A Moth for the Mulch Pile

I have really been enjoying my mulch pile and this blog is at least the third one to be inspired by the activity on/around it. In July I had written about the eyed click beetle on my new one and in June it was the Dekay’s brown snake that was using the old one. This week a flutter of evening moth activity had me searching my moth book to identify the species for dozens of tiny moths that appear around the pile in the afternoon.

Idia moth

Since I first noticed the moths several days ago, they consistently show up in the late afternoon, around 4 pm, fluttering away (but landing again on the pile) whenever I get too close. Each one is about the size of my thumbnail and quite triangular in shape. I identified them as a type of “litter moth” which feed on dead leaves and lichens. I think mine is the pale form of the American Idia moth (Idia americaulis).

Two of the moths, waiting for nightfall

Idia moth, different perspective

We just finished up National Moth Week so it’s great to discover a new moth (after all, there are over 11,000 species in North America) and to realize that there are so many things out there that we don’t find until the conditions are right. 

I might never have noticed a single one of these but having the mulch pile attract a dozen or more certainly caught my attention. I love finding new insects in the yard.