moth

Giant Leopard Moth /  by Todd Henson

A giant leopard moth on my tree

In early June (2025) I noticed a white spot on the tree in my front yard. Looking closer I found a giant leopard moth resting on the bark, so I grabbed my camera and set about photographing it. I ended up coming back a little later after the sun had moved enough to put the moth into shadow, which helped avoid completely blowing out the white of the moth.

A side view of the giant leopard moth

I wouldn’t really consider the moth a giant, though it was a large one, being perhaps an inch long. After a little research I learned the females grow to about this length while the males can grow to about 2 inches in length. When they fly they have a wingspan of about 3 inches. They’re native to portions of North America.

Face to face with a giant leopard moth

It’s easy to see why they’re called leopard moths because of their spots, both black spots and white ones with a black ring, all set against a white body. It’s a beautiful moth.

Photographing the giant leopard moth from the shadowed side

The next morning the moth was gone, which reinforces what I’d learned about their nocturnal nature and how they avoid flying before nightfall. I never did see this one fly, but I enjoyed photographing it.

An angled view of the giant leopard moth

A couple weeks ago my father and I visited a farmers market in Standardsville, a small town a little west of here, where we saw a booth with photos of several types of moths, one of which was the giant leopard moth. The display was informing people of the problems associated with the very invasion spotted lanternfly and trying to help people learn to identify it. The giant leopard moth and several other species were shown as examples of good species, native to the area, but that are sometimes confused with the lanternfly. It was interesting timing seeing this display as I had so recently seen the leopard moth and was actively working on this post.

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Snowy Urola Moth /  by Todd Henson

A snowy urola moth blending in under a blade of grass.

While walking through some grass at Blandy Experimental Farm I saw a small flash of white. When I got down low and looked closely I found a small white moth, a snowy urola moth, hiding under a blade of grass. It was so small and narrow it just about disappeared when viewed from up top. It looked very sleek when hunkered down with its antennae and wings folded up.

A closer view of the snowy urola moth

I got as close as I could and kept photographing as the moth appeared to begin “looking about” with its antennae, perhaps trying to determine if the coast was clear or if there was a threat about. I knew I wasn’t a threat, but of course it didn’t know that.

The snowy urola moth with its antennae out

After creating these photos I moved on and left this little moth in peace.

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Leafroller Moth and a Little Green Fringe /  by Todd Henson

A leafroller moth

A small bit of light in an otherwise dark forest illuminated this lovely leafroller moth of the Tortricidae family of moths. I don’t know much about these other than they make wonderful subjects when they stay still long enough for a photograph.

For those interested in photographic details, this photo did suffer from some chromatic aberration in the form of green fringe along the lower out-of-focus edges of the moth’s wings. This sometimes happens when an out-of-focus lighter area stands out against a darker region. I did the best I could to reduce this within Lightroom.

Removing the green fringe from the photo

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