Best Finds In Your Garden or Directly Around Your Residence

[nilshelstrom]

At my light sheet back in 2013 I got a clearwing borer moth (Sesiidae) that I couldn’t identify so I posted it on BugGuide… turned out it was quite a rare species, Synanthedon richardsi, that had only been reported one time since it’s description in 1938. Dr. W.H. Taft, Jr., a sesiid expert, identified it and ultimately published my photos in the News of the Lepidopterists’ Society. Very exciting for an amateur moth enthusiast! A couple of others have turned up since (and some much better photos have been taken) but it’s still quite rare… my 15 minutes of entomological fame. And this was about 3 feet outside my back door! I put the photos on iNat, too, of course.