This moth showed up on the poplar tree in our backyard one evening. I thought it was actually really pretty for a moth. After doing some research I found out it is a Four-spotted Ghost Moth. They can come in two colour forms: yellow-brown (shown here) and purple-grey.
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| photo taken August 2014 |
Scientific Name: Sthenopis Purpurascens
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Anthropoda (Anthropods)
Subphylum: Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Hepialoidea
Family: Hepialidae (Ghost Moths)
Genus: Sthenopis
Species: purpurascens (Four-Spotted Ghost Moth)
Life Cycle: 2 years
Habitat: Woodlands with Poplar, Willow and Birch trees
Other Facts: The larvae bore into the roots of the trees and live most of their lives this way. The adults emerge from June to August and die quickly because they do not feed.
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| photo taken August 2014 |
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