Tall rushes, over our heads.
And this: look closely. Can you find the moth? These were all through the weeds. Flying, they were white. Parked, they disappeared.
Give up? Here it is:
I couldn't get any closer; it flew away, just a few feet, and became invisible. I'd love to get another look at that topknot.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have several hours of work to do, looking at all the small white moths on BugGuide.
Update: According to Bob Patterson at BugGuide, it is possibly Crambus leachellus, Leach's Grass-veneer. The "topknot" is a snout; the Crambidae are snout moths.
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It's amazing how those little moths just disappear into the grass, isn't it? This one is a grass-veneer of the family Crambidae, subfamily Crambinae, genus Crambus. The exact species is harder to determine, and depends on whether the white stripe is solid or broken, how wide it is, whether its edges are smooth or have jags, how much gray/white is along the hind and outer margins, etc. You could try posting it to BugGuide and see if they've got a suggestion on which species. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Seabrooke!
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