Observation date: June 05, 2014
Submitted by: steinenhoot
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: These moths have emerged in almost alarming numbers in my town. The moths are quite common every summer, but I have never seen this many in the 23 years I have been here. We received a bit more rain this spring than usual, but are now back to drought conditions. The moths are swarming into any available light source and are tucking away into all available hiding places during the day. You cannot open any kind of door, walk down wooden steps, or disturb any kind of flora without witnessing some kind of mass exodus. They are everywhere and I'm curious as to what could have caused such a spike in their numbers.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: June 06, 2014
Coordinator notes: E. auxiliaris larvae feed on a wide variety of plants and nearly all field crops including wheat, alfalfa, barley, potato, sugarbeets, other vegetables and grasses (Hein et al, undated). They have been found to prefer broad-leaved weeds over wheat in wheat fields (Peairs, 1999).
