Box tree moth,
Cydalima perspectalis

Native to Asia, it has been invading Europe since the 2000s and increasingly the United States in recent years. It has no natural enemies in Europe and has already contributed to the loss of entire forest areas. The caterpillars are poisonous. In its homeland in Asia, the Asian hornet is a natural predator. Although the Asian hornet is also spreading more and more in Europe, this is also a problem, because the Asian hornet also hunts bees and the European bees are not as defensive as the Asian bees.

The appearance and disappearance of individual species can have far-reaching consequences not only for wildlife but also for human livelihoods.

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) enjoying the sun 🦋🌞

Normally they always fly away 😆

Small copper,
Lycaena phlaeas
(08/2020 in Oberursel, Germany)

A very common species.🦋
It inhabits all of the northern continents including North Africa.

This one here has been through quite a bit.🤕🧡

A quick drawing I did today. 🤗

Did you know about some moth,
that they get shelter by the sloth?
But also every butterfly,
is a welcome flutter-by!
(03/2019)

Sloth fur harbors a diverse ecosystem of insects and algae including some species which are exclusively found in sloth fur. They are living in symbiosis, each species benefits from the other. The sloth moth eats the algae, the algae lives from the moth feces. The algae supplements the sloth's nutrient-poor diet of leaves.