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    This isn’t a mosquito; it’s a White Plume Moth, and it looks like a tiny, snowy angel

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    21 Comments

    1. SerafinZufferey on

      I stumbled upon this little guest on my clothes today and had to take a closer look, so I got into a rabbit hole. At first glance, you might mistake it for a weirdly fragile mosquito, but it is actually a White Plume Moth (Pterophorus pentadactyla).

      DISCLAIMER: I did not Take the photos, since it landed on my underwear and flew away before I could take a foto!

      What makes these creatures so fascinating to me is their strange architecture. Instead of the broad, flat wings we’re used to seeing on moths, their wings are split into several feather-like segments. When they are at rest, they fold these ‘fingers’ together so perfectly that they look like a simple, dry blade of grass or a twig.

      They are strictly nocturnal, and they spend their days hiding in the foliage of bindweed plants. Because they are so incredibly light and fragile, they don’t really ‘fly’ in the traditional sense; they seem to drift through the night air like ghosts or falling feathers. Hence close relatives of this moths are called “Federgeistchen” in German, which simply means “little featherghosts”!

      It’s genuinely surreal to see something so delicate in person; it really does look like a tiny, living piece of art.

    8. Buck_Thorn on

      I would not have thought for one second that it was a mosquito, if you hadn’t mentioned it. I guess our Minnesota mosquitos must be a bit different than yours.

      But… what I did NOT know is that those things are moths.

    11. Serious_Shopping_262 on

      Are you sure it isn’t a mosquito? Because it’s moth like wings and body really make me think it is

    17. MoonlitCereza on

      im ready to get downvoted to hell, I hate the smug comments saying ”Heh, you obviously havent seen a mosquito” cause I get what you mean, it’s body is skinny and they’re long legged and thin

      their butt or whatever thats called looks mosquito adjacent

      ”have you ever seen a-” no james, in my entire life i probably never seen a mosquito

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