Comstock’s Sallow

Comstock’s Sallow (Feralia comstocki) is a moth. I am used to thinking about moths as being nocturnal, but this one was flying around during the day. It alighted on my driveway and started sucking nutrients (salts?) in a manner similar to that of butterflies.

From the Entomology Collection at the University of Alberta, I learn that the emergence of adults is tied to the arrival of new needle buds on conifer trees. Adults lay eggs on these buds which then serve as food for the larvae. Although common in May across southern Canada and northern US, this moth vanishes in early June.

The tongue of this Comstock’s Sallow is extended to the ground.

Identification courtesy of Butterflies and Moths of North America.

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