This isn't the world's most exciting photo
Look closely, and you can see the brown-shaded gray moth in the center of this photo. It was almost perfectly blended in with the tree. I surprisingly took this photo with a super-telephoto lens that my brother and I had rented. We had just been taking photos of a momma raccoon and her babies. The photos of the raccoons are some of the most adorable photos that I have ever taken. They had just run up a tree, when I saw this moth. It's not the most exciting photo in the world, but it definitely hits home on this month's theme of camouflage. It's so well hidden that most people I show this photo to just think it's a photo of a tree trunk.
What do brown-shaded gray moths look like?
These moths are known for the prominent warm brown shading. There are two small indentations along the wings. The brown-shaded gray moths have lines of black and brown that run through them following the curves of the wings. Their bodies are gray and the tips of their wings are feathered.
Where are they found?
This brown-shaded gray moth can be found in the United States from Pennsylvania, west to Iowa, south to Texas, and east to Florida.
What are other fun facts about these moths?
- The scientific name of the brown-shaded gray moth is Iridopsis defectaria.
- There are more than 20 Iridopsis species identified.
- When in their larval stage, they feed on oak, willow, poplar, and cherry.
- The brown-shaded gray moth is part of the family Geometridae. This is the second largest family of moths!
- The caterpillars of the Geometridae family are commonly referred to as inchworms. This is due to the fact that they move the front of their bodies as far forward as possible and then inch the backs of their bodies up close to the front, creating an inching pattern as they move along.
Found in the central part of the U.S.
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