#cycnia

[onenicebugperday]

Incredibly cute visitor on the outside of the glass door I thought you might enjoy. Located in Maryland!

I enjoy this fella deeply! Really nice looking Cycnia moth :)

[flighty-flycatcher]

📍 Location: Nags Head, North Carolina 🗓 Date: May 19, 2025 🐾 Media: Image 🌿 Species: Delicate Cycnia Moth (Cycnia tenera) 📝 Notes: Small, pale moth commonly found in meadows, old fields, wetlands, and woodland edges across eastern North America. Adults are soft white to cream-colored with subtle dark markings and a delicate, almost translucent appearance in flight.

Larvae feed primarily on dogbane and related plants, sometimes incorporating plant toxins as chemical defense. Adults are nocturnal and frequently attracted to lights during warm months.

🔗 iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/282403641

[foxglovesound]

Aphid Mauveworm of Oldstone Bluff

Name: Aphid Mauveworm Past Names: N/A Age: 13 months (1 year) Rank: Specialist Identity & Pronouns: Molly, she/her Orientation: Undisclosed

Family:

Webster Cottonworm || adoptive uncle, Oldstone Bluff resident

Cabbage Cottonworm || adoptive father, Oldstone Bluff caretaker

Nya Mauveworm || sister, Oldstone Bluff crafter

Residency: Botany Room

Accessories: A foliage necklace with a mushroom from United’s Circle woven into it, traditional for Oldstone Bluff specialists.

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Check out the dewy complexion on this Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera) ;-).

[calitraditionalism]

Prefix: Cycnia-

This type of moth is pretty cute...for a moth. It’s white with a yellow head and line along the wings. The males click to attract females and throw off bats coming after them. Its other name is the Dogbane Tiger Moth, which is a SUPER hardcore name. 

Locations: Mostly in fields and other open areas. 

Use: A pure white cat or a white cat with smaller golden patches. 

[calosoma-amitch]

Delicate cycnia (Cycnia tenera), Newark DE. August 2017.  Although lacking stripes or spots, this moth belongs to same family as tiger moths. Caterpillars feed on milkweeds and dogbanes, but feed on older, mature leaves as opposed to monarch caterpillars, who feed on younger, tender leaves. As moths, the males emit a “clicking” sound from their thorax for mating, but also in flight. These clicks actually “jam” the echolocation of bats, preventing predators from being able to effectively find the moths and make them into a fuzzy dinner. Two generations in the Mid-Atlantic, with adults in late spring into June and again in the fall.

[dendroica]

Delicate Cycnia, Cycnia tenera (by me)

[foxglovesound]

Cycnia of Oldstone Bluff

Name: Cycnia Past Names: N/A Age: 13 months (1 year) Rank: Seer  Identity & Pronouns: CIS molly, she/her Orientation: Undisclosed 

Family:

Webworm || adoptive uncle, Oldstone Bluff fellow 

Cabbageworm || adoptive father, Oldstone Bluff caretaker

Aphid || sister, Oldstone Bluff crafter

Residency: Seer’s Den

Accessories: Traditional seer’s moss collar with a mushroom from The Mushroom Circle tucked in