As I have stated before, I am a night owl, so it’s not at all unusual for me to be wandering around outdoors in the early hours of the morning, and if I leave the front porch light on for a bit before I go outside, I never know what I may see. One particular evening (and it wasn’t even really late) last fall I happened to be out with one of the dogs, and when I returned to the porch, I saw this gorgeous orange and black moth that had been attracted by the light. Over the years, I’ve noticed a lot of moths, some amazingly beautiful, and some dull and drab looking, but I had never seen one of these before. Being me, I had to run and get my camera and get some photos. The moth seemed comfortable where it was perched, and it didn’t mind my attention, so I took full advantage.

Later, of course, I had to find out what it was, and as much other information as possible about it. The first thing I did was put one of the photos into my PictureInsect app on my phone. It’s a pretty good app for giving identification for insects, moths, spiders (who aren’t technically insects), and butterflies. Like any type app that depends on photos, the better the image the more likely you are to get an accurate identification. The app told me this pretty little thing was a scarlet winged lichen moth. They are a moth that lives in or near pine forests (which we definitely do!), and eats mainly nectar as an adult. They are closely related to painted lichen moths, and look very similar except for the width of the stripes on the wings.

Even though the adult moth is quite striking, the caterpillar is a fairly bland black and light yellow or tan spiked little creature. As is usually the case with nature, there is a reason for this. The caterpillar feeds on plants, but mostly likes lichens (why they are called lichen moths!), and this coloring allows it to blend in and hide from predators (and photographers!). Living in the woods, especially in a pretty humid environment, there is an abundance of lichen on the trees around here, so come spring I am going to have to look a little more closely, and see if I can’t find some of those caterpillars!

Even though I had never noticed one before, the scarlet winged lichen moth is pretty common in this area. It has a large range that extends from Canada down into the southern United States and as far west as Texas and Arizona. The adults can usually be seen between April and September, but the caterpillars can be seen earlier in the year if you look for them. It’s still a little cool outside for them to be coming out of their winter cocoons, yet, but it probably won’t be long. I’m looking forward to being more observant, and seeing what I can find! Do you know of something in your area that is supposed to be pretty common, but you’ve not seen?