Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, is one of the largest family of butterflies (Lepidoptera) with about 1,100 genera and 12,000 species. Because most of them are on the move at night and at dusk, they belong to the group of moths. With wingspans of up to 60 mm in Central Europe, they are medium sized here. Their wing color is often very subtle in brownish, grayish, or yellowish shades and provided with delicate drawings, which are reminiscent of tree bark, for example. This ‘camouflage pattern’ offers the moths, which settle on tree bark, walls, posts and stones, great protection from natural enemies during the day.
During a recent photo walk through the nature reserve ‘IBA Parc des Carrières‘, located in France between Basel, Allschwil, Hégenheim and Saint-Louis, I stumbled into an inconspicuous-looking owlet moths and photographed it from different angles and sides. At home, when I inspected them at my computer monitor, I realized that I had an encounter with a mysterious being with the face of an alien.
See for yourself. I will show two photos today and two tomorrow. Enjoy!