They're baack!

This moth may be an orange sallow moth or it might be a bordered sallow moth or it might be something else. At least the folded wing pattern looks like the sallow family of moths. The real reason I’m posting the photo today is not to give readers a moth lesson. It’s more to announce that this moth is the first one I’ve seen since winter began.

Update:  It's a mustard sallow moth.  At least I had the sallow part right.

The temperature here was well above normal yesterday and will be again today. Overnight, the temperature remained in the mid-40’s, and that was enough to bring out the first moth of the new season and also for the spring peepers to begin their joyous chorus for the new season down at the pond at the bottom of the mountain. I heard a few Canada geese, too, either local ones or those separated from a large migrating flock.

This warm weather will disappear by tomorrow and drop 20 degrees back into the range that is normal for this time of year. So it’s possible the peepers and the moths will go back into hiding again. Like spring itself, the animals arrive in fits and starts, two steps forward, one step back.