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Salt Marsh Moth

Estigmene acrea

Photo by Dan Doucette
Published on Project Noah
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43.0904, -79.0861

Field Notes

Description:

mostly black with dark red coloring closer to its body, pretty sure this is a very young individual

Habitat:

compost pile

Notes:

I spotted this on a catnip plant that was growing beside a huge compost pile. I didn't realize my lens was a bit dirty before I let it go. I put it on a Brugmansia leaf for the photo and it started eating it right away!

Species ID Suggestions

Giant Leopard Moth

Hypercompe scribonia

Reference Link
florida33girl
1

Comments (7)
Dan Doucette
Amber and Ann I think you're right. The one in the video does look a lot like it. Very cool time lapse too!
annorion
Check out this video I ran across...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQFd-ftM6Pc at 1:15 to about 1:30 the markings resemble your caterpillar. Maybe its just a young Salt Marsh caterpillar?
AmberLundeen
Here's the best match I could find http://bugguide.net/node/view/442763/bgimage
AmberLundeen
Maybe Salt Marsh Moth - Estigmene acrea http://bugguide.net/node/view/3242/bgimage
Dan Doucette
I'm not sure, I don't see the red bands on the skin in my spotting that I see in all the photos. It has more red on the hair than on the body. Could it be its age?
AmberLundeen
Giant Leopard Moth -Hypercompe scribonia http://bugguide.net/node/view/493
emj.patterson
Cool pictures all the same! Makes them look a bit artsy even!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Butterflies & Moths of the World
Mission
Wildlife of the Niagara Region

Tags

Photographed
PublishedSeptember 2, 2011

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