A moth resting on a window.
In summer, sometimes moths enter your room. But don't worry, they are completely harmless. Moths are herbivores and essential to the ecosystem. #naturephotography#insects#moth#lepidopteras
Check out this pretty awesome (not a moth, probably a lacewing) I found on one of our windows (yes the windows are dirty).
The white parts, without flash, are semi-translucent, while the coppery shiny parts appear grey/black, but when you look hit it with a macro flash, it's a whole other story.
Lichen moths occur throughout the world. In Australia there are over 200 species, mostly endemic. They often have bright colours and are sometimes called tiger moths.
They feed on lichens, some algae and their appearance can be considered an indication of a lack of pollutants in a region, as this would harm the environment affecting lichens etc.
So apart from being pretty, this Spotted Lichen Moth suggests that the region I visited today was environmentally sound 🙂
Found this fren on calamansi lime. Thought it was a cabbage white but it was actually eating the lime leaves. INaturalist says it’s the above and articles say its host plant is Lobelia.
The Spanish Moon Moth is not only absolutely astonishing, it is basically a relic from the ice age. The conditions in the small areas of the Pyrenees where it is found have remained stable, unchanged, for a few million years, allowing the small remnant populations of this moth to survive in these small habitats virtually unchanged. Small populations of the species can now be found in France and Switzerland, but those are consequences of more recent human actions. At the caterpillar stage, it is quite a picky eater and primarily feeds on the needles of only two species of pine trees.
A spiny oak slug caterpillar (Euclea delphinii). Oak slug caterpillars have stinging spines that are very painful.
When I was a toddler I tried to pet a similar caterpillar (a packsaddle). The pain hit my arm like a hammer. My brain learned the lesson the spines evolved to teach: I'm still reluctant to touch any kind of caterpillar.