Often mistaken for a beetle, an Ailanthus Webworm Moth nectaring at a Bull Thistle provides a little splash of color among the surrounding dried grasses and wildflowers gone to seed. The boldly contrasting patterning and colors are thought to be aposematic, a warning that the moth is distasteful or toxic.
The Ailanthus Webworm Moth has a wingspan of from 20 mm to 30 mm, and as its name implies the larvae feed on the leaves of Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima).
