280 days of Urbpandemonium #141

This pretty little moth perched on the post of the mercury vapor light instead of the sheet. I suppose if it was on the white sheet it would have been hard to see. This moth's white coat gives it the name "ermine moth," though the family name is Yponomeutidae*. This one belongs to the type genus Yponomeuta.

*The word Yponomeutidae comes from the Ancient Greek ὑπό (ypo) meaning under and νομός (nomós) meaning food or dwelling, thus "feeding secretly, or burrow"

280 days of Urbpandemonium #142

How come a wasp shows up at a moth night? This particular type of parasitoid ichneumonid* wasp is nocturnal, and has a history of appearing at porch lights. It flies at night looking for sleepy caterpillars. You can see this one cleaning its very long antennae--doubtlessly important for finding its hosts. It penetrates their hide with a short sharp ovipositor, and places an egg within. The wasp grub consumes the caterpillar, depriving the world of a moth but giving us another glorious orange Enicospilus** wasp.


This one, not content to land on the lighted sheet, landed on the light itself.

* "tracker"

** Boy can I find nothing at all about the apparent nonsense word "Enicospilus."