Moths are usually somewhat difficult to photograph. Many of them are nocturnal which means that the only way to photograph them is with artificial light. Fortunately not all moths are nocturnal, some can be seen in the middle of the day.
This colorful moth is a buck moth,
Hemileuca maia. They are a member of the
Saturniidae family. They are fond in the eastern half of the United States with eastern Minnesota being the north west portion of their range. This is probably a male because females usually have more red on the tip of their abdomen.
Buck moths are usually seen flying on sunny days in early Autumn. I found this one wandering in the grass in the Minnesota Valley
NWR on a sunny September day. Typically there is one generation of buck moth a year but here in the north many will actually pupate through a second winter. I love the eye in this last shot, it gives him an almost whimsical look.
Moths are usually somewhat difficult to photograph. Many of them are nocturnal which means that the only way to photograph them is with artificial light. Fortunately not all moths are nocturnal, some can be seen in the middle of the day.
This colorful moth is a buck moth, Hemileuca maia. They are a member of the Saturniidae family. They are fond in the eastern half of the United States with eastern Minnesota being the north west portion of their range. This is probably a male because females usually have more red on the tip of their abdomen.
Buck moths are usually seen flying on sunny days in early Autumn. I found this one wandering in the grass in the Minnesota Valley NWR on a sunny September day. Typically there is one generation of buck moth a year but here in the north many will actually pupate through a second winter. I love the eye in this last shot, it gives him an almost whimsical look.
