This is a Yellow-Collared Scape Moth that has been preserved in my freezer since last summer. I keep them in a pill bottle with a mothball at the bottom and a bit of paper towel for it to rest on. I pulled it out to check on it and to stage it for a focus stacking session while I had it out.

Although the name suggests yellow, the collar of the Yellow-collared Scape Moth is actually more orange in color. The jet-black wings are opaque and may reflect shades of blue in sunlight which makes them look iridescent at times.

The adults feed on nectar from flowers like goldenrod, asters, milkweed, and blazing star and they are quite common in our area. They are busy feeders and they visit a variety of flowers in a single day making them great pollinators so they play an important part in the balance of nature. As caterpillars, they eat grass, sedge, rushes, and even lichens. The adults are active throughout the summer and into fall and I find them in fields and at the edges of woods which are my favorite areas to search for specimens when out with camera in hand.

Sippy....this is an incredible piece of work....the color and depth of the image is as good as it gets......Holy Moly !