2026 February 23
Val George writes: This morning, February 23, this moth, Phigalia plumogeraria, was on a window of the Nature House at Swan Lake. Jeremy Tatum writes: We know it is a male, because the female, like Operophtera and Erannis, has no functional wings. February is the usual month for seeing this moth, as well as Hydriomena nubilofasciata, also photographed by Val and shown on February 17.
Male Phigalia plumogeraria (Lep.: Geometridae) Val George
In 2025, we had sightings of butterflies in all months except January and December. This year, we had sightings of three butterfly species in January. This led Jeremy Tatum to speculate as to whether it might be possible to find butterflies in all twelve months of the year – we’d have to work hard in December. But… it is already February 23 and we haven’t yet heard of a butterfly this year in February – so the chance of twelve butterfly months is beginning to slip away.
Invert Sightings 