No polite way to say it, a moth emerged from what appears to be, photographed below, a dried-out dog turd. I discovered the cocoon early June 2021 ago hanging under a bird bath I was cleaning. Curious, I collected it. There it was hanging in a mesh collection cage until a few weeks later…..
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When this fluffy moth, beige with chocolate markings appeared. The cocoon, now a dried out husk has no apparent breaks where the insect emerged.
The moth, surprisingly inactive, remained so until released in the evening. It did not fly away when I released it. Instead, it dropped out of site into a juniper bush. I tried to identify it without success.
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 
Fascinating to see.
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Thanks, Peggy
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I found a gray hairstreak sitting on a leaf of my Hawaiian schefflera yesterday morning. It stayed there without making a move for at least four hours. Eventually, it disappeared, and I assume it was a newly-emerged butterfly that was drying its wings. I’m going to search for an empty chrysalis this morning.
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Beautiful moth! I can’t find a picture of one like it to identify it either. Perfect description of the cocoon!
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Thanks for looking, Janet.
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It’s an European Gypsy Moth. You need to report it according to this: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests/the-threat/hp-egm/hp-egm
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Thank You, Hien. I viewed the link and noted Ithaca is well within the quarantine area for Gypsy Moths, so I’d not be telling them anything they did not already know. The site was helpful in giving detailed instructions for controlling the spread via search for and removing egg masses before moving. I have planned a follow-up post identifying the moth and our experience in 2022.
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Even the smallest of creatures share their unique brilliance.
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