Eight-spotted Forester Moth

About the Eight-spotted Forester Moth

A striking day-flying moth, velvet black with eight bold pale spots - two per wing - and orange tufts on the legs, easily mistaken for a butterfly as it nectars in sunshine. Its caterpillars, banded in black, white and orange, feed on grape and Virginia creeper, and the moth's crisp pattern is thought to mimic distasteful species as a defense.