Helicoverpa zea – corn earworm moth – enjoying a sip from a rabbitbrush flower (Chrysothamnus sp.), Walden Ponds, Boulder, Colorado, October, 2022. I saw a zillion of these rather undistinguished looking creatures fluttering all over the rabbitbrush, so naturally I photographed some. They seem to be far more common in the eastern part of the United States, but there is an interesting concentration in Colorado between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs, according to Butterflies and Moths of North America, presumably because that is where all the people live. Something like 70 years ago, I learned that moths had furry antennas and butterflies had smooth antennas, so I first thought, against all odds, that these were butterflies (is the "furry" simply microscopic?). Fortunately, the Library of Congress asks (and answers), How can you tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth? which notes several distinguishing features, not just one.
