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A large moth showed up at our outside light last night, not huge, but maybe 2.5 inches wingspan. As it was fluttering around the screen door, I saw a flash of orange and took a moment to investigate further. Its forewings are gray with black lines, and when it sits still, it looks like that's all there is to it...but then it will suddenly flash its hindwings which are BRIGHT pinky orange with a black stripe.
I can't imagine what the evolutionary advantage is to a moth to have hindwings that look like that. Both sexes are the same, so it isn't a showy-offy boy thing.
Looking it up in the moth and butterfly book revealed it as an Ilia Underwing, which is as lovely a name as can be imagined, and is vaguely hobbit-sounding, to boot.
There is somebody else's picture of one here
I can't imagine what the evolutionary advantage is to a moth to have hindwings that look like that. Both sexes are the same, so it isn't a showy-offy boy thing.
Looking it up in the moth and butterfly book revealed it as an Ilia Underwing, which is as lovely a name as can be imagined, and is vaguely hobbit-sounding, to boot.
There is somebody else's picture of one here