15 June 2002</p>

Greetings,</p>

My name is Leigh Hall, and I'm an artist living in East Boston.  I also
have an intense interest in our fellow creatures, particularly insects and
their relatives.</p>

I've recently been blessed with two sightings of a rather large moth in my
neighborhood.  I work with a digital camera (Nikon Coolpix 990), and have
been able to photograph these insects.  I've spent quite a bit of time
searching the WWW in an attempt to identify the species.  Among the other
resources I've discovered is the "Moths of North America" list maintained
by John Snyder at Furman University in Greenville, SC.
(<a href="http://www.furman.edu/~snyder/leplist/"
   >http://www.furman.edu/~snyder/leplist/</a>)</p>

I've attached a photo taken earlier today to this message.  The flash makes
for rather harsh lighting, but this picture shows the markings on the
forewings quite well. The creature is a good 3cm long, and is currently
inhabiting the stairwell of the house where I live.  The other one I've
seen was on the hood of a parked car about a block from here.  I believe it
might be a <i>Noctua pronuba</i> (Large Yellow Underwing). On the other
hand, I'm
not an entomologist, so I might be wrong.  I haven't been able to get a
look at the hind wings, and have no desire to kill the animal simply to
satisfy my curiosity. (I'll keep my eyes open in case the one in the house
succumbs to natural causes.)</p>

My reason for writing is that according to Prof. Snyder's list, there
haven't been any reported sightings of this species in Massachusetts.  Now,
I have no idea how accurate his list is, or even if I have the right "bug"
here, but if I do, and it's worth following up on, an expert opinion is
needed.</p>

If this is no big deal and you see these things all the time, just say so.
On the other hand, if someone in your group is interested, I hope to hear
from you.  I have a few more photos, and two sightings within a week make
me curious.</p>

Thanks for your time,<br />
Leigh</p>

<a href="Dorsal.jpg">
  <img src="Dorsal-thm.png" />
</a>

<hr />

19 June 2002</p>

The moth died.</p>

I discovered it while walking up the stairs just a little while ago.  I no
longer have any doubt about the species (the underwings are indeed yellow)
but I'm still curious about it.  I'm attaching another photo - feel free to
post it.  I've saved the little corpse in a glass jar.  It's been at least
thirty years since my butterfly collecting days, so I'm making no attempts
at relaxing or mounting.  If anyone is interested in the specimen, I'll be
happy to give it to them.</p>

Leigh</p>

</pre>

<a href="AlasPoorMothra.jpg">
  <img src="AlasPoorMothra-thm.png" />
</a>