I was working late at night at the dining room table. It was dark outside and the June Beetles were buzzing and hitting against the screens. The dog could not decide what side of the door she wanted to be on.
Her whining grew to a point where I finally got up to let her out. I opened the door. She just stood there looking up at me. She was now certain which side of the door she wanted to be on. And, all sorts of flying things had made the same decision.
Back at the table, a moth fluttered around the overhead lights in chaotic circles. Suddenly it dropped down onto a piece of paper right in front of me. I slowly grabbed my camera to get a picture of a Harnessed Tiger Moth (Pantesis phalerata).
Moths are a favorite food of bats. However, Harnessed Tiger Moths evidently taste bad and they make clicking sounds while they fly. Thus, the bats quickly learn that they will get a less than pleasant meal if they choose a Harnessed Tiger Moth.
The next morning, while I was surveying the windowsills in search of other insects that had made it through the door the previous night. I came upon a Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae).
I wasn't able to get pictures of the myriad mosquitoes that buzzed around my head all night long...
