Lettered Moth

The Lettered Habrosyne Moth or The Scribe, a member of the Drepanidae family of moths, is a beautifully patterned and colored moth. In shape, it resembles the owlet moths of family Noctuidae, but it's not an owlet moth, which is most likely why they are sometimes referred to as false owlet moths. This species ranges from coast to coast in a fairly slender band across southern Canada and the northern United States.

According to Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David L. Wagner, the caterpillars of the thyratirine moths feed on Ironwood, Birch, Black Raspberry and leaves of other members of the birch and rose families. The caterpillars construct shelters by tying together the edges of a single leaf or several leaves.

In 1894, British entomologist Augustus Radcliffe Grote collected his first Lettered Habrosyne on a collecting trip near Lake Erie and described it as "a lovely blossom, tossed loose from the spray of spring." Not sure what this overly "flowery" praise might mean beyond that simple fact that he thought it pretty.

Posted on August 14, 2017 03:57 AM by scottking