Gnophaela vermiculata “Police-car Moth” Arctiidae (now Erebidae)
Great Burn, Lolo National Forest, MT
July 10, 2015
Robert Niese
Here’s another intimate moment between two Police-car Moths from my backpacking trip the other weekend. They really were copulating everywhere. The males will carry their partners through the forest as they both continue to feed on nectar. Eventually they will detach and the female will seek out a Bluebells plant (Mertensia) or some other member of Boraginaceae to lay her eggs.
Happy National Moth Week!
Northwest Naturalist 