Rudbeckia hosts Beautiful but Weird Emerald Moth

My pollinator garden is a welcome place for not only butterflies, bees, and birds. I welcome all the winged creatures, including some that aren't so well-loved. Moths are probably my favorite insects as they are the underdog pollinators and they are often discouraged because some tend to eat important food crops. But I try to be welcoming to all and I do my best to not interfere. No pesticides of any kind, organic or not. 

The lovely Wavy-lined Emerald moths that use the Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) as a host plant have got to be the cutest caterpillars in my garden. Emerald moths are in the Geometridae family, a huge classification of inchworm moths. In fact, the name "Geometer" is Greek for "Earth Measure". They are the rulers of the world! 

This particular species is Synchlora aerata, the Wavy-lined Emerald. They take small pieces of the flower they live on and stuff them onto their bodies, wearing flower parts like a feather boa. They do this to camouflage themselves. They add on to this camouflage by mimicking the movement of a leaf blowing in the wind. They are truly adorable.