This Colorful Moth Might Just Be The World's Most Beautiful Insect. Prepare To Fall In Love!

People typically think of moths as pests and try to keep them from coming into their homes. Those people clearly have never met Dryocampa rubicunda, also called the rosy maple moth.

Adult rosy maple moths are extremely variable in color. Coloration in adults can range from unmarked white to bright yellow with dark pink maculation. The woolly body of rosy maple moths varies in color from bright yellow, to cream, to white. Their ventral side, legs, and antennae are usually rose pink. Upper wing color is also very variable; ranging from yellow to cream, to white with pink at the margins and bases of the wing. The amount of pink maculation on the wings ranges from dominant to nearly absent. Polymorphism does occur within different geographic regions. Unique to Missouri, subspecies alba is either all white or white with very faint pink maculation.