Gathering information about the things I find in the woods can sometimes seem like a "wild moth chase"... Especially, it seems, when I am searching for the derivation of the creature's name.
This is a False Crocus Geometer Moth (Xanthotype urticaria). That would distinguish it from the True Crocus Geometer Moth (Xanthotype sospetra).
However, neither of them evidently feeds on crocuses. That stymies the "Crocus" monoker as well as the True / False distinction.
They do, supposedly, feed on buttercups. That, or their underlying yellow color, may explain their genus name - Xanthotype ("xantho" meaning yellow).
The species name "urticaria" can either mean nettle (another possible food source) or hives (a common reaction to the bristles found on some caterpillars). I could not find which definition applied. I could find no accounts of the caterpillar or moth causing an allergic reaction. So, maybe the food reference is a better choice.
For comparison, I could find no useful information on the derivation of "sospetra" -- which I am assuming has nothing to do with nettles or hives.
On a positive note, they are both members of the Geometer family of moths -- a name derived from the Greek for "earth"-"measure", or as we know them -- the inch worm family.
Finally, the True and the False Geometer Moths are evidently genetically identical -- meaning they should actually be the same species. But, nature always likes to play tricks on us. The two species have different colored spots (X. sospetra's are more purple) and the males of the two species can evidently be distinguished by their "parts".
This one flew away before I could check...
