Ailanthus Webworm Moth

by Karen Adams

Title

Ailanthus Webworm Moth

Artist

Karen Adams

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Digital Prints - Photography

Description

I cut some yellow flowers in my garden to bring inside and found this little stow-away. I was really taken by the beauty of its markings and wondered what it was! It actually did not take long to find out, thanks to the great internet!! It is a Webworm moth, called an Atteva aurea or common name Ailanthus Webworm Moth. I was surprised that it was a moth. It tucks and rolls its wings close to its body when at rest, instead of spreading them out or letting them lay flat. They are very thin and are members of the Bagworm moth family.

It is thought to be native to South Florida and the American tropics (south to Costa Rica),which were the habitat of its original larval host plants: the paradise tree (Simarouba glauca) and Simarouba amara. The moth has adapted to another host, a tree called tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), originally from China. And that has given it its common name now of Ailanthus Webworm. This image was taken in Ohio, so it seems to have adapted to much colder climates now.

This "tree of heaven", is considered an invasive species, although it is still sold by nurseries as a yard plant, mainly because it is one of the species that will grow in polluted or otherwise difficult places. These moths can be a minor pest, although it rarely does serious damage.


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Uploaded

August 7th, 2016

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