A Garden Visitor

I spotted this pretty little guy on the patrinia that's currently blooming in abundance in the Edible Garden's orchard. I didn't recognize him, and he looks a bit like a bug or a beetle here except that probiscus would be all wrong. Some research confirmed that he's actually a moth! Atteva aurea, or the ailanthus webworm, is native from southern Florida through Central America, but is now found all over the United States and even into Canada. The patrinia are thick with these moths as well as multiple species of bees, though none of the latter would pose nicely for my camera this morning. If you're visiting the Garden sometime soon, be sure to stop by and pay them a visit.


-Julia da Silva, Interpretation Coordinator