Moth (?) ID question

[lordgares]

Is anyone versed on the insects around Mount Hood? On Tuesday I was walking to Gordon Butte on 2711-120. I ended up turning around at about 4100ft due to rain/snow. On my way back down there were these giant fuzzy moth like insects that were slowly flying around the road. They weren’t there on the way up so I’m guessing the rain stirred them up. I was unable to get a picture of them.

Googling “large fuzzy moth late October Mount Hood” is unsurprisingly less than helpful.

[adamschneider]

How big is "giant"? What color? No photos?

[Webfoot]

Googling “large fuzzy moth late October Mount Hood” is unsurprisingly less than helpful.

Try this list instead?

https://www.inaturalist.org/observation ... xa=Insecta

[lordgares]

Sorry, no pictures. I ended up stowing my phone somewhere it couldn't get wet when it started raining and snowing. It's body looked fuzzy, probably 1-2 inches long, wings about 2-3 inches. Overall color was shades of brown. I didn't notice them on the way up but when I was coming back down in the rain they seemed to be all over.

I'm looking at the pictures from the link to see if I can see anything that looks similar.

[bobcat]

One possible candidate is the pandora moth, which has big irruptions. It seems a little late in the year for the adults, though.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 47800.pdf

[Aimless]

"Hosts—Lodgepole and ponderosa pines."

This would tend to limit their habitat around Mt. Hood.

[bobcat]

Right - but Gordon Butte, far east side of the national forest: lots of ponderosas there.

[BigBear]

Google sphinx moth.