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Startling

Last month I was walking the dogs on a chilly morning and noticed a small white moth on the road. It wasn't moving, and we'd just had two days of rain storms, so I figured it was deceased. A passing car would probably crush it where it was, and I'd never seen a moth like it. So I picked up the leaf it was clinging to and carried it home with me so I could take pics and see if I could identify it. Yes, I am weird.

Only right before I reached home the moth started moving.

The moth was still alive, and it had been laying eggs on that leaf before it fell to the ground. That amazed me, and made me feel very good for rescuing it (even though I thought it was dead.)

I carried the moth and the eggs to a warm spot on my back porch, and left them there in the sun. When I looked up white moths with those markings, I determined that it's a Spilosoma Virginica, or a Virginian Tiger moth.

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Maria Zannini said…
She was a long way from home.
March 19, 2024 at 6:07 AM
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