335. Orthosia mys

​This moth flies in October and November and is distinctively coloured from brick red to slightly pinkish -  similar to the colour of the bark of an Arbutus (Arbutus menziesii) (species 30).   In fact this larvae of this species feeds on Arbutus and Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos columbiana) on the island, and adds  A. patula and A. viscida to its diet further south in Washington,  Oregon, California and rarely, Arizona. This species was first described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1903 (for more on the unusual life and hobbies of H.G. Dyar see Dyar’s Looper Moth species number 333).
The smooth larvae of this moth is brick red and brown and blends in with the bark of Arbutus trees and Manzanita bushes.
Unlike most Orthosia moths this species flies in the fall, almost all the others in the genus are spring fliers.  Rarely Orthosia mys overwinters as an adult and is seen in the spring.  We could not find a common name for this attractive moth although many Orthosia moths have the common name of Quaker, so this could be called the Arbutus Quaker..