National Moth Week is here, and I’ve spent more time than I’d care to admit watching and thinking about moths over the past five days. Trust me: you’ll be inundated with my moth mania here soon! Found this little guy on my front door a few nights ago though, and I had to share:
Moth fly
That is NOT actually a moth, but a moth fly. It’s hard to confirm without having one in hand, but there are only two little wings on these tiny insects which, in spite of fuzzy appearances, makes them flies and not moths. The larvae of these are often called drain flies and live in some pretty nasty habitats, but the adults are positively adorable! Who’s with me on this?! :)
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The Dragonfly Woman 
HAVE YOU READ MY NARRATIVE RE: FRIENDLY DAMSEL IN MY GREENHOUSE FROM A FEW WEEKS AGO ANXIOUSLY AWAITING YOUR EXPLANATORY REPLY, RICHARD
I can’t find your narrative anywhere! I don’t think it went through… Would have responded otherwise! Want to send it again?
Uh… not me this time. Around this time of year, I get them coming inside when I open my door at night. Not lots really but I hate them flitting about my face and they’re hard to swat at ’cause they’re so small. Yes, they definitely are moth flies too. Definitely preferably to mosquitoes though!
I’d definitely take a moth fly over a mosquito – any time! They might be kinda gross, but they’re harmless to people. Not so fun if you accidentally snort one up your nose though, I’ve gotta say!
So… your comment makes me think you’ve snorted bugs before! :D
Have you ever swallowed a fly? I did as a kid in the 5th grade – that’ll teach me to yawn without covering my mouth. I started gagging when I did and ran from the classroom to drink a gazillion gallons of water. (Not sure how it would’ve helped but I was pretty grossed out.). Got heck from the teacher until I told him why and then was told to learn to cover my mouth when I yawned.
Snorted, accidentally eaten, gotten them stuck in my eyes and ears… I seem to end up with a lot of bugs in the orifices of my head more often than a lot of people!
Often moths I come across are in mundane brown and grey colours, but there are some beautiful ones like the rare hummingbird moth in the UK. The moths attacking my oak saplings are no friend of mine though.
There are some FABULOUS moths in the world! But yes, some are pests too unfortunately. That seems to be the way it is with a lot of insects…
I never thought I’d think of a fly as “cute and fuzzy”, but this guy is. Though I have to confess I like bumble bees better.
Sue, if like bumblebees, you’d also enjoy beeflies. They’re a group within hoverflies. They’re called hoverflies because they’re often found hovering around flowers since many feed on flower nectar. The cutest that I’ve seen is the bee fly, Bombylius major (the greater bee fly). To me, they look like tiny golden pussy willows with wings and a long mouthpart (like a hummingbird). Please check it out and I think you’ll agree.
Bombylius flies are ADORABLE! I really love them. Thanks for pointing them out to everyone else, because they’re even cuter and fuzzier than the moth flies. :)
Thanks. They’re just about my favourite insect.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with liking bumblebees better! Really, you can’t go wrong with a bumblebee. :)
Clogmia albipunctata
Thanks for the ID!
I agree, adorable! Just want to skritch its fuzzy little head.
They really ought to make cute little fuzzy plushes out of some of the insects! This one would make an excellent one, as would several different moth species. I would SO buy one of them if someone made them!
Maybe there’s a market for the stuffed toy jumping spiders then? Seriously, I’ve been thinking of coming up with a pattern for them that looks both cute, yet relatively realistic. But other than making one for my 4 year old granddaughter (she’s no silly frilly little girl, thank goodness!), I never imagined anyone else would be interested.
I would bet the market is limited, but there among nature-loving folk! Would be fun to have one.
Thought. You might enjoy seeing this moth that was camoflouging on my front porch this am in Arkansas. How can I send it to you?
You can send it to this e mail address: dragonflywoman@outlook.com. Looking forward to seeing what you got!