RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia is home to many beautiful butterflies and moths, with a variety of these insects observed in the state considered rare by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Many rare butterflies and moths have been recorded in Virginia. 8News has compiled a list of unique butterflies and moths that have been found in the state.

Rare butterflies found in Virginia

1. Pink-edged Sulphur ( Colias interior Scudder)

The Pink-edged Sulphur is mainly a northern species with an isolated population in the Virginia and West Virginia highlands. The butterfly has been observed in Highland and Giles counties in Virginia.

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Pink-edged Sulphur is most commonly found in fields and roadsides, but also in other open habitats, where weedy nectar is abundant.

The butterflies nectar at a large number of flowers, but seem to avoid white flowers, and also visit moist earth to intake moisture. The caterpillars feed on plants in the genus Vaccinium , or blueberry, and other members of the heath family, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

2. Goatweed Leafwing ( Anaea andria Scudder)

Populations of the Goatweed Leafwing are likely restricted to areas where its hostplant occurs. There was a recorded sighting in Radford, but it is unlikely to be a reproducing population there.

After 1990, observations of this butterfly were found in Lee County, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The Goatweed Leafwing prefers dry, open forests and scrub areas, but may also be found in disturbed open areas. This species uses various Croton plant species depending on where it is located, with Croton monathogynus , or goatweed, most likely its hostplant in Virginia.

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, male Goatweed Leafwings will fight territorial battles. They have a very fast flight and make a hollow clicking noise while flying.

These butterflies are attracted to sap, dung and rotting material and do not visit flowers to take nectar.

3. Northern Crescent ( Phyciodes cocyta )

The Northern Crescent favors barrens habitats in the Appalachians, but is also associated with water such as streams. It is more woodland-based than similar species, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The butterflies host on various aster species of plants, and visit flowers for nectar and to intake moisture from damp earth.

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Northern Crescent has been found in Bath, Augusta, Craig and Frederick counties, with the butterfly observed in the latter three counties after 1990.

4. King’s Hairstreak ( Satyrium kingi )

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the King’s Hairstreak has been found most recently in the southern Tidewater area of Virginia, and was recorded in Isle of Wight, the City of Chesapeake and the City of Virginia Beach after 1990.

The females lay eggs on the ends of Sweetleaf twigs because the caterpillars will only consume the leaves. The adults are known to feed on the nectar of Sourwood trees, various heaths and other small, fragrant white flowers.

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, part of the conservation concern with this species surrounds the limited availability of its host plant, the Sweetleaf, as this plant can only live in the well-developed understory of stream-side forests.

Rare moths found in Virginia

1. Pink-streak moth ( Dargida rubripennis )

The Pink-streak Moth ranges from Massachusetts to Florida and west to Minnesota and Arizona, however it has been previously observed in the counties of Arlington and Amherst in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Its habitat appears to be in prairielands and grassy wetlands, with their food plant being grasses.

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, like most Noctuids, this moth is nocturnal and some pupae may remain in diapauses, or a period of suspended development, for an extra year.

2. Owl-eyed Bird Dropping Moth ( Cerma cora Hubner)

The Owl-eyed Bird Dropping Moth has been documented in Augusta County and the City of Virginia Beach, with the moth to have been observed in Augusta County after 1990.

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the moth’s habitat varies regionally, and many sites reflect uncommon communities such as pine barrens, bluff and ravine forests, as well as riparian swamps.

Hawthorns may be the only potential food plant in this part of its range, however, plums, crabapples or other small trees and shrubs in the Rosaceae, or rose family, may be used.

As caterpillars, they excavate a cell in soft dead wood and spin a cocoon where the pupae overwinter, or keep in place during the winter. Adults will come to mercury vapor lamps and blacklights, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

3. Hebard’s Noctuid moth ( Psectrotarsia hebardi )

Hebard’s Noctuid Moth can be found in western Virginia, with the moth observed in Bath County before 1950. According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, its habitat is rich deciduous woodforest, with abundant flowering food plants growing in the understory.

Its food plants include flowers and developing seeds of Stoneroot. Older larvae may rest in the litter or soil and ascend the plants at night to feed. According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, pupae spend most of the year underground.

4. Broad-lined Erastria moth ( Erastria coloraria )

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Broad-lined Erastria moth has been observed in Giles, Henry, Montgomery and Augusta counties of Virginia. The moth was recorded in Augusta County after 1990.

The Broad-lined Erastria moth’s habitat includes non-coastal pine barrens, glades, former oak savannas and grassy openings in old quarries. Its food plant is New Jersey tea, and possibly clover and Rubus species, which includes blackberries and raspberries.

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