A moth in hornet's clothing...

JH jhimmel at comcast.net
Mon Jul 20 21:26:11 EDT 2009


Hi All - I came across this really cool moth the other day in Madison - I think it's a Grape Root Borer Moth -Vitacea polistiformis (please correct me if I'm wrong - there are a few lookalikes) - posted it on my website - www.connecticutmoths.com.

A few hundred feet away, about a half dozen Northern Pearly Eyes were "bouncing" from trunk to trunk in a dark, shadowy stand of white pines.  I've seen them doing the same in the same area a week prior.  They'd alight for a second or two and zip off to another tree.  At first I thought they were feeding on dripping sap, which was present, but it appeared to be some kind of interaction between them.  As I watched them for a while, it became evident that they were chasing one another.

Interesting scene to be standing in the middle of...  managed to photograph one that sat still long enough.  This seems to be the year of the Pearly Eye - I've seen more this year than the last several combined.

Best -

John Himmelman



Visit my webthingys at:
www.johnhimmelman.com
(Blog - www.allthingsreconsideredagain.wordpress.com)
www.connecticutmoths.com
www.ctamphibians.com
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