{"id":1222,"date":"2014-07-18T21:01:58","date_gmt":"2014-07-18T21:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1222"},"modified":"2014-07-19T12:07:01","modified_gmt":"2014-07-19T12:07:01","slug":"national-moth-week-why-what-good-are-moths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1222","title":{"rendered":"National Moth Week: Why? What Good are Moths?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Barb Elliot<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Moths, really? Yes, we\u2019ll celebrate moths this coming week, July 19 \u2013 27. During National Moth Week public and private moth-watching events will occur. Mothing, the practice of attracting, viewing, and photographing moths is growing immensely in popularity. But some are puzzled and ask, \u201cWhat good are moths?\u201d Butterflies are great, but moths are nasty. \u00a0After all, moth caterpillars eat tomato plants, make holes in wool clothes, eat flour and cereal in our kitchens, and can be agricultural pests. This is all true, but harmful moths are but a small fraction of moth species. Most are actually very important and beneficial to the environment.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Cecropia Moth. \u00a0Creative Commons photo. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

In fact, moths are closely related to our much-loved butterflies. Both are in the scientific order Lepidoptera, meaning \u201cscaly wings\u201d. All butterflies and moths have four wings covered with colored scales. Both groups go through four life stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis\/cocoon), and adult (butterfly\/moth). Adult butterflies and moths also have a proboscis \u2013 a thin, straw-like tube for sipping nectar. However, all butterflies fly during the day, but most moths fly at night. \u00a0The tips of butterfly antennae are club-like, while moth antennae are<\/p>\n

\"Butterflies<\/a>

Butterflies antennae tips are club-like. Photo from National Moth Week. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Moth<\/a>

Moth antennae come in three forms. Photo from National Moth Week. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

more varied in structure. . Some moths have hairy-looking elongated scales on their bodies. These may provide greater protection from the environment and help them maintain their temperature \u2013 useful on cool nights.<\/p>\n

But what good are moths? \u00a0Widespread and numerous\u00a0(nearly 13,000 species in the U.S. vs. just 1,000 butterfly species) they play key roles in ecosystems. As pollinators of night-blooming plants, they are very important.\u00a0 Unlike bees, moths do not eat or gather pollen.\u00a0 However, their hairy bodies collect and spread pollen as they move from plant to plant.<\/p>\n

\"Dark-banded<\/a>

Dark-banded Owlet moth sipping nectar from Common Milkweed in Barb’s yard. Photo \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Many plants depend on this nocturnal pollination to maximize seed production.\u00a0 A few cannot reproduce at all without moth pollination.\u00a0 The proboscis of some moths can be many inches long, enabling the moth to reach nectar at the end of elongated flower\u00a0tubes that are too long for bees.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moths, both adults and caterpillars, are key food sources for many animals. Other insects, spiders, birds, bats, frogs, toads, lizards, rodents, foxes, and even bears consume moths. As indicators of biodiversity and the health of our environment, they function as \u201ccanaries in the coalmine.\u201d Almost all moth caterpillars require specific plants as food.\u00a0 Less diversity in native plants means less food for moth caterpillars and therefore, fewer species and numbers of moths. The result — less food to power the web of life.<\/p>\n

\"Luna<\/a>

Luna Moth. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Many moths are beautiful, like the lovely Luna Moth.\u00a0 Less impressive moths are often \u00a0masters of mimicry or camouflage.\u00a0 Some mimic scary-looking animals such as snakes. Others, such as the Io Moth, have huge \u201ceyes\u201d to startle predators. \u00a0Some look like bark, dead leaves, lichens, or even bird droppings– making it almost impossible to spot them.<\/p>\n

\"IO<\/a>

IO Moth revealing its”eyes” for startling predators. \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Copper<\/a>

Copper Underwing Moth camouflaged on tree bark. \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

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I find moths to be downright interesting creatures.\u00a0 For instance, the beautiful and large adults of the Giant Silk Moth family have captivating life histories. These moths, such as the Luna, Tulip-tree, Cecropia, or Polyphemus, live for only a week or two — just long enough to attract or search out mates and for females to lay eggs. \u00a0With reduced mouthparts, these moths are unable to eat.\u00a0 Females emit chemical scents called\u00a0pheromones to attract males.\u00a0 Males in this family have large, feathery antennae to detect\u00a0pheromones from as far as seven miles away. They want to make a beeline to the female!<\/p>\n

Moths come in a variety of shapes and sizes.\u00a0 Some are as tiny as the tip of a pencil.\u00a0 The Cecropia Moth (shown above), our largest moth, has a 6\u201d wingspan. \u00a0Some rest with their wings flat. Many hold them vertically like some butterflies. Others fold them like tents over their bodies.<\/p>\n

\"Yellow-collared<\/a>

Yellow-collared Slug Moth with its abdomen curled up. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

A few curl their abdomens up above their wings, an odd posture that is likely part of their mimicry or camouflage.\u00a0 Sphinx or Hawk moths display outstanding flight dynamics. They can fly very quickly, hover, and move rapidly from side-to-side.\u00a0 In fact, the flight aerodynamics of some Micro-aerial Vehicles\u2019 (MAVs) are being designed by the military to emulate Sphinx moth flight.<\/p>\n

Both Edie, my Backyards for Nature<\/em> colleague, and I now consider ourselves to be \u201cmoth-ers\u201d.\u00a0 We frequently have \u201cmoth nights\u201d in our yards. We attract the moths by shining special lights onto a white sheet, a place where they can land. By painting fermented bait onto tree trunk, we can attract moths that don\u2019t come to lights. We follow Moths<\/em> of the Eastern United States<\/em> on Facebook<\/a> and note what moths are being seen by other enthusiasts.\u00a0 In June, Edie and I attended Mothapalooza, a weekend moth conference in Ohio.\u00a0 With 150 participants, it sold out within two weeks of being announced \u2013 a testament to the burgeoning popularity of mothing. We visited five mothing stations that hosted thousands of moths.\u00a0 We were up until the wee hours, but had great fun.<\/p>\n

Try mothing yourself.\u00a0 At first keep it simple. Leave your porch light on for the evening. Go out periodically to see what moths have flown in. \u00a0With a flashlight, look for moths nectaring on your flowers.\u00a0 Fragrant, white, and pink flowers are particularly alluring.\u00a0 Look closely,<\/p>\n

\"Ultronia<\/a>

Ultronia Underwing sipping juices from rotting fruit. \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

and you\u2019ll see each moth using its proboscis to suck up nectar.\u00a0 Or, put out a plate of rotting fruit and check for moths that stop by for a sugary drink.<\/p>\n

Invite family and friends for a moth night in your yard.\u00a0 See Edie\u2019s Moth Night<\/a> \u00a0blog post from last year for moth night ideas, a bait recipe, and host plants for moth caterpillars.\u00a0 Check the National Moth Week website<\/a> for public events in your area and tips on finding moths.\u00a0 All across the United States and in many countries of the world, moth-ers will be celebrating moths.<\/p>\n

Moths are good! \u00a0They play key roles in the web of life. \u00a0Plus, they are fascinating creatures.\u00a0 These gems are outside your door at night.\u00a0 Try mothing, but I warn you that it can become addictive.\u00a0 Like a treasure hunt, you never know what may fly in.\u00a0 Become a moth-er and … welcome to the dark side!<\/p>\n

Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beadle, David & Leckie, Seabrooke.\u00a0 Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America.\u00a0 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.<\/em><\/p>\n

Himmelman, John. \u00a0Discovering Moths: \u00a0Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard. \u00a0Down East Books, 2002.<\/p>\n

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By Barb Elliot Moths, really? Yes, we\u2019ll celebrate moths this coming week, July 19 \u2013 27. During National Moth Week public and private moth-watching events will occur. Mothing, the practice of attracting, viewing, and photographing moths is growing immensely in … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[38,88,92,42,90,91,94,89,87,93],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1222"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1257,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222\/revisions\/1257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}