Observation date: May 29, 2016
Submitted by: abixby
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: I am sure this was a butterfly and not a moth. I observed it fluttering and it had every appearance of a butterfly. But when it landed on the window it held its wings outspread as seen in the photo. It was about 1 1/2 to 2 times the size of a quarter. It was either black or dark blue, with 4 white spots, two on each side. Unfortunately it only landed on the window for a few seconds, as I sat on the other side of this window, and my phone camera was unable to focus in time so the photo is not great. It flew away right after. Still I am submitting this because I have never seen a butterfly like this around here. Today, weather wise, it has been unstable. Temps and humidity and wind have fluctuated widely with the passage of several t-storms. I hope that despite the poor quality of the photo you can still help me. Seeing this land on my window caught my attention so strongly because I have never seen anything like this. The best match I can make online is an Eggfly Butterfly but those seem to be only in Australia.
Status: Resident
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 29, 2016
Coordinator notes: This is a moth, for sure. I am not a moth expert, but I am pretty sure that this is an Eight-spotted Forester, nothing else is close in appearance. Ross Layberry
