Hobbies And Interests
Ermine Moths
The American Ermine Moth (Yponomeuta multipunctella) is a small moth with a silvery back wing and white forewings with black dots. Its native range includes Maryland. The caterpillar of the American Ermine Moth is the yellow woolly bear, so called due to its coloration and highly furry body. The adult moths lay their eggs on dandelions, shrubs and fruit trees, which serve as food for the caterpillars. The adult moths are 1.3-inches wide from wingtip to wingtip.
Fall Webworms
The fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) is a 3/4-inch white moth with black spots that lives in North America, including Maryland. The spots are sometimes dark brown. The webworm is a common moth in the tiger moth tribe of Lepidoptera. A tribe is a grouping under a subfamily. The caterpillars of this species live in hardwood trees, building webbed silk tents on the ends of tree branches. In Maryland, the adult moth is found from March to August and likes to lay its eggs in ash, maple, hickory, mulberry, oak and walnut trees.
Gelechiidae
Deltophora sella is a member of the Gelechinae family of moths and is found in Maryland. The adult moth's body form resembles that of a dragonfly with both its narrow, white or champagne-colored wings squeezed to the front of its body. There are two black spots on the top of each wing. The Deltophora sella has no recorded common name. Another small, white-winged Gelechiidae found in Maryland is the Arogalea cristifasciella. This moth has one black bar that fades to brown on each wing along with some dark speckling. It's wings can be beige as well as white. The caterpillar host food is unknown.
Dotted Anteotricha
The Antaeotricha humilis, or Dotted Anteotricha, has white to silver wings with black chevrons on the top and fringing around the edges. This small, 1/2-inch moth is from the family Oecophoridae and inhabits Maryland.