This was just a lucky find in my backyard this afternoon. I was hanging out with Murphy and noticed this moth sitting on some Boneset in the cool late afternoon air…it is still there several hours later. I guess a bit of torpor has set in. The cool air slows insects down most often and that is why I go out early in the morning. As this was late afternoon, there is no dew on my subject but I am not complaining.
Here are three views of a Bronzed Cutworm moth.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
That is one beautiful moth Steve.
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Yes it is, Rod. So many are quite beautiful and get a bad rap from the couple that cause harm to crops or eat sweaters. 🙂
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It sure is a furry creature. I like the swept back antennae.
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Sometimes the antenna are swept back to the point where, from above, it seems they have none. The fur is actually scales, not quite like a fish, and the less scaly lower legs remind me of striped socks.
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Excellent looking close ups of the moth. Good observations which enable you to get these great nature shots.
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Thanks, Yvonne. The cool weather sure does help with prolonged poses. 🙂
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Your photos are amazing, love the detail you captured.
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Thanks, Charlie. I am glad you enjoy them and appreciate the comments you leave.
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What an appealing little creature. The last photo’s my favorite, but the color and patterns in the other two are equally attractive. It’s so furry I have an impulse to pet it, but I suppose that wouldn’t be easy, and probably would do some harm to the moth.
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It does have some personality in the last image for sure, Linda. With the cool air, touching would be possible, but you are right, it would cause some harm as their scales fall off pretty easy and are delicate.
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You made the most of that encounter. What a beautiful bronze.
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To use some words a friend once wrote about these, they are handsome beasts. It is too bad they are not celebrated to the degree as butterflies.
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All three pictures have your usual quality and sharpness, but the third adds a head-on viewpoint that seems rare in photographs of moths and is therefore to be prized.
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I have never, I don’t recall otherwise, got a shot of a moth from this angle, Steve. It’s too bad it wasn’t an angry moth…what a fright that would be.
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What a charming hirsute fella. A lovely colour too 🙂
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Quite the dapper looker, is it not, Lottie?
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I like it of course Steve but is the larva one of the pest species?
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As the name implies, they are not welcomed guests in a garden, Andrew.
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Haha, love the imagery of an angry moth with striped socks! Thank you for celebrating moths, Steve. I’m always delighted when I see one, but for some reason my camera refuses to focus on them. Sort of like a cat I once had, who simply would not deign to recognize a snake, even if it went right under her nose.
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Maybe a similar picture of an angry moth inspired:
That’s interesting, Melissa. I find them a bit easier than butterflies that are usually in constant motion. Hummingbird moths are tough but a lot of others just chill some times. It’s getting near the end of moth season, but I’ll see if I can share another one soon.
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