A Grapevine Epimenis (Psychomorpha epimenis), a mighty colorful creature, but it is a moth and not a butterfly. A small one too, with a wingspan of just 3/4 to 1 inch. Another thing that might trip you up in identifying this as a moth, the Grapevine Epimenis enjoys puddling, which is a behavior that usually is done by butterflies.

And I’m showing you this moth right now because they’ll be out and about before you know it, adults flying around. This particular photo was taken on March 7th, a few years ago.

Their caterpillar food source is the leaves of native grapevines, and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), which is in the grape family. Adults eat nectar from flowers.

An early spring moth to enjoy!

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