Enchoria lacteata

Enchoria lacteata is a common, small, day-flying moth restricted to Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Erika and I found many at Darlin Creek Preserve southwest of Olympia on 19 March 2020. This moth seems to lack an English name—Horse Shoe Curve Moth may be a reference to where one was found, rather than referring to the moth itself. At first the moths looks nondescript but we were amazed by its intricate wing pattern. The larva feed on various herbs, including Claytonia, the genus of the Siberian Springbeauty that I wrote about in my previous post and that was flowering at the preserve.