia to Virginia and Tennessee west to Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin” and adults fly from May to July. BugGuide also notes: “larval host is Fraxinus (ash trees).” The species is also represented on the Moth PHotographers Group and North American Moths has an interesting dialog about range maps.
Red Spotted Purple
Red-Spotted Purple Catepillar
Mayflies attracted to porch light in Whittier
another Red Spotted Purple Caterpillar or Viceroy, Who Knows???
Subject: What’s this thing?
Location: Pittston PA
May 10, 2013 5:38 am
Found in NE Pennsylvania near Pittston along the Susquehanna River playing in the mud
Signature: don’t matter
Abbott’s Sphinx
Dear don’t matter,
This Sphinx Moth appears to be an Abbott’s Sphinx, however, your photo is lacking in critical detail for us to be certain. You may read more about the Abbott’s Sphinx on the Sphingidae of the Americas website and you can find out more information on National Moth Week events in your area by visiting the National Moth Week website.
Subject: What’s this bug?
Location: Huckleberry Nature Preserve, Oakland, CA
May 11, 2013 4:00 pm
And why the long antennas? The plant is a cow parsnip, if that helps.
Thanks.
Signature: Kate
Fairy Moth
Hi Kate,
What an exciting photo submission. This is a Fairy Moth in the family Adelidae, a very underrepresented group on our site. We believe we have correctly identified your moth as Adela septentrionella based on photos posted to Bugguide, which states: “Adult – forewing purplish-black with two incomplete thin white bands about one-third and two-thirds distance from base; may also have white spots at apex; head black with bushy tuft of erect hairs; antennae of male at least twice as long as wing hindwing uniformly dark with wide fringe. Per comment here ‘The Moths of Western North America by Powell and Opler, p 40, states that the orange scales on the head indicate a female in this species.’” No reason is given for the extreme length of the antennae. Antennae are sensory organs in insects and males often have more developed antennae to help them “scent out” the pheromones of the females.
Fairy Moth
Fairy Moth
Fairy Moth from France
Fairy Moth
Mystery Insect from Thailand: Beetle, Moth, Caddisfly or other????? Solved: A Fairy Moth
Subject: Caterpillar mystery answered
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
May 8, 2013 12:56 am
Hi there
I while ago I asked about a caterpillar that I found. For the life of me I could not find out what it was, but was convinced it would turn into some kind of hawk/sphinx moth.
Luckily a few days later it started to pupate and I figured I would just wait and see what it would turn into. I finally have my answer.
This gorgeous little critter is a silver striped (aka vine) hawk moth – and he is beautiful!
I have been blessed to find 6 different hawk/sphinx moth species in my garden (johannesburg, south africa) and can now add this little guy to my sightings.
So excited 
Signature: Bug lover – Cait Beling
Silver Striped Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Dear Cait,
We are terribly sorry if you submitted your identification of the Hornworm to us and we did not respond. We have a very tiny staff. Thanks so much for including photos of two stages of the life cycle of the South African Silver Striped Hawkmoth, Hippotion celerio. More information on the Silver Striped Hawkmoth can be found on the Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic website. Also, congratulations on your successful rearing of the adult moth. Did you get to witness any of the eclosion process? Do you have a photo of the pupa to include in the posting?
Silver Striped Hawkmoth
Hornworm from South Africa is Clearwing Hawkmoth
Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar in South Africa
Cape Hawkmoth from South Africa
Coffee Bean Hawkmoth from South Africa
Subject: S of France nectar feeder
Location: Cevennes mountains S of France
May 7, 2013 4:56 am
Have a number of very strange flying insects on our ceanothus in our garden in Robiac, about 1000 ft up in the Cevennes mountains (S of France). It is around 4mm in length with a bronze coloured wing case with a single transverse (white?) line across the wing cases about 2/3 of the way towards the rear. The principal item of note however, is that when in flight it extends its antennae at right angles to its body and these are almost 3 times its body length. Not elegant in flight but sort of judders about.
Any ideas?
Almost impossible to photograph … sorry – only one image 
Signature: Tony Churly
Fairy Moth
Dear Tony,
This moth bears a striking resemblance to a North American Fairy Moth, Adela trigrapha in the family Adelidae, so we tried to search French members of the family. We quickly found Papillons de Poitou-Charentes and a similar looking species Adela croesella. There is a note that it flies in May and October, so your sighting is timely. The species is also found on UK Moths where it states: “Distributed locally throughout England and Wales, the males of this species have very long antennae, the females shorter with a thickened base. The moths are on the wing in late May and June, and fly during the day in sunshine, visiting flowers. The larvae are thought to feed at first on flowers of sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) or privet (Ligustrum vulgare), later building a portable case from leaf fragments and particles of soil and feeding on leaves which have fallen.” According to BugGuide: “Small moths with very long antennae (3 times as long as forewing in males, and 1 to 2 times as long as forewing in females); basal half of antennae hairy in females. Holarctic and Neotropical species (Adelinae) are diurnal and often iridescent, with white antennae.” This is not a well represented family on our website so we are very thrilled to include your photo in our archive.
Fairy Moth
Fairy Moth
Diurnal Fairy Moths: Adela species
Mystery Insect from Thailand: Beetle, Moth, Caddisfly or other????? Solved: A Fairy Moth
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