The Eight-Spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata) can be found from Florida north to Quebec and west to South Dakota and Texas.
This species has bright orange fuzzy patches on its legs. At first glace, these hairy socks give the impression of a bee laden with pollen. Eight-Spotted Forester moths are day fliers which means that mimicking the colors or appearance of a bee might help to keep predators at bay. If anyone knows of a good paper about this moth as a bee mimic, please drop me a line.
These adorable moths can be found hosting on Virginia Creeper and grape vine, both of which could be found in abundance in our Backwoods Forest Preserve. Larvae burrow in pulpy wood or other protective places to make their cocoons.
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