unknown on May 22, 2025

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

As I walked into the treed area of the trail I noticed tan moth like insects with wings folded, with a flash of bright crimson when they took flight. They were about 1/2 inch in length with wings folded. I have lived here since 1988 and not obseved such an insect before, and wondered if they could be lantern fly, but it did not have such intense spots. I did observe spotted lantern fly in the backyard of my son who lives in Cincinnati OH (Evanston neighborhood, 45207 zip code, his backyard borders Mt. Calvary cemetery on Hudson Ave), so the smaller size of this one gave me doubt, but I have been unable to find a moth via google search of moths in Oregon that otherwise matches the description above, with the bright red coloration when in flight. I hope I am mistaken. I regret I was unable to take a photo.

Commentary

Thank you for your report! There ARE native moths in Oregon with bright red on the hindwing. Without more description it would be hard to guess what you saw, but SLF is not adult until later in the summer, so you're probably right that it was not SLF. Thanks for being on the lookout!

Tom Valente
May 23, 2025, 3:46 a.m.