Moth encounter 1
A moth flew into our house through the sliding door this morning. We put a clear plastic tub over it, slid a stiff sheet of paper under, and took it outside.
Moths have wings outstretched at rest. At least that's what Stacey remembered from an informational thing about how to tell moths and butterflies apart. Moths are fuzzier than butterflies? Probably other ID things
Thankfully, the plastic tub had a rectangular inset right next to where the moth was resting, which was handy for figuring out its size.
I found some guidance for bug meansurements:
Insects- front of the head to the tip of the abdomen.
Exception: moths and butterflies are often measured from wingtip to wingtip with the wings fully open.
My measurements:
45mm size (wing tip to wing tip)
18mm length (front of the head to tip of the abdomen)
Identification process
- used google lens to look for similar images
- found two sources1 with similar looking images both identified as Triphosa haesitata
- read these sources to make sure that Triphosa haesitata makes sense
- within habitat range of reported sightings
- pictures look similar
- same size
- host plants in the area (Cascara, Garry's Oak, Oregon Grape)
- adults active at this time of year
Identification confidence 95%
why only 95% confident?
- I'm a hobbyist and haven't spent too much time staring at moths
- There seems to be alot of variability within Triphosa haesitata
- There are some look-alike species, such as Triphosa californiata and Coryphista meadii. I looked at both of these and I don't think they are as good a match, but not 100%
ID Info
(I'll update this if I turn out to be wrong)
Species: Triphosa haesitata
Location: Washington County, Oregon
Date: August 8, 2026
Size: 45mm (wing tip to wing tip), 18mm (body length)
Sources
- seems like a match to me 10000thingsofthepnw.com Triphosa haesitata
- lots of similar looking moths here: Species Triphosa haesitata - Tissue Moth - Hodges#7285