This is the moth Judith spotted last Sunday. It is the white-striped black moth. Impatiens, in this case jewelweed, are the larvae’s preferred food. There is a whole facebook group that Judith admins on Wisconsin Butterfly and Moth Enthusiasts. The pictures and comments are great for learning our lepidoptera.

And while white-striped black moth is a bit boring yet accurate, it won’t have the problem of an offensive name. There is a movement among the birding community to rename birds named after those with questionable past views and actions. And one strategy is to make the name more appearance based – such as the change from the McCown’s longspur to the thick-billed longspur.

Finally, a story in the New York Times this week detailed the decline of the Red Knot.