When you closely at flowers, you discover all kinds of cool insects, like this Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva aurea) that I spotted yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. My eyes were drawn to the colorful pattern on the body of this insect, which I initially assumed was some kind of beetle. Because of the distinctiveness of the pattern, it was not hard to identify it after a Google search, but I was a bit surprised to learn that it is a moth, not a beetle.
I thought that this was my first time spotting this moth, but a search of my blog shows that I saw one in 2016 and did a posting entitled Not a Beetle. Although my memory may not be perfect, apparently my reaction was almost identical both times.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Amazing pattern!
We have them all over the milkweed in our side yard. Great shot!
That is really cool to hear. Whenever I see something that is fairly new to me, I incorrectly assume that it must be rare and unusual. On multiple occasions I have learned that geography and habitats play a huge role in the presence of species–what is rare in one place may well be common in another.
Wonderful, Mike!
Love the colors!
Smart looking moth.
That’s a beauty! Like stained glass.