Mothing in a cave

 

Mothing in a cave. At our recent caterpillar safari at Highlands Nature Sanctuary, owned by the Arc of Appalachia, most of us were in the museum photographing caterpillar livestock on Sunday morning. Laura Weis had been out hiking and rushed in to tell us she had found a moth deep in a cave. We, needless to say, rushed out to see this spelunking moth. It was The Herald Moth (Scoliopteryx libatrix), which feeds on willow as a caterpillar. The cave that Laura found (photo above) it in was right above Rocky Fork, which would have plenty of willow along its banks. Highland County, Ohio, September 8, 2024.

NOTE: There are no known roosting bats in this cave. The Arc of Appalachia has a very good handle on which caves host bat roosts, and those are well-protected and human entry is forbidden.

Your narrator photographing The Herald Moth, which was in a little alcove about 40 feet back in the cave.

The gorgeous Herald Moth. It is striking and unmistakable, and I've only seen a handful. The adults overwinter, and some of them "hibernate" deep in caves.

As a bonus for going subterranean, there were plenty of Eastern Cave Long-jawed Orbweavers (Meta ovalis). This female guards her egg case, which looks like a fuzzy lightbulb. When well-illuminated, the spider reveals itself to be a colorful work of arachnid art.