315. Friendly Probole or Red-cheeked Looper

The Friendly Probole is a  Geometrid moth found throughout much of North America.  The larvae is sometimes given the name Red-cheeked Looper.  A quick search on the Moth Photographers group site, or BugGuide will give you an idea how variable (and handsome) this species is.  Remarkably little appears to be known about such a widespread species.  Larval food plants are listed as Sourwood (a tree of the se USA) and Dogwoods, but given the range of the species, it must have a wider diet than the current literature indicates.  Most recently Probole moths in North America have all been lumped under one species (Probole amicaria), however not all moth experts agree and this highly variable species may be split into a number of species in the future.

Here the flight period appears to be June and July, and this photo was taken on the evening of 1 July on the wall of the house near a porch light.