Moth Goggles

A series on moths and mothing from two Bay Area enthusiasts, Cat Chang and Allen Fish, from our Spring 2026 issue.

Part 1: Pilina—The Threads of Connection to All That’s Nearby
Part 2: Day-Flying Adult Moths in Spring
Part 3: From Hawks to Hawk-Moths
Part 4: Putting On Your Moth Goggles
Part 5: Tips for Moth-Lighting

Mariposa Forester (Alypia mariposa)

Host: Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata)
Adults: Fly April–May
Larvae: June

Best seen on Mount Diablo in mid-spring, when there usually are enough of them flying for you to get a great look. In June, the caterpillars are found feeding on their host, elegant clarkia, a member of the evening primrose family. You might run into me in Mitchell Canyon, stopping to enjoy how they fly from flower to flower. A relative, the mountain forester (Alypia ridingsii), flies in the Sierra Nevada and hosts on other members of the evening primrose family.

Caterpillar on elegant clarkia
Look for elegant clarkia in summer when it blooms in the woodland understory. Mariposa forester larvae eat the annual flower and other clarkias. Tony Iwane

The wing span of a mariposa forester measures about an inch, and the moth lives only in California’s Coast Ranges and foothills. Tony Iwane

Ocean Spray Fairy Moth (Adela septentrionella) 

Host: Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor)
Adults: Fly April–June
Larvae: Summer months

Fairy moths are some of my favorite creatures, with their extraordinarily long white antennae, often two to three times the length of their wings. The antennae remind me of handlebar mustaches. The adults are small, less than half an inch. Their wings are dark and iridescent, with interesting patterns of white dots or stripes. The males have fuzzy black scales at their heads; the females also have the fuzzy head scales but theirs are bright orange.

When mating, the males form dancing clouds over f lowers to attract females. The flowers of yarrow and ocean spray shrubs provide the perfect stage for these performances. There’s something quite comical- and awkward-looking about these tiny winged animals buzzing around, dipping with their long antennae waving. The females lay eggs on ocean spray, and the larvae eat the buds of its flowers.

The Bay Area has other Adela species, each with a specific host plant relationship. Some of these plants include gilia, owl’s clover, and creamcups, so keep an eye out for small moths with expressive antennae on these wildflowers!

Ocean spray
Ocean spray, or cream bush, blooms in a cascade of sweetly fragranced, whitish flowers in spring and summer. It’s no wonder this shade-preferring shrub is host to so many species of moths and butterflies, including fairy moths. Cat Chang
Heliothodes moth
The wing color of small Heliothodes can range from dark and light brown to a reddish purple. Tony Iwane

Small Heliothodes Moth (Heliothodes diminutiva) 

Host: Daisy family 
Adults: Fly April–June
Larvae: June–August

Usually found on daisy family members, especially tarweeds. I love looking across a bright patch of goldfields, seeing this small moth flit from flower to flower, its maroon wings flashing iridescence in the daylight. Its larva loves eating the flowers and can wipe out all of them on a host plant. An interesting experiment at UC Davis investigated the ability of tarweeds to entrap small insects via sticky tar production, encouraging predators to stop the caterpillars.

Moth caterpillar
Tony Iwane

Cat Chang is often found with her University of San Francisco architecture students learning how architects and urban designers can better support nature as we develop our cities. She loves to get out into our natural spaces to understand better what amazing relationships are happening between native species.