On a recent walk through the woods, we saw what appeared to be a leaf crawling across another leaf. What is this?
Answer
This is a maple looper moth (Parallelia bistriatis). This species is common in northeastern forests, although the moth often goes unnoticed because of its remarkably good camouflage. Despite its name, the maple looper’s caterpillar has a variety of tree hosts in addition to maples, including birch trees.
This week’s contest winner was David Ackerman