VARIOUS WAVES AND PUGS
Columbia Pug, photographed in the Hocking Hills area (eastern Ohio) in April 2016. Several species of pug moths are very similar and difficult to distinguish from one another.
Packard's Wave. Some individuals are darker brownish-red. I have found these moths every month from May through September.
Common Tan Wave, a very frequent visitor to my moth lights.
Common Pug. The wings have a black dot over a small white dot, and the bottom of the abdomen is pale-colored. (Both of these markings are faded on some individuals.) Some websites refer to this moth as the "Common Eupithecia," to distinguish it from a different European species also called the Common Pug.
Green Pug moth. There are several species of pug moths in our region, but the green color is distinctive for this one. I find Green Pugs at my UV lights in May and early June.
Green Pugs are native to Europe; they were accidentally introduced to North America around 1970 and have been spreading through the northeastern states ever since.
Packard's Wave. Notice the four prominent spots on its wings.
Common Tan Waves fly continuously from late May through October. I have also found a few stragglers as late as November 11th.
Wormwood Pug. Note the white bar over the black bar on the abdomen. I saw a couple of these moths at my lights in September 2024.
Another Common Pug. I have found these moths every month from March through December.
Another Packard's Wave. These moths turn up at my lights in small numbers, but they are definitely less common than the abundant Common Tan Wave (below).