The appearance of the ailanthus webworm moth (Atteva aurea) is incredibly striking. It looks like a beetle on flowers, a wasp in flight, but is clearly a moth when you examine it more closely. The wings of this moth are bright orange, patterned clusters of white spots outlined in black.
Size
Medium: 11–15 mm1
Active Periods
April–November, peak in August
Food Source
Caterpillars feed on non-native, invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), where they will spin communal nests. These moths are known to be generalists that visit a wide range of flowers, and there is research showing that they carry pollen grains on them, but research is still ongoing as to whether these moths are effective pollinators.2
Overwintering
Overwinter as eggs and hatch in mid to late spring
_____
Photo: Reuven Martin, Public Domain, iNaturalist
