I always leave my back porch light on during the spring and summer to attract moths, and I got lucky this past June with this pretty Ailanthus Webworm Moth.
I hit the jackpot when I found several of these moths on Goldenrods in a field this past fall on October 10th.
They have orange wings that they roll and tuck to their sides when at rest. I wasn't lucky enough to catch them flying though. I would have loved to see their wings. These moths don't do any damage but their caterpillars do. You can find the caterpillars from spring to fall on the Ailanthus Tree which is also called the "Tree of Heaven" They eat the leaves, flowers and seeds of the tree. But that is a good thing because the Ailanthus tree is an invasive weed tree.
I was happy to see a couple of wasps join the Ailanthus Webworm Moths. The moths are good pollinators and visit many different flowers each day. Yes, these moths can be found during the day.
If you look closely, you will see that I got a photo of the wasp's face. Yay! You might have to strain your eyes; look at the lower right.
Now let's get a closer look at the wasp. This is a Paper Wasp.
There are approximately 700 species worldwide and only 22 species are found in North America. They sip nectar for energy and sting caterpillars to feed their larvae. Paper wasps chew plant and wood fibers, mix them up with their saliva and make papery nests; hence their name.
They only sting when defending their nest and I heard that their sting is very painful. My advice is to leave them alone and let them do their thing.
Thanks for stopping by!
Information Source: insectidentification.org, terminix.com, thenatureinus.com, everythingabout.net
Image Source: All photos are my own.
I am a proud member of the #whalepower community.
@whatisnew
Aye @seawise-giant! Thanks for stopping by. : )
I always love your pictures!! And that you keep your door open to let the moth in :)
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Interesting you try to attract them and I try to avoid them. Last summer it was the first time I saw a ... of worms crawl upon the walls and ceilings.. moths... I can't say I find them attractive
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OMG! If I saw a bunch of worms crawling on the walls or ceiling all at the same time, I would have freaked out. One or two at a time is my pace and I love to find new ones. : ) Thanks for stopping by! : )
Wow these are awesome photos ❤ @whatisnew!!
How cool to catch these pretty critters! I've never seen such
a moth, they look like little beads and jewels on the rods.
Click the 🌹 flower! :-)
Thanks so much @shasta! I love how you saw these moths as "beads and jewels on the rods." They do look like that! : )
You are most welcome 💕 @whatisnew! :-)
You've such luck with capturing these insects with your camera! The pattern on the moth's wings is so pretty and bright.
And yeah, squirrels know not to mess with wasps. (#lessonlearnedthefirsttime) 😎
I did get pretty lucky this past spring and summer with the insects.
I am glad that you learned your lesson not to mess around with wasps. Run brisby...RUN! LOL!
Magnificent moths and wasps! It's great that you can take many photos of them closely. The information you provided is very interesting. Good job!
These flowers are very beautiful in bright yellow color!
Great shot! ;)
Thank you for all of your kind compliments sis! These beautiful yellow flowers cause many people to have severe hay fever attacks. They could be miles away and people will still be sneezing.
You're welcome! Oh! So sad to hear that!