The magic of Christmas Eve was another stunning male Atlas moth. My 5th Atlas of the week. Finding these magnificent magical moths means so much to me.

They are ubiquitous in my neighborhood!! They cover entire branches of sidewalk oak trees. I rarely see the adults but they are gorgeous in both forms!

What a terrific year for #insectmonitoring with Caterpillars Count! Which sites and users conducted the most surveys, found the most caterpillars, found the largest caterpillar? Check out our 2025 Site Awards here mailchi.mp/432f840dbbd6...

Here is your Monday Moth. I think this pretty little insect is Portentomorpha xanthialis. They're found from the southern U.S. down into S. America; this one was in Colombia. #bugsky 🐙🌿

This monkey slug caterpillar (Phobetron sp.) from Ecuador has evolved to look like a discarded tarantula molt. This one mimics the tarantula Avicularia juruensis (see my previous post) so accurately, down to the pink toes and yellow bands! The hairs cause skin irritation, just like Avicularia hairs.

New study on arthropod declines @natecoevo.nature.com 🪲 In two time series @jena-experiment.bsky.social & @bexplo.bsky.social we show how community (dis)assembly underpins local biomass declines. It mostly boils down to species loss, with identity losing relevance. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New study confirms that short wavelength light (UV & blue) attracts the most nocturnal insects & that intensity increases attraction for all colours. Longer wavelength & lower intensity outdoor lights should reduce biodiversity impacts resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #teammoth 🌍

Checking in on Flatty Munchipede, who is halfway through an entire oak leaf 💚 (Isla textula, the crowned slug moth)

Does anyone know why Rhododendron #Leafhoppers seem to line up like this? Makes them look bigger? Using the same leaf vein to feed? Precursor to mating? #Entomology

For #Arachtober, here is a spider that's not a spider. It's Petrophila jaliscalis, a jumping-spider-mimicking moth - see the face-on spider pattern, with orange legs and sparkly dark eyes? I love finding these - I think they breed in my small goldfish pond, because the caterpillars are aquatic. 🌿🐙

Some ento-highlights from the UNC fall BioBlitz today

A pirouetting caterpillar is a good way to start the day! In this case, a balletic banded tussock moth (Halysidota tessellaris)

Time to join in on this #arachtober fun Spotted orbweaver

Day 2 #Invertober2025 - Red-banded leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea) 🍁 #SciArt #invertebrates

Datana - the yoga experts of the #caterpillar world! (In this case, Datana contracta)

Also, birds are migrating again tonight. East coast migrants are getting a good tail wind thanks to those hurricanes out over the ocean. #birds #fall #migration #LightsOutForBirds

Snoot

The idiom "like a moth to the flame" dates to at least the 12th century, to Persian love poem "Layla and Majnun". Shakespeare references it in "Merchant of Venice." But here's the thing. Moths DON'T fly to flames. And we're just now understanding that. Let's talk about dorsal light response.

"After 55 years, the world’s most ambitious caterpillar inventory will come to a close. This monumental project in ACG has reared 870,000 caterpillars, of 8,000 species of butterflies and moths, and 18,000 species of wasp parasites—all documented by a team that grew to 30 local parataxonomists."

A male large tolype #moth (or velleda lappet moth), Tolype velleda, an eastern north american tree leaf feeder (as caterpillar). Adults do not have mouth parts - no feeding, just flying and mating. Note one feathery antenna: high surface area to pick up on female-produced pheromones

gigantic imperial moth caterpillar I spotted on a hike in the woods last week 😍

the ordeal of trying to find a caterpillar exactly the right size for the vial (for exhibit purposes)

Who let this double-toothed prominent into the house? Trust me friend, what you are seeking is not in here, but thanks for stopping by!

Hawks are naturally inquisitive. If there are good questions out there, they will investigate!

Wow! How about this amazing contender for Wildlife Photo of the Year. Invertebrate predator-prey interactions never looked so gorgeous! www.bbc.com/news/article...

Some fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea) dance to the beat of a different drummer #IverteFest #insects #phenology #caterpillars

What the who the holy wow yikes! It's a Bedstraw Hawk Moth caterpillar upon which I very nearly trod at the Huron Natural Area in SW Ontario this morning. Nice horn, little dude. Good luck on your transformation! #macroMonday #MacroPhoto #photography #Lepidoptera #Moth #native #insects #bugs #nature

Poor sphinx moth caterpillar But parasitoids (Cotesia spp) gotta eat too!

And checking in on the children

1. It's cool that there are so many new things still to discover about our world (especially insects!) 2. DNA sequencers are all very well, but sometimes you have to break out the real high tech: "The insect was so high up that they had to use a long stick to get it down."

If only life were always so simple as finding Walnut Caterpillar Moth (Datana integerrima) caterpillars on a walnut branch. #insects #phenology #moths #caterpillars #monitoring

There’s no cuter and fuzzier a way to start off the week than with “boogie woogie” beech blight aphids! We estimated at least 1500 on this branch, and could easily be more like 3000! #insects #monitoring #CitizenScience #phenology #ShakeItLikeAPolaroidPicture

This confused woodgrain moth caterpillar is so cool it has to wear shades! Final survey branch of 2025 at Johnston Mill Nature Preserve #insects #monitoring #CitizenScience #phenology

Now that you’re super stoked about #moths from #mothweek, check out a paper I published this year that I’m very proud of. Spoiler alert: the tree composition in a forest fragment predicts the abundance of specialist and generalist moths. More #keystoneplants = more moth diversity #plantanoak

TWO new sphinx moth species tonight to finish off #NationalMothWeek! Small-eyed Sphinx and Azalea Sphinx 🌿 #TeamMoth

Two very different moths to start the day: Luna Moth and Ailanthus Webworms #NationalMothWeek

Virginia creeper sphinx moth in the bar at the end of #NationalMothWeek Yep, it’s been a long week buddy!

If you have been enjoying #NationalMothWeek, consider joining our arthropod monitoring program! Standardized surveys provide more info than simply submitting photos, and help reveal phenology and long-term trends. Explore our data like those shown below! caterpillarscount.unc.edu/mapsAndGraph...

OK you're really cute, you can eat my tomatoes

It's a Blinded Sphinx Moth! #NationalMothWeek 🌿

It’s National Moth Week y’all! But don’t forget that every amazing moth started out as an even more amazing caterpillar like this maple dagger! #insects #bugsky #phenology

Unfortunate, but not unexpected: Spotted lanternfly is now in South Carolina. Let the squishing begin! news.clemson.edu/invasive-spo...

It’s Moth Wall Season! 👀 #NationalMothWeek starts July 19, you can help scientists study and protect moths around the world by sharing your photos of them to iNaturalist. Learn more: tr.ee/yDkjsW 🌙✨ 📷 Luna Moth (Actias luna) by iNaturalist user annawinge

Did a test run of moth night in Norris square tonight! Didn’t see anything *too* crazy but still saw some seriously cool shit. That long necked beetle?? How cool is that?

How about this cool underwing caterpillar (genus Catocala) at Eno River State Park! 60+ mm long, and sexy orange undersides #insects #bugsky #caterpillars #phenology

So many silvery checkerspots on the narrow-leaved mountain mint at Brumley Preserve North #butterflies #phenology

Did this small crab spider bite off more than it could chew? “Hey honey, I grabbed a silvery checkerspot—we’ll feast for days!” #insects #arthropods #predation

Sawfly larva (not a caterpillar!) doing some morning yoga on a pin oak leaf at Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh NC #insects #phenology #birdfood

Get a load of this… one of the most beautiful caterpillars I’ve ever seen. And a first for me. Notodonta ziczac - Pebble Prominent. Look at those sharkepillar fins!

We sighted this Polyphemus Moth this week here in #Ontario, #Canada. In fact we sighted two of these moths this past weekend. What a gentle beauty. #insects #moths #nature #naturephotography