Day 279: A few days ago, I was out in the swamp with our Park Plant Ecologist searching for examples of a rare plant in the chest-high "grass," and was pulled up short by this handsome insect hiding deep in the vegetation. "Who you?" I said, and then, "Arnie? You know anything about bugs?" A negative from my companion didn't deter me from taking photos, and when I got home, I submitted one to BugGuide.net, trusting to their entomologists to provide me with an answer. In due time, it was identified as a Ctenucha ("ten-OO-cha"), with the reservation that it is one of several species in the rubroscapus/multifaria complex. The generic common name for these critters is Red-Shouldered Ctenucha, a type of Tiger Moth found only on the West Coast.
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