This moth appeared on the wall beside my desk. It was tiny, a little over 1/4 inch across. I ignored it at first, but then I decided I should at least have a look with a magnifying glass. Some of these tiny moths can be quite pretty when you see them up close. It turned out to be a plumed moth, which is unusual, so I got out the camera and macro lens. iNaturalist identified it as a Montana six-plume moth. At least it wasn't yet another invasive species for a change.
Unlike most moths and butterflies, the wings aren't a "sheet", they're more like feathers. There are only a few species in North America. The caterpillars feed on snowberry bushes, which are quite common around here. The moths overwinter as adults, and the warm weather probably fooled it into emerging. When I came back from supper it had disappeared.
I photographed another plume moth a few months ago but it had its wings folded up so you couldn't see the structure.
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