BIRDS BANDED AT HILTON POND NORTH

DURING CURRENT PERIOD

16-31 July 2025

The table below shows birds banded during the most recent period, plus each species' tally for the year and the total for each since banding commenced locally in March 2024. New species for this year are in RED.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Sure enough, after further exploration we saw what was going on. Perched nearby on a length of cord hanging in front of the window was a slightly larger, similarly colored moth—a female—and the other individuals were males attempting to mate. One finally located the female (above), mounted her, grasped tightly, and touched his abdomen tip to hers—a procreative embrace that continued until well after sundown. Those males were undoubtedly excited by the female's pheromones, chemicals so potent a male's antennae can pick up a single molecule over great distances.

A quick flip through our field guide told us the insects in question were Pink-striped Oakworm Moths, Anisota virginiensis. Although they have only about a two-inch wingspan they're members of the Saturniidae, a family including some of the biggest North American moths. This eastern U.S. species typically has a single yearly generation, adults emerging mid-summer. After mating, females lay egg clusters on tree leaves, resulting in large, spiny larvae. Called "oakworms," they're not limited to oaks, also using maple, birch, cherry, and other hardwoods. Although these caterpillars occasionally reach outbreak levels and defoliate trees, this is usually temporary and rarely kills healthy hosts. Like many moths, oakworm adults don't feed at all, living off energy stored from the caterpillar stage, i.e., adult lives are focused entirely on reproduction.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

This whole scenario outside our window seemed appropriate since the last full week in July is recognized by "moth-ers" across the globe as National Moth Week, a citizen science project started in 2012 by Friends of the East Brunswick (New Jersey) Environmental Commission "to celebrate the beauty, diversity, and ecological importance of moths." Enthusiasts who submit observations to the iNaturalist moth project help build a database documenting which species occur when and where. (This year, more than 40,300 observers worldwide submitted nearly 316,000 moth observations!)

Historically, moths—like many nocturnal organisms—have been understudied, but in recent years amateur naturalists have started focusing on these interesting winged creatures. And that's a good thing because many adult moths are valuable pollinators and their larvae are environmentally significant both as herbivores and as food sources for bats, birds, lizards, frogs, toads, spiders, mantids, small mammals, and other predators.

So, stimulated both by our recent experience with those Pink-striped Oakworm Moths and the juxtaposition of this year's National Moth Week, we unpacked a big white textured shower curtain and a fluorescent UV light (above left) and hung both outside our cabin. Just after sundown we plugged in the blacklight (above right) and sat back to see what might be attracted to this irresistible set-up. It didn't take long. Within the hour two score moths were clinging to the sheet.

Below we offer photos and info for a dozen that appeared over several nights during the week at Hilton Pond North. Although many of these moths appear plain, brown, and nondescript at first glance, the camera's macro lens brings out details; that's when one can really appreciate subtle colors, fine lines, wing shapes, and even iridescence enhanced by camera flash. The secret is to NOT rush through the images below but to tarry over each, admiring the diversity of 12 native North Carolina moths.

(NOTE: To capture moth images we hand-held a Canon 70D with either a 60mm or 100mm macro lens and built-in camera flash. During the week we didn't encounter any large moths at our light trap. The specimens below all had wingspans less than 2½".

Deep Yellow Euchlaena, Euchlaena amoenaria, has rich yellow to orange-yellow wings and faint reddish or purplish lines, giving it a soft, velvety appearance. Common in deciduous forests of eastern North America, it rests with wings outspread, often blending seamlessly with sunlit leaves. Its caterpillars are twig mimics, holding themselves stiff and motionless at angles that make them nearly indistinguishable from stems and branches of host plants.

Bold-feathered Grass Moth, Herpetogramma pertextalis, has creamy tan wings marked by bold, dark, zigzag lines that give it a striking appearance in contrast to its grassy habitat. Common throughout eastern North America, it frequents gardens, fields, and forest edges, where its larvae feed on a variety of herbaceous plants. When disturbed, this moth often flushes from the ground in a quick, fluttering flight—an adaptation that startles predators and allows it to blend quickly back into vegetation.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Black-bordered Lemon Moth, Marimatha nigrofimbria, is pale yellow with a distinctive black border along the edges of its forewings, giving it a crisp and colorful appearance. It is found across much of the eastern and central United States, typically in fields and gardens where its larvae feed on low-growing plants.

This moth is most active at night and is frequently attracted to lights, making it a common visitor to illuminated porches and windows.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Bi-colored Angle, Macaria bicolorata, is another geometrid, this time with contrasting pale yellowish forewings and reddish-brown hind wings separated by a distinct angled line across the wings. It is commonly found in eastern North American woodlands, where its larvae feed on various conifers, especially pines. This moth's angular wing shape and sharp color division help break up its outline when at rest, making it harder for predators to detect among pine needles and bark.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Arched Hooktip Moth, Drepana arcuata, has pale tan wings with a gently curved, sickle-shaped tip on each forewing and fine, brownish lines that give it a delicate appearance. It occurs in moist woodlands across much of North America, particularly where birch and alder serve as its larval host plants. Its caterpillars can produce faint sounds by rubbing body parts together (stridulation), possibly as a form of communication or defense—a rare trait among moth larvae.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Ailanthus Webworm Moth, Atteva aurea, is only an inch long with striking orange forewings marked by rows of white spots bordered in black, giving it a jeweled, almost tropical appearance. Common in gardens and open areas across eastern and southern North America, its name comes from the caterpillar’s habit of spinning webbed nests on Tree-of-Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, an invasive tree from Asia. Native to North Florida, this moth's larvae originally fed on likewise native Paradise-trees, Simarouba spp., but expanded range dramatically after adopting Ailanthus as a host. This makes it one of few native insects to benefit from an introduced plant.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Bent-line Gray, Iridopsis larvaria, is a subtly patterned and gray-brown moth with fine, wavy lines across its wings—most notably a scalloped line that helps distinguish it from similar species. It inhabits deciduous forests and wooded areas throughout much of eastern North America. Caterpillars of this moth are twig mimics, holding their bodies rigidly outstretched to resemble sticks, a camouflage that helps them evade birds and other predators.

Brown Scoopwing, Calledapteryx dryopterata, has delicate, deeply notched brown wings held in a distinctive horizontal T-shape when at rest. It occurs in eastern North American forests, where cryptic coloring helps it blend into leaf litter and loose bark. Wing posture and configuration help it avoid detection by predators that rely on shape recognition rather than just color.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda, is vividly colored with creamy yellow forewings and bright pinkish markings, including pink legs and a fuzzy yellow thorax and abdomen—making it one of North America's most striking moths. It is commonly found in deciduous forests and suburban areas throughout the eastern U.S., where its caterpillars—green-striped mapleworms—feed primarily on Red Maple leaves. This species is nocturnal and often rests fully exposed on tree trunks during the day, although it also sits camouflaged among equally colorful flowers.

Let us know if you enjoyed our moth portfolio and then go out to see how many nocturnal species you can find hanging 'round your front porch lights. Happy Mothing!

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

An adult male Common Grackle (above) with yellow eye is only the second of its species seen at Hilton Pond North at 3,000' elevation—one last September and the other this week on 28 July. For our mountains North Carolina Birds on-line says this species is a "permanent resident, with migratory movements. In summer, common to very common at low elevations, and fairly common to about 4,000 feet; scarce higher. Uncommon in early winter in lower elevations, but rare to uncommon in midwinter; scarce at higher elevations in winter, where not regular." Grackles nest regularly in Ashe County NC and form large mixed blackbird flocks that wander about after breeding season.

It's fawn season at Hilton Pond North. Click above to start a short video of a White-tailed Deer doe and her spotted fawn, likely several weeks old.

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

Although Black Vultures (BLVU) are common at lower elevations across the Carolinas, they are rare in the mountains at 3,000' and above—like here at Hilton Pond North. We are much more likely to see Turkey Vultures (TUVU) that soar over on a near-daily basis. The two BLVU above were perched in a tall Black Locust snag at our Sassafras Overlook on the gray, overcast afternoon of 29 July. Since they were allopreening, we suspect they comprised a mated pair.

On 27 July we walked onto our earth-sheltered cabin roof to watch the twilight (above). We could hear thunderstorms racing this way from the north-northwest, but they never reached Hilton Pond North. (Although it spit-rained most afternoons this week, we could use some "real" precipitation.)

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

All photos, videos, maps, charts, and text © Hilton Pond North

We banded Hilton Pond North's first Wood Thrush (WOTH) of the year on 22 July, an adult male (above) with a well-developed cloacal protuberance—a sure sign he was breeding locally. In our woodlands each spring and summer we hear several individual WOTH vocalizing from individual territories. The Wood Thrush is one of very few songbirds known to sing in duet with itself by using both sides of its syrinx simultaneously. This results in rich, ethereal, flute-like harmonies so pleasing to human ears.

To be honest, we've long known about the importance of moths but haven't spent much time studying them. (It's hard to get up at crack of dawn, band birds all day until dusk, and then stay up half the night "mothing!") After we moved to our new research site here in the Blue Ridge Mountains we vowed to put more emphasis on local night-flying lepidopterans. After all, nearly 3,000 moth species have been documented across North Carolina, making it extraordinarily diverse for moths and far outnumbering approximately 178 butterfly species recorded for the state.