Moths in a human suit

A collection of moths badly cosplaying a human interdisciplinary artist and illustrator. Medsci escapee. Always drawing. Made of pencils, lichen, and chronic pain (also moths.) Here for bugs, botany, moths, video games, and video game botany. Spoonie🥄enby (they/them) * My store

[lycomorpha]

Links

My store

Linktree (incl workshop ticket links)

Video game botany posts index

Also a smol reminder: I'm neither from nor living in the USA. Most of the moths/plants I post are from the UK - so pls don't yell @ me if something's a problematic 'pest' species specifically in the US. I don't live there. TY 💚🦋🌿

[emmbeaart]

first in a series of #horizonzerodawn inspired pieces! i've had this image stuck in my head for years so its nice to finally paint it :) 🌿

[mothmonarch]

The much-requested return of the spider bandanas is HAPPENING, so IT'S TIME FOR PREORDERS! Estimated to ship mid-July!!

👉 shop.mothmonar.ch 🕷🕸 Moon Meditations is restocking & available for preorder, too!! Come get bugs (and adjacent crawlies)!

[lycomorpha]

When people do big eyes, why is it called puppy-dog eyes and not adorable-hawkmoth eyes?

Moths have the best big round eyes, I will not be taking questions. 💖🦋

Happy holidays from the Moth Promotional Board 🦋✨

[eyed-hawkmoth]

lesser swallow prominent (pheosia gnoma)

[lycomorpha]

Muslin moth

Angle shades

Brindled beauty

Moth season is heeeeeere, the weather calmed down enough for me to put up the shelter and light trap. Look at these glorious flying kittens!! I will be insufferable about moths for the next 6 moths!

Moth trapping is a non-lethal not-injurous way to meet, count, record, & release your local moth friends. No moths were hurt in the making of this post. 🦋🐾💖

[lycomorpha]

Super-fluffy brindled beauty moth from my first moth trap of the year! Finally the winds died down enough to put the shelter up and get the moth trap on.

Moth trapping is a non-lethal, friendly way to meet, record, and release your local moth pals. Here's some info if you'd like to know more...

This is my moth trap. It's a Skinner trap with actinic bulb, came as a flat pack kit from AngLeps, & was the best birthday gift EVER! Link: https://www.angleps.com/shop-all/moth-traps

The trap is basically a big box filled with cardboard egg trays. Those 2 transparent top flaps form a kinda chute & there's a UV bulb suspended above the box.

Moths are caught by the light (explanation at the links below) & hang out flying for while.

The moths drop down the chute into the box when they're done, say 'fuck this, I'm knackered' & go to sleep in the egg trays.

In the morning some asshat (me) wakes them up before it's even dark again (sorry moths) to count, record, & release them - away from the trap & any waiting hungry birds! Because hoo boy, birds work out where the trap and its tasty moth residents are and they loiter. Gotta let the moths out in different places, or put the trays back in the trap and release the moths at dusk.

I only put the trap on alternate nights. That's because when moths are in the trap, they're not doing other super-important things like:

- Pollinating ur plants

- Travelling to meet other moths

- Making baby moths

So I don't want to trap the same moths repeatedly, & try to give them a break.

Moth trapping does mean getting up early.You need to check the trap while the moths are still cold and sleepy in their trays. Otherwise they flap off before you can count and record them. They warm up fast!

More cute moth pics after...

Useful links

An article about how moths fly perpendicular to light and get caught by it, rather than flying towards it or being attracted to it. Full disclosure: I illustrated it, and it was my favourite commission ever: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-insects-are-lured-to-lights-in-the-night/

Article explaining the research about how moths fly around artificial lights: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/251217/flying-insects-become-disorientated-trapped-artificial/

My zine about moths being captured by light, from a mothy point of view: https://lycomorpha.etsy.com/uk/listing/4369930997/more-messages-from-the-moth-promotional

[lycomorpha]

Inside you are 2 hawkmoths...

The first is like "oh so u think all moths are dull and brown, eh?"

The second is all "why TF do you think brown = dull anyway, hmm?"

~

Small elephant hawkmoth and pine hawkmoth visitors to my moth trap. All moths were released unharmed (moth trapping is nice and non-lethal.)

If you enjoyed these moths, please consider not talking 💩 about moths, they're very good bugs. Moths are important pollinators (bees are the day shift, moths work nights.) Moths are an important part of food chains in many ecosystems. Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨

[lycomorpha]

Good morning friends - lime hawkmoth, this is not a drill, I repeat, lime hawkmoth!

It's InverteFest week and look at this chonky jet-plane-looking pal that dropped by the moth trap! Here it is in the classic tail-up "you woke me TF up when??" pose. Sorry little buddy. Wouldn't fly off, so we coaxed it on to a tree & I'm hanging around so that it doesn't get picked off by a bird (although it's reasonably well hidden, but I worry... I have coffee and mini-eggs though, so it's all good.)

Moth trapping is a way to record and release local insects, no moths are hurt and they all get released afterwards (I try to put them somewhere well hidden though because of hungry birbs.)

[cryptonature]

I was lying in the leaf litter today when some moss spoke to me. "Excuse me, do you know the species of this fallen log beneath me?" asked the moss. "Hmm. No. Sorry, I'm a little fuzzy on logs," I said. "What a coincidence," said the moss. "I'm a little fuzzy on logs too."

[lycomorpha]

Pink skullcap moth, a zine illustration pencil and watercolour.

The caterpillars eat skullcap & it's pink. Couldn't find a common name in English so I made one up. Which is basically how a lot of common names happen... 'Oh look it's a beetle that looks like a wasp, what's it called? Dunno? Well just call it a wasp beetle.' 🤷

At least it's better than calling it the confused/the old lady/flabbled rustic/southern buttworm moth etc. (Ok only the 1st 2 of those are real.) I don't know how the heck you end up with those. I blame taxonomists... (It may not be their fault, but the constant changes to moth taxonomy mean I'd like to blame them for something.)

[maezanilla]

[bg3 tav] Kisses for the cutest girl in the whole wide woooorld

[lycomorpha]

A quiet minute listening to the sea in case you need one.

[niqvassieart]

Little silkworms spinning. I have been looking after some for a friend who is raising peace-silk for a project, will meet them again as moths in a week or so!

[ellohcee]

Artober 1 - lantern

[lycomorpha]

Got another visit from the amazing twig-moth that is the pale prominent! 😁 So happy that they seem to be having a good year, gives me hope.

[lycomorpha]

Buff tip moth. Another species from yesterday's trap. It's the best broken twig mimic, A+ camo, also has adorably flat fluffy face. Perfect moth pal, no notes.