Orange-spotted flower moth, photographed at the DuPuis Wildlife and Environmental Area, Indiantown, Martin County, in September 2015.
We tend to think of moths as those dull brown bugs fluttering about a porch or security light at night. The orange-spotted flower moth, Syngamia florella, is not that.
For one, it’s diurnal, meaning that for the most part it goes about its business during the day. For another, it actually has eyecatching good looks, with its mix of oranges, reds and browns, and even a touch of blue.
It’s also on the small side, with a wingspan of 1.5 to 1.9 centimeters, less than an inch across, and a bit shy in habit, tending to settle on the undersides of foliage.
The natural range of the orange-spotted flower moth extends throughout the Southeast along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains as far north as the Carolinas and as far west as Texas.
It’s also found in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America as far south as Uraguay and Argentina. Orange-spotted flower moths also are found in the Galapagos, perhaps as an introduced species there.
The orange-spotted flower moth has dark brown wings with three prominent orange bands on each of the forewings, orange bands on the hind wings, a yellow head, a dark brown stripe down the back of the thorax, a red abdomen that has blue spots, which are not apparent in our photographs.
Its choice of host plants for its offspring include low-lying members of the coffee family, Rubiaceae, particularly members of the genus Spermacoce, aka buttonweeds. The larvae, or caterpillars, are green with brown pigments.
Adults feed on a variety of flowers, including Spanish needles as seen in the photo on this page.
They are fast flyers, and despite their daytime habits, can be found near lights at night. The second photo on this page was taken at night on the ceiling of my back porch.
The orange-spotted flower moth is active throughout the year in Florida. In other places, it’s active June through December. In Florida, it’s most abundant in the fall and least abundant in spring.
Another name for the orange-spotted flower moth: red-waisted florella moth. It is a member of Crambidae, a large family of so-called grass moths.
DuPuis Wildlife and Environmental Area