Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Moth Night: Other Moths

Yesterday I posted a few pictures of zales from East Brunswick's Moth Night. Zales, of course, were not the only moths that we saw. Plenty of moths came to the light and sugar traps, including various underwings, webworms, and other types.

The first two photos appear to be the same species, possibly Armyworm (Mythimna unipuncta). 



You can see how the syrupy lure fills the groves in the tree trunk.

  

I think this may be a geometer moth (family Geometridae).


I took fewer photos than I would have liked at the sheet, partly because space in front of the sheet was crowded and partly because my camera and batteries were not cooperating at times. Moths from several families were attracted to the sheet. Micromoths included an Ailanthus Webworm and Sod Webworm. Some underwing and geometer moths were present as well.

The moth below looks like one of the arches species, perhaps Explicit Arches (Lacinipolia explicata).


The moth below also appears to be a geometer moth, as in the third photo above.


The moth below is an underwing moth, possibly a Mouse Moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis). When closed, the forewings have a greenish metallic sheen.


If you know the identities of any of these moths, please do leave a comment. In the course of preparing this post and yesterday's, I found myself wishing for a moth guide. BugGuide.net is a great resource, but a book with plates makes it much easier to compare species and figure out what markings are most important.