Day 297: "Hey, Crow! What are those cute little orange and brown moths with the weird wings that are all over my dandelions?"
I hate to break it to you, but you're wrong on both counts.
In the first place, those foot-tall "lawn daisies" which plague our yards and shoot up stiff, tough stems from a basal rosette of leaves resembling harsh-textured velour are Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris radicata). In the second place, that ain't no moth. It's a butterfly. How can you tell? The easiest way is by looking for club-shaped tips on the antennae. Butterflies have them; moths have feathery antennae. However, this little fellow's wings don't seem to fit the familiar profile for either, and because he's fuzzy, many people mistake him for a moth. In fact, he's a Woodland Skipper, Ochlodes sylvanoides.
When in "alert mode" (i.e., preparing for take-off), many Skippers exhibit a distinctive wing position peculiar to the species. The hind wings are held flat and the forewings are held at an angle to the body. Imagine the Skipper in the photo with only its hind wings spread. At rest, the wings are folded as shown. The odd morphology allows Skippers to dart about and change direction quite quickly.
Having Skippers in my yard by the dozen isn't simply entertaining. It gives me the perfect excuse to leave the lawnmower in the garage. They really like the Cat's-ear, and who am I to deprive a cute little butterfly of a treat?
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