Police car moths have conspicuous color patterns and fly during the day
Wielding all of these defenses, these moths have little to fear from birds or bats and they ignore photographers with impunity
Triangular leaf senecio, Senecio triangularis, is common on the eastern slope of Cimarron Ridge in the San Juan Mountains, from 9,000 to over 10,000 feet. This year they grew to five feet tall, with abundant flowers and their display was greatly enhanced by numerous police car moths, Gnophaela vermiculata. At higher elevations the moths were also on pearly everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea, and orange sneezeweed, Helenium autumnal. I stood beside one senecio with 16 moths sipping nectar and noticed that the moths were not at all disturbed by a human within four feet.