Common Spring Moth
Heliomata cycladata
May 28, 2012
 


  Sometimes a moth or butterfly or other insect stays still for only a few seconds; others are willing to pose. The common spring moth (Heliomata cycladata) was one of the latter.

Yesterday, on Sunday, the moth was content to try out any number of positions. I expect I took upward of twenty photos of it, and doing so was just as well. I don't have much experience with moths, and identifying it took me over an hour.

And so, allow me to present a colorful if common spring moth.
 

Common spring moth
 
  Of course, the question I had afterward was how common is the common spring moth? I had never seen one before, but that's not saying much. Since moving to State College, Pennsylvania (eight years ago), I'm continually surprised by the number of different moths and butterflies I have seen for the first time.

Here's another view of what I consider an unusual moth.

 
Common spring moth
 
  The joy of the web is in the ability to search and identify almost anything seen. Of course, it helps when the individual - such as the common spring moth - is unique.

Photo note: The photos were taken on May 27, 2012, with the Pentax K20D and the Voigtlander 125mm macro lens.



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