Moths are beautiful, too

I notice that there are few, if any, moth photos on this board, so I decided to show just how colourful and beautiful they can be.
First off, Angle Shades

very nice set, love moths but seldom find any of interest, are you sugaring to attract them?

All but the Emperor Moth and Oleander Hawk were trapped, using an MV light. The Emperor male is a day-flyer, and I reared the Oleander from an ovum. These are just a tiny selection from over 300 species I have photographed in the UK, France and Spain. They're on our website, if you are interested.

Wonderful selection.

The Purple Cloud and the Hawkmoth are striking-looking moths. All the pictures are excellent.

Subjects don't stand out much from their surroundings. Only joking, beautiful moths, beautiful camouflage!

Lovely series- agree I like them but rarely see them apart from micro moths.
Brian v.

Pippan wrote in post #18540412
Subjects don't stand out much from their surroundings. Only joking, beautiful moths, beautiful camouflage!

What about this for camouflage? Admittedly I did look for a log that matched!
Green-brindled Crescent

Trik wrote in post #18540094
Moths are beautiful, too

Yes they most certainly are.

In fact, if I were to get a macro lens, the main purpose of ding so would be to photograph moths. . I can't think of anything in the insect realm that is cooler looking, in my opinion.


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And you would have such a lot to chose from, even if you only kept to the macromoths, like I do, mostly. Of course, you would need access to a moth trap to get the nightfliers, but, for me, the anticipation of opening a trap is like opening parcels on Christmas morning. You never know what you're going to get but there just might be something very special indeed! Usually it's socks or underpants, but sometimes....

Nice. Really like the second one. Excellent details.

After frogs got me into close and macro photography, I drifted into dragonflies then trying to capture as many of the 120 butterflies in my state, then more recently working on the 11,000 moths in my region.

Here are a couple of Distinguished Colymychus on Butthonbush.

Here is a newly enclosed Cecropia moth just above the cocoon it just emerged from.

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And a detail of the wings.

I’d like to add some caterpillar shots to this mix.

The first is a Southern Flannel moth caterpillar. They are reported to have about the worse sting of any out there. Its sting is said to be as bad as an amputation, or venomous snakebite. Even their cocoons can sting, which they construct with a little nest like shap on top, with some of the venomous barbs sticking up out of.
Another odd feature of the cocoon is the little trap door on the end, which they emerge from. I’ve found several of these, and pried them open, and struggle to imagine how the chrysalis could have the strength to open it. But after years of contemplation decided they must have some magic spit that expands the inside of the hinge.

(Megalopyge opercularis)