Montana tout a diverse moth population , showcasing 22 distinct types characterized by their furry appearance . From the striking Polyphemus Moth with its large , vivid eyespots to the Woolly Bears , the state ’s moths parade a change of colors and patterns . Each specie , like the Furry Dagger Moth or the Isabella Tiger Moth , add to Montana ’s rich worm tapestry , charm observers with their unique furred textures and captivating characteristic .
Different Types of Montana Moths Furry
Fall Webworm Moth
The Fall Webworm Moth ( Hyphantria cunea ) boasts a 1.4 - 1.7 inch wingspread , featuring white or white-haired / black forewings with orthogonal or wedge - shaped spots . Identified by a white hairy eubstance and occasional orange mark , these moths position up to 1,500 iridescent green ball on leaves . Caterpillars , generalists feeding on 100 + hardwood tree coinage , make collapsible shelter on branch tips for sheltered feeding , conserving estrus and avoid predators . Found in Montana from April to September , northerly area find one yearly brood , while southerly climates may have two or three . Females lay eggs and perish . Fall ’s last brood overwinters as a severe brown cocoon in leaf litter , keep transfiguration in give .
Yellow-collared Scape Moth
The Yellow - nail Scape Moth ( Cisseps fulvicollis ) showcases a 1 - 1.5 column inch wingspan , ignominious forewing , and bodies with an orange or yellow collar . Common in Montana , these 24-hour interval - active moths frequent wet hayfield , parking area , prairie , gardens , and wood edges , serving as effective pollinators . Their wasp - mimicry color deters predators during efflorescence visits . alive from April to October , they may have one to three generation depending on the regional climate . The final brood overwinters as immaturecaterpillarsin ego - made cocoons , mainly craft from their body hairs .
Io Moth
The Io Moth ( Automeris io ) boasts a 2.5 - 3.5 in wingspread , with male featuring bright white-livered bodies and wings , while females exhibit reddish - brown or purple bodies and forewings . Both sexes parade large dim eyespots on hindwings . Found in Montana , these moths employ striking eyespots as a defense mechanism , distracting and startling predatory animal , even good on humans . Active in May and June in northerly regions , with two to three brood in the south ( February to September ) . Nocturnal and non - feeding grownup are take up to outside lights at night . Caterpillars , adorned with poisonous spines , move in classifiable “ trains ” and senesce from orange / sensationalistic to vibrant green .
Salt Marsh Moth
The Salt Marsh Moth ( Estigmene acrea ) features a 1.75 - 2.69 inch wingspan with white forewing andblack spot , and orangish hindwings in male person or white in female . Despite their attractive appearance , their caterpillars are notorious agricultural pestilence , targeting crops like Zea mays , tomatoes , tobacco plant , cotton , and variousvegetables and fruits . Active from May to August in Montana , these moths have one to four broods annually , look on the region . Caterpillars demonstrate a unique “ windsurfing ” power , using silk fibril as parachutes to escape threats .
White-lined Sphinx
The White - run along Sphinx Moth ( Hyles lineata ) in Montana , often false for hummingbirds , boasts a 2 - 3 inch wingspan with a stalwart , furred brown torso feature six white stripe . These moth exhibit hummingbird - like hovering , fleetly sipping ambrosia from Cardinal Vine , Jimsonweed , and various flowers with their recollective trunk . Females lay century of eggs on host plant in spring , and casual caterpillar outbreaks , moving en masse , precede transfiguration . Caterpillars pupate underground , emerging as grownup moth after two to three weeks .
Large Yellow Underwing
The Large Yellow Underwing ( Noctua pronuba ) in Montana , despite its square name , boast a 1.57 - 2.36 inch wingspan with light or dark brownish fore wing and chickenhearted - orange hindwings decorate with a pitch-black band . These moth , vernacular in various habitats , exhibit a flash of semblance when taking flight , confusing possible predators . Thriving in open areas , urban quad , domain , and parks , they are nocturnal and attracted to outdoor light . With a longer lifespan than many moth , males survive around 55 days , females about 75 days , but they only bring about one contemporaries annually .
Ceanothus Silk Moth
The Ceanothus Silk Moth ( Hyalophora euryalus ) in Montana , arguably the most beautiful moth , showcases a 3.5 - 5 inch wingspread with bulbous orange soundbox , blank chevron , and reddish - chocolate-brown extension featuring distinctive grading . Their visual aspect varies , but the comma - shaped wing marking is a key identifier . inhabit diverse locations like coastal forest and woodlands , these moths have one annual brood between January and July . Caterpillars , once mature , make cocoons on host plant , overwintering bond to twigs and issue as adult moths in fountain .
Spotted Tussock Moth
The Spotted Tussock Moth ( Lophocampa maculata ) in Montana boasts a 1.38 - 1.69 column inch wingspan , with yellow or tan fore-wing and unornamented ointment or yellow hindwings . In the tiger moth family , they expose alternating dark and short people of color patterns . Polymorphic , these moth and their caterpillars come up in various color variations . Thriving in deciduous woods , they show regional preferences in their caterpillar ’s choice of tree diagram specie . After about two month of feeding , caterpillars pupate in brownsilk cocoons attached to leaves , overwintering to go forth as adults the play along spring .
Alfalfa Looper
The elusive Alfalfa Looper ( Autographa californica ) in Montana has a 1.42 - 1.65 inch wingspread , with mottled pale greyish fore-wing and silver - blanched Pisces - hook - shaped slur , and hindwings transition from pale gray-haired to dark sooty gray or black . Camouflaging in subject habitats , their intricate patterns and gray coloring assist in blending with environs . Active day and Nox , they feed on nectar from low - growing flora , visible around outside lights at Nox . In southerly expanse , observed from February to November , northern region find activity from May to October . With multiple annual broods , their forgetful lifecycle traverse just 30 days from nascency to death .
Police Car Moth
The Police Car Moth ( Gnophaela vermiculata ) in Montana , with an intermediate 2 - inch wingspread , featuresblack wing with striking whitepatches outlined by black veins . Their bodies and head teacher , embellish with white place and bright orange around wing bases and forelegs , make them remarkably beautiful . Beyond aesthetic , their sheer food colouring process a vital purpose as a warning sign to predators . These moths use up alkaloid and synthesize toxic biogenic acids , deterring potential threats . Possessing a tymbal organ for ultrasonic pawl , they disrupt bat echolocation , ensuring safe day or night activities . With a single annual brood , females deposit ball on leave , hatch in as fiddling as seven days , and overwinter in the caterpillar form before pupating the undermentioned season .
Western Tent Caterpillar Moth
The Western Tent Caterpillar Moth(Malacosoma californica ) in Montana shoot a line a 1 - 2 inch wingspread with brown , tan , yellow , or gray wings and distinctive dividing line . With a single annual generation , females lay 150 to 250 eggs in fall , covered with spumaline for protection . After three to four week of maturation , caterpillars overwinter before pupating into moths . Named for the silky tent screen them during utmost cold , these caterpillars , during irruption , can defoliate tree , but recovery is usually swift . Their tree preferences depart regionally , influenced by their specific placement .
Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth
The Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth ( Malacosoma disstria ) in Montana have a 1 - 1.75 inch wingspan with yellowish , tan , or buff - dark-brown wings , displaying parallel dark descent on forewings . As the most wide stagger tent cat in the res publica , their population waver cyclically , with outbreak occur every 6 - 16 years , sustaining high level for 4 - 6 yr . combat-ready in July , these moth inhabit for ten days , refraining from feed . During outbreak twelvemonth , clusters may be see around outdoor lights . Unlike their counterparts , Forest Tent Caterpillars do n’t manufacture true tent ; instead , they spin silk MAT on tree shorts or branches when at rest .
Pale Beauty
The Pale Beauty moth ( Campaea perlata ) in Montana , with a 1.1 - 2 inch wingspread , showcases a classifiable pale green to greyish - white coloration , fading to yellow with age . Adorned with lightheaded dark grayish lines accented by ashen , these moth stick out out in their insidious elegance . alive from late natural spring to early fall , particularly around outdoor Christ Within , they inhabit deciduous timber with plentiful host plants . With one generation in the north and two in the south , these moth overwinter as caterpillars on emcee tree , maturing into easy seeable red - brownish to smutty pupae on winter trees .
Isabella Tiger Moth
The Isabella Tiger Moth ( Pyrrharctia Isabella ) in Montana , with a 1.75 - 2.5 inch wingspread , displays orange - yellow to yellow - brown food coloring , adorned with sparse black spotting on wings , a business line of black spots down the abdomen , and vivid orange forelegs . Adaptable to diverse habitats , these moth have a fascinating lifecycle , surviving even in the Arctic . As caterpillar , their tenderness stop , and they produce a cryoprotectant , enabling winter survival . After pupate in cocoons , grownup moths emerge , mate , lay testis , and perish within daytime . The caterpillar , known as Wooly Bears , roll up into nut when threatened . Their clicks , produced by a tymbal organ , serve as warnings and may interrupt at-bat ’ echolocation . Legend suggests Wooly Bears presage winter badness establish on their bands , with more orange suggest milder winters and more dark suggest coarse term .
Virginian Tiger Moth
The Virginian Tiger Moth ( Spilosoma virginica ) in Montana , with 1.25 - 2 inch wingspans , features complete white fender dotted with dark spot and venter display yellow stripes and row of fateful pane . Found in diverse habitats like hardwood wood , rain forest , agrarian areas , grassland , and urban blank , these moth are often drawn to porch lights at night . coupling present a challenge , prompting unequalled communication method . Females emit pheromones using a special organ , and male , equip with feather - similar antennae , sense these chemical substance . Male zig - zag in hunting of females , mating with multiple partners . With several yearly brood , the last overwinters as caterpillars .
Polyphemus Moth
The Polyphemus Moth ( Antheraea polyphemus ) in Montana , with 4 - 6 inch wingspan , showcases upper wings in cherry - brown , grizzly , light Brown University , or yellow - brown , featuring a prominent yellow-bellied ocellus circle by blue on each hindwing . recognisable for their owl - alike radiation pattern , these moths use it to disquiet and startle predators . populate forests , orchards , wetlands , and urban sphere , they have a short life-time of about four day as grownup . Emerging ready to copulate , females emit pheromone , and males , equipped with big feathery antennae , place them . Devoted to breeding , they do n’t eat , miss a backtalk .
American Dagger
With 2 - 2.6 column inch wingspans , the American Dagger ( Acronicta americana ) in Montana is qualify by fine greyish - white fuzz on its wings and upper leg . These dagger moth are the biggest in the Department of State , adorned in elaborate bleak and blank patterns such as checker board and zigzags . Their preference for deciduous trees run them to home ground like forests , swamps , parks , backyards , and playground . They get their name from the dagger - shaped marking on their forewings . They normally have one brood a class in the north , but they can have two or three in the south . The caterpillar stage is present from July to October and is active from April to September .
Corn Earworm Moth
Many people consider the Corn Earworm Moth ( Helicoverpa zea ) to be among the most destructive blighter moth in North America . By attacking crops like maize , cotton , tomatoes , asparagus , cantaloupe , and other fruits or legume , it cause large economic departure . Even though the legal age of its large - scale damages are concentrated in areas where the metal money overwinters , sure of the US ’s northmost home ground are unaffected . The species is distinguish by its hairy brown organic structure , light and dark chocolate-brown wing , and dark edges and inner white-hot incision on the hindwings .
Dot-Lined White
The Dot - delineate White ( Artace cribrarius ) shares many host tree with the Southern Flannel Moth , especially favoring oak tree and wild plum tree species in the Eastern United States . Recognizable by its predominantly white wings and body , it feature short blackened stripes along the wings and a distinctive flossy grain on both the upper and lower soundbox . The species primarily causes tree diagram damages during the summer , extend up to October .
Large Tolype Moth
TheLarge Tolype Moth(Tolype velleda ) usually inhabits tree like poplar , aspen , and linden . Its upper body is densely get over with long livid and gray hairs , while the lower body have long but sparse hairs . The wings display little gray and bloodless hairs , and its antennae have a bleary feather - like show . This metal money has a single brood per year , predominantly found in the expansive territory of the Eastern parts of North America , where tree like orchard orchard apple tree and linden flourish .
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