American Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides) lives in deciduous forests across US and southern Canada.
Fascinating facts about the American Copper Underwing
- The caterpillars of the copper underwing are unmistakably green, marked with a white line that runs along the middle of the back and dotted with yellow spots. A distinctive hump crowns the eighth abdominal segment, giving the larvae a unique silhouette. While they feed, they browse the foliage of a wide range of broad-leaf trees and shrubs such as apple, maple and oak, taking advantage of the abundant spring growth.
- Adult copper underwings display strikingly dappled brown forewings that contrast with bright white hindwings edged by a bold black cross line and a wash of coppery orange. These colourful wings are visible when the moths are on the wing from July through October, though the exact timing shifts with local climate. Each year the species produces a single generation, so all adults emerge and mate within this summer-autumn window.
- In the spring the larvae are actively feeding and growing before they prepare for the next stage of their life cycle. When they are ready to pupate, each larva constructs a protective shelter by rolling a leaf around its body, creating a secure chamber for metamorphosis. This leaf-rolling behaviour both hides the pupa from predators and provides a stable micro-environment for development.
- Newly emerged copper underwing moths often gather in groups beneath bark or similar sheltered sites during the middle of summer. This behaviour coincides with the period when adults are on the wing, which runs from July through October and varies with local climate. Because the species produces only one generation each year, all the fresh adults appear at roughly the same time, leading to these conspicuous mid-summer aggregations.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeUS and southern Canada
HabitatDeciduous forests
DietDeciduous tree leaves
About the American Copper Underwing
As the moon casts its silvery glow upon the forest floor, the American Copper Underwing stirs, its delicate wings unfolding like a whispered promise. With a gentle flutter, this nocturnal nomad takes to the night air, its mottled brown and grey plumage blending seamlessly into the shadows as it dances towards the sweet, heady scent of blooming flowers. In this fleeting, crepuscular world, the American Copper Underwing reigns supreme, a master of subtle beauty and stealthy, whisper-quiet flight.
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