Subject: Moth butterfly?
Geographic location of the bug: Winklespruit
Date: 01/05/2018
Time: 11:53 AM EDT
I spotted about 20 of these on a lawn. Some of them were mating and the rest were very lethargic
How you want your letter signed: Trish
Dear Trish,
First we must congratulate you on recognizing that though it resembles a hornet or wasp, this is actually a moth. We believe, thanks to Blue Gnu, that is is a Pleasant Hornet Moth, Euchromia amoena, and the site states: “The Pleasant Hornet is actually a form of moth that flies in the day. It is a beautiful insect that will be found congregating on plants that have a lot of pollen. It tends to favour whitish flowers. The preferred habitat of the Pleasant Hornet is subtropical forests and bushveld near to the coast.” We have a similar look, but differently marked individual on our site already identified as Euchromia amoena, so we acknowledge that one might be incorrect, or there might be individual color variation, but we are confident that both postings are the same genus.