Subject: Moth
Location: Minneapolis, MN
May 24, 2013 2:33 pm
I found this rather attractive black & white moth hanging out on a footpath on my way to work.
This is near the University of MN in Minneapolis. We’re having a cool/cold/late spring this year and this particular day was cold and overcast.
My limited-skill attempts to identify it have led me nowhere.
Signature: Darren Abbey
Hi Darren,
This is an exciting submission for us as it is an underrepresented species for our site. We quickly identified this distinctive Owlet Moth as a Grapevine Epimenis, Psychomorpha epimenis, thanks to BugGuide where we learned: “The common name is unusual in that it contains the species epithet; the normal practice is to use the genus name, as in ‘Grapevine Psychomorpha.'” There is only a hint of red showing on the underwings, but some of the photos on BugGuide show a striking large red patch that is hidden in your image.
In retrospect, there were grape vines growing adjacent to the trail where this was found.
Darren
Providing the larval food plants is one of the surest ways to attract specific butterflies and moths.