Moth Photography by Kozmic Dreams

My Digital Photography of

Moths and their Larvae

The following insects were photographed in the Metro-Detroit area, unless otherwise noted. I have identified them by their scientific names, if known. Photographs are sorted so that most recent photos are at the top of the page.

If you know the name of any unidentified moths, please e-mail me at kozmic3@yahoo.com. Special thanks to John Maxwell for helping me identify many insects on this page from 2008 and before.

Click here for info about purchasing prints of these photographs.

Click on any photo to see a larger view!

Unknown inchworm

This inchworm was discovered on some coreopsis flowers I brought inside and had in a vase. I actually probably wouldn't have discovered it had it not been for noticing that one of my free-roaming pet jumping spiders, Solara, was on the vase, munching on another unlucky one of its species. It was photographed on June 30, 2009.

Green Pug Moth, Pasiphila rectangulata, a.k.a. Chloroclystis rectangulata

I found this strange moth on my fence on June 13, 2009. I have never seen anything like this before in Michigan. When I researched it and discovered what it was, it made me kind of worried and although I rarely kill anything but mosquitoes and the beetles that eat my artwork, I wondered if I should have killed this one. Unfortunately, I hadn't the time to research it until it had already flown away. I found that it was a green pug moth and that they are common in the UK and have been an introduced species in North America just recently (within the last 20-25 years). The larvae feed on the flowers of various Rosacea including apple, blackthorn, cherry, hawthorn, pear and quince. It said that they overwinter as an egg. After reading that, I think I know where it came from. About a month ago, I got a special dwarf grafted apple tree with 4 different varieties of apple on one tree. I am guessing it arrived on there. I hope it doesn't infest this area. From what I can find, it is already been spotted in New York, New England, Maine and Pennsylvania and really devastates fruit trees. Too bad such a neat-looking moth can be so bad.

Eight-spotted Forester, Alypia octomaculata

I have never seen one of these moths until June 6, 2009. Apparently, their larvae feed on grapevines, which are quite abundant at the edge of my property. Still, I was surprised to have not seen them at my previous home because I also had a lot of grape vines there. This one was in my lawn just outside the doorwall.

Unknown Moth

This moth was found in the kitchen on July 27, 2008. It was about 1/2" long. It has a very unusual protrusion coming out from its head, like a nose of some sort.

Unknown Moth

I found this moth in the kitchen on July 19, 2008. It was about 3/4" long.

Unknown Moth

I found this interesting-looking moth in the kitchen on July 7, 2008. It is only about 1/2 inch long.

Chickweed Geometer, Haematopis grataria

Here is a male chickweed geometer moth. His antennae have lots of receptors for female pheremones. This one was photographed on June 15, 2008 on my wall in the kitchen.

Click here to see the female I photographed previously.

Pandora Sphinx Moth, Eumorpha Pandorus

On October 8, 2007, I took so many photos of this moth it needed its own page.

Visit my Pandora Sphinx Moth Page to see an extensive collection of photos. Just click on the photo below.

Woolly Bear, Pyrrharctia isabella Caterpillar (turns into Isabella Tiger Moth)

This caterpillar was found on 9-17-06 under a fabric dropcloth I had left outside in the driveway the previous night. It was photographed on a hasta leaf and summer poinsettia flowers. I found it quite fascinating to see the hind feet magnified to such an extent. I had no idea that each foot had 15-20 smaller hooks.

Unknown Moth

This moth was found on my canoe trip on the Huron River on 8-29-06. It was underneath a bridge.

Ailanthus Webworm Moth, Atteva punctella

This moth was on my side door on 8-24-06. It was about 1/2 inch long.

Geometer Moth of Genus Xanthotype (possibly Xanthotype attenuaria)

While camping in Nelson, Ohio on July 29, 2006, this moth came to my lantern during the night. I was able to get it to land on my hand and stay there for several minutes while I took it's photo.

Unknown Moth

While camping in Nelson, Ohio on July 29, 2006, this moth also came to my lantern. It was less than an inch long. I love the little tufty hairs on its front legs. I've never seen such a fuzzy-legged moth before.

Tulip-tree Silkmoth, Callosamia angulifera

While camping in Nelson, Ohio on July 28, 2006, this beautiful moth came out on a rainy night. Of course, I had to try to get some photos of it. The poor thing had a large tear in one wing. The rain was beating it up too, so before photographing it, I let it dry underneath the lift gate of the car. It stayed there for a few hours while it rained. When the rain stopped, I took it out and put it on a tree trunk and photographed it. Sadly, in the morning, I found it on the ground with a yellow-jacket eating its abdomen. It was already dead.

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Lophocampa caryae

I found many of this type of caterpillar while camping in Nelson, OH on July 29, 2006. I decided to photograph one of them.

Evergreen Bagworm Moth, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis

On August 1, 2005, Brian brought home this unusual caterpillar/cocoon that he found on a metal garbage receptacle outside his work. It was covered in pieces of cut leaves and all one could see was its head and a bit of its gray body at times. It had a few brief surges of energy and it moved around on a branch that he placed it on, then it sealed itself up. Click here to see a movie of it while it walked along a leaf. What is most interesting is that after seeing photos of other cocoons on bugguide.net, its cocoon is rather unusual because it doesn't have any evergreen needles attached to it.

On September 10, 2005, a dark-colored moth emerged and hung from the cocoon. Part of the pupa became exposed and one can see where it has split to allow the moth to be free. I thought it would have emerged from the side where its head was, but it came out the opposite end.

Chickweed Geometer, Haematopis grataria

This moth came inside when I let Darwin out in late September, 2005. It was more colorful than most of the small moths that fly around the light outside the door, so I decided it was photo-worthy. This one is a female (the antennae do not have large receptor sites like a TV antenna).

Polyphemus Moth, Antheraea polyphemus

This is one of my favorites. I took so many photographs it needed its own page.

Visit my Polyphemus Moth Page to see an extensive collection of photos and read about my personal experience with a female Polyphemus.

Just click on the photo below...

Imperial Moth, Eacles imperialis

The amazing moths below looked like diseased and dying leaves at first glance. They are called Imperial Moths. This particular mating pair was spotted in the Saugatuck Dunes on the west side of Michigan on 7-24-04.

My Hawk Moth

On August 9, 2003, I found a huge, green hornworm caterpillar walking across my driveway. I'd always wanted to find one of these. It was about 4-5 inches long---the largest caterpillar I've ever found. Unfortunately, I didn't get my digital camera until a few days later. I filled a container with a variety of leaves from everything in my yard. The next morning, it had already turned into a pupa! I thought it was rather late in the season and I was wondering when this creature was planning on emerging as a moth. I read about them in one of my wildlife encyclopedias and discovered that the pupa needed to overwinter and would emerge the following spring. I put the pupa in a smaller, covered container in some soil, put it in my refrigerator, and kept it moist throughout the winter. In early May, I took it out and kept it at room temperature. On May 21st, I came home from work and the moth had emerged! He was beautifully soft and fuzzy. However, his wings were folded under and he wasn't able to fly. I took some pictures of him on my woodburned door and let him go in the front flower bed. Amazingly, a week later, my boyfriend Brian found him on the sidewalk path to my house, almost dead.

To learn more about Michigan moths, click here.

To learn more about moths of North America, click here.

For links to photos of over 4100 moth species, click here.

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