Jul 092014
 

On my way to Piney Woods Church Road today, I paid more attention than usual to Rico roadside.  Part of that was self-preservation — cars and trucks were flying by at near-lightning speeds, drivers miles away, ensconced in their own words.  Part was because I was looking for a wildflower I had seen the day before, and even after locating it, I maintained my same level of attention to my surroundings.  The result was a delightful discovery of a white and creamy yellow moth, about an inch long, motionless in plain view.  Later I learned that this particular moth, a Delicate Cycnia or Dogbane Tiger Moth (Cycnia tenera) feeds on dogbanes and milkweeds as a caterpillar, taking into its body the same cardiac glycoside that makes Monarch Butterflies immune to predators.  With little to fear from the skies, this particular moth did not so much as twitch, even when I drew my camera up close to take this photograph.

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

  2 Responses to “Delicate Cycnia”

  1. so great, thanks.

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