March Moth Alsophila aescularia

Here's a moth with a dramatic gender divide: the female is completely wingless, crawling up tree trunks on freezing late-winter nights while the males do all the flying. She releases pheromones to attract mates who navigate cold darkness to find her — one of a small group of moths where females have lost their wings entirely as an energy-conserving adaptation.

This is one of the earliest moths on the wing each year, with males flying as early as February in temperatures that ground almost every other insect. Fruit growers know it well — the wingless females climb trees to lay eggs, and the caterpillars that hatch can cause serious damage to apple, cherry, and pear crops. An unassuming moth with a remarkable life story.