Moths are especially difficult to identify, and I’m not exactly sure that I know what it is.  None of my insect books had it, but that is the case for the majority of moths I come across.

Luckily, I came across this resource on the moths of the Pacific Northwest!  After thumbing through it a bit, I believe I finally know what type of moth it is.  And the drum roll…

It is a Tolype distincta of the family Lasiocampidae.  Unfortunately I was not able to find a common name for this moth, though from searching on the web it is somewhat common.  I believe it feeds on trees, but could find no definitive information on the web.

Here’s another shot of it that is better for identification.

This specimen I found was attached to another moth below it, the result of mating.  The bottom moth was already dead and this one was clinging to life when I found it – no longer able to fly.

So, I was able to give this little moth a name, though all I know about it is from interacting with it myself.  Still, it’s always nice to know when of my neighbor’s names…

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