I love seeing the occasional cecropia or luna moth. It’s been a long time!
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I have been unsuccessful so far in my attempts to get a decent photo of the raptors squawking and swooping in and around my backyard from dawn to dusk. There is a breeding pair of red-shouldered hawks which nest somewhere nearby each spring, and the whole family is out there now as the youngsters learn how to hawk.
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Beautiful photo even if it pushes my Squeamish Button pretty hard 
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Oh, I know. Still photos are bad enough, but it’s much worse when it’s moving…
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Apparently it’s a plume moth. Hellinsia homodactyla
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Cool! From insectidentification.org:
“A Plume Moth’s narrow body and tightly collapsed wings create a unique ‘T’ shape. When spread, the wings have the appearance of a bird’s plume of feathers and when at rest, the moth rolls both wings into a rod shape. It makes for an unusual profile. When perched, the moth almost resembles a vintage propeller airplane.”
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Yes, plume moths are readily identified by their wing shape. An example is the Artichoke Plume Moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla) that we have here in my area.
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That bee does an awesome Megalon impression.
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Had this pretty baby in my yard this afternoon when I was watering my plants. I put a big bowl of water out for her just in case because it’s really hot here in Connecticut today.
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The wildlife gods must have heard my unspoken plea for more owls, because I saw this guy just chillin’ by the road while I was out for my walk this evening:
It actually let me get kinda close too-
Hoot hoot
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Such a handsome owl! I believe it’s a Barred Owl (Strix varia). That’s the one I see in the daytime around here, at least.
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