{"id":796,"date":"2013-08-17T01:16:13","date_gmt":"2013-08-17T01:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=796"},"modified":"2013-10-28T16:16:09","modified_gmt":"2013-10-28T16:16:09","slug":"moth-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=796","title":{"rendered":"Moth Night"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Edie Parnum<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Moths are underappreciated.\u00a0 Most people think they\u2019re dull and uninteresting.\u00a0 They ignore those nameless little moths that fly up while walking through the grass.\u00a0 Those moth pests in the kitchen cupboards are considered just that\u2014pests. True, most of us<\/p>\n

\"Hummingbird<\/a>

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe)- a day-flying moth. \u00a9 Barb Elliot Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

can be captivated by a large, daytime moth like a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth sipping nectar from flowers.\u00a0 However, because moths are usually nighttime creatures, most folks have little appreciation of their variety, esthetic appeal, and role in the web of life.\u00a0 As for myself, I confess to moth love.<\/p>\n

Moth Night is now an annual event in my backyard.\u00a0A few weeks ago, I invited nature-loving family members and friends for nighttime \u201cmothing\u201d.\u00a0 A few hours before sunset, I prepared for the occasion.\u00a0 Since a great many nocturnal moths are attracted to light, I hung two white cotton sheets and positioned lights in front of them.\u00a0 One light is a grow light and the other is a black light.\u00a0 Both of these attract moths because they project a wider range of UV light than standard incandescent or florescent light bulbs. Some moths do not come to lights. \u00a0Instead, I lured them to a fermented concoction (see recipe below) I painted on tree trunks.<\/p>\n

Once it was quite dark, we ventured out into the darkness. Using our flashlights or headlamps, we observed the moths attracted to the lighted sheets and tree trunks.\u00a0 By shining our lights back and forth in the garden, we found more moths hidden in the vegetation, especially on flowers. Sometimes their eyes reflected back to us.\u00a0 Big and small, ornate and plain, colorful and monochromatic\u2014they were there.<\/p>\n

\"Sad<\/a>

Sad Underwing. A 2″-long moth. \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

We often heard someone say, \u201cLook at this one!\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s what my friend Mike said when he found the Sad Underwing (Catocala maestosa)<\/i>.\u00a0 We were happy to see this intricately patterned two-inch species.\u00a0 I presume it\u2019s called \u201csad\u201d because the underwing<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Sweetheart – a 2″ long moth. \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

(hindwing) is plain.\u00a0 Another time Barb, my friend and colleague, discovered The Sweetheart (Catocala amatrix<\/i>), an Underwing that charmed us with its rosy-pink hindwing pattern. The uncommon Hop\u2019s Anglewing (Nyphonix segregata)<\/i> was a good find that night.<\/p>\n

\"Hops<\/a>

Hops Angleshade. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

We \u201cmoth-ers\u201d exclaim \u201cooh\u201d and \u201cah\u201d frequently because moths are varied and beautiful creatures.\u00a0\u00a0 They display a variety of colors including pink, purple, orange, green, and yellow.\u00a0 Some shimmer in the light or have iridescent spots. Those that are orange and black are toxic or pretending to be. True, many of them are just shades of tan and grey, but often the patterns are well-defined and elaborate. Others are camouflaged to look like dead leaves or bird droppings.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Becky,<\/a><\/dt>\n
Becky, a moth-er, looking at a Yellow-Banded Underwing (Catacola cerogama). @ Debbie Beer. Click to enlarge.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

The shapes can be interesting, too. We see wings that are deeply scalloped, creased, or curled.\u00a0 The Plume Moths with their skinny wings look like miniature airplanes. Moth antennae sometimes resemble feathers.\u00a0 Bizarre hairy tufts can show up almost anywhere on their bodies: the legs, thorax, or abdomen.<\/p>\n

By looking for the eye-shine of other creatures, we discovered bees, caterpillars, praying mantises, spiders, and cicadas.\u00a0 My nine-year-old grandson found and identified a Leopard Slug (a creature from the netherworld?) eating the bait on a tree trunk.\u00a0 We listened for night sounds, too, and heard the whinny of a screech owl and squeaks of flying squirrels.<\/p>\n

\"Leopard<\/a>

Leopard Slug. \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Many of us took photos and then later admired the details on our computer screens.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I try my hand at moth ID.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult.\u00a0 After all, 11, 000 species of moths in North America have been identified.\u00a0 Moths outnumber butterfly species 11 to one.<\/p>\n

After I\u2019ve identified a moth, I note its host plants.\u00a0 These are the plants where the moth lived its earlier stages as an egg and caterpillar and where the female adult moth will lay eggs for the next generation.\u00a0 Many of these host plants grow on my property (see below). Although I live in a congested suburban area, my \u00be-acre property has a good variety of the native perennials, grasses, and woody plants that moths use. And, I don\u2019t use pesticides. It is moth-friendly habitat.<\/p>\n

Why should we care about moths?\u00a0 Moths are important links in the web of life.\u00a0 The adult moths are good pollinators and are food for birds and bats.\u00a0 Birds, especially nestling birds, also feed on moths in their egg, larvae, or caterpillar stages. \u00a0\u00a0Small mammals, reptiles, and other insect predators consume moths in their various stages as well. In fact, insects power our ecosystem and are the most important animals of all.<\/p>\n

Moths have lured me into the nighttime natural world of my backyard.\u00a0 Now I feel more intimately connected to the lives of moths and other creatures that contribute to my property\u2019s biodiversity.\u00a0 I won\u2019t wait until next year to hold another Moth Night.\u00a0 I\u2019ve caught the moth bug.<\/p>\n

\"Harris's<\/a>

Harris’s Three-Spot (Harrisimimna trisignata). \u00a9 Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

——- For additional photographs of moths, see Moth Photo Gallery below\u00a0 —–<\/p>\n

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Edie\u2019s Bait Recipe<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n