Day 216: My big score from Ohop Valley yesterday was Platypredia virginalis, known variously as "Ranchman's Tiger Moth" or "Rangeland Tiger Moth." Somewhat larger than the familiar Banded Woolly Bear (Isabella Tiger Moth), Platypredia virginalis reverses the colour scheme: orange on the ends, black in the middle, but adds in long white guard hairs as a dorsal mane. The caterpillars' primary diet consists of plaintains (a genus of weedy plants, not bananas), dandelions and lupine. Plaintain is abundant at this site. It's not that I've never seen the caterpillars before, but thanks to entomologists at BugGuide.net, I am now able to associate the critters with their moth which, incidentally, flies during the day. Its black forewings are striking, marked with large white/cream spots. The hindwings may be black and orange (common at Ohop) or black and white. This specimen was in a big hurry to meet the biological imperative, going hell-bent-for-leather across the asphalt in search of a host plant.
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