MISCELLANEOUS SMALL MOTHS
Sooty-winged Chalcoela Moth. These are fascinating insects. Their caterpillars feed on the larvae of paper wasps. This is an unusual turn of events in the moth world. Usually, wasps are the ones parasitizing the moths rather than the other way around.
I find Sooty-winged Chalcoela moths at my lights from May through September.
Julia's Dicymolomia moth. I have seen a couple of these moths at my lights in June, August, and September.
Another view of a Julia's Dicymolomia moth. The above moth is in a more typical resting posture, but this one was crawling around my mothing station.
Rectangular Tripudia, a pretty little moth with pinkish highlights. This is my only sighting (July 18, 2024).
Skullcap Skeletonizer. This moth was insanely tiny (only about 5 mm total length). I usually do not bother trying to photograph or identify moths that small, but this little guy was so stunningly beautiful that I had to give it a try. Photographed September 23, 2024. This is my only sighting of the species.
Black-patched Clepsis moth. This individual was photographed at Hocking Hills, but I have also found them at my home lights in May and June.
Another Black-patched Clepsis moth. The larvae of this species use woodland wildflowers as host plants (trilliums, Solomon's seal, etc.). This one was found on May 24, 2015, at Sugarcreek Reserve in Bellbrook.
Boxwood Leaftier. I have found a couple of these moths at my lights from June through August.