Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa
(c) Céline, some rights reserved (CC BY)
OrderButterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera)
FamilyCutworm Moths and Allies (Noctuidae)
GenusXestia (Xestia)
Talk about wanderlust! This moth has conquered an enormous range spanning Europe, North Africa, and all the way across the Palearctic to North America. That's not just continental—that's intercontinental success. The name "square-spot rustic" hints at the distinctive squared-off patches on its rusty-brown wings.
To pull off this kind of range, a moth has to be seriously adaptable, thriving in whatever deciduous forests and grasslands it encounters from the Mediterranean to Arctic regions.
Think you can identify this one in the wild?
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