Wavy-Lined Emerald
While we almost always get moths when we leave a light on overnight, the kinds of moths changes pretty quickly with the seasons. On June 30, 2012, we started getting these pretty emerald-green moths:
This is a Wavy-Lined Emerald, Synchlora aerata. The shape of the wavy lines on the emerald-green wings is exactly right, and on top of that this is the most common of the Emeralds this far north.
The antennae are white, and in this case bushy, so I’d say it’s a male.
These are a member of the Geometrid family, and have inchworm-type caterpillars. They eat all sorts of low-growing plants like goldenrod, ragweed, and aster. The caterpillars have the unusual trait of camouflaging themselves by sticking bits of grass, leaves, and flower petals to themselves. This makes them hard to spot. So, probably the best way for me to get pictures of the caterpillars would be to catch some adults from a light next summer, get them to lay eggs, and try to rear them from scratch.
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Awesome photos as always.
The white bar across the top looks like a stabilizing brace they added on after initial wind-tunnel tests showed the wings to be too fragile to withstand the required airspeeds.
Speaking of wind-tunnel tests of insects, did you see the new video of the Robo-Bee?
Awesome! I read somewhere that they’re working on a parasitic version that feeds by sticking it’s proboscis into Chevy Volts and draining the battery.
😉