Straight-toothed, morrison's, THREE-SPOTTED, AND VARIABLE sallow
Straight-toothed Sallow. This species has two forms: one with orange spots and another with white spots. The individual at left is the orange-spotted form.
Straight-toothed Sallow, feeding at a baited tree. Many early spring moths can be attracted with homemade moth bait. (Recipes vary, but fermented brown sugar mixed with rotting bananas usually does the trick.)
Morrison's Sallow. You can find this species from late fall through early spring (and on warm winter days). They hibernate through the winter and emerge with any slight warm up. My personal early date is February 7th.
This is the white-spotted form of the Straight-toothed Sallow.
I found this fresh Morrison's Sallow on October 15, 2017. He had a long winter of hibernation ahead of him.
This is a Three-spotted Sallow moth, feeding at a baited tree on February 20, 2018. This is my only sighting to date of this beautiful species.
Straight-toothed Sallow moths fly in autumn and early spring. They hibernate through the winter and sometimes become active on warm winter days. The individual at left was feeding on my moth bait in November 2020. I have also found this species as early as February 7th (in mild weather), and they are very common in March and early April.
Morrison's Sallow feeding at baited tree. This is the most common species at my moth bait.
Variable Sallow moth. I have found several individuals from February through early April.
Another Variable Sallow moth, feeding at a baited tree. Note the two small black dots on its thorax.
When Morrison's Sallows emerge from hibernation in February or March, they are very hungry, and they are eagerly searching for tree sap (or moth bait!).