Congratulations to our astute Tamarac Birder, N.H, and budding Lepidopterist on spotting a rare find of this Black Witch Moth, Ascalapha odorata, which is usually found only in Central American and Southern U.S. During the rainy season it starts to range north and has been found in some numbers in the central and coast parts of the U.S. some even curling up into western canada and making their way into Manitoba and some down into ND. The records I checked for Minnesota showed only about 4-5 sightings on record in the Minnesota river valley region and the Twin Cities. I encouraged her to notify the UM Entomology Department at insectsumsm@gmail.com about the sighting. It could be the farthest northern record of one in Minnesota being found in the Detroit Lakes area. Even though it was not at our beloved Tamarac, it is still a fun thing to hear about when it is so close nearby.
