There have been some members of the vast Animal Kingdom that
have responded much more favorably to the heat wave in recent
days than have people. Moths and butterflies have increased
dramatically in numbers, especially the moths. Monarch, eastern
tiger swallowtail, little wood satyr, question mark, viceroy and
black swallowtail butterflies are some of the species I’ve
observed at our place in recent days.
Compare the total number of different butterflies with the
species of moths on the wing now and the moths would win
"wings down." Moths make up around 80% of the order
lepidoptera, the scale-winged insects, with butterflies amounting
to the remaining 20%. Over one million moth species have been
described in the world, the largest phylum in the entire Animal
Kingdom.
Approximately 765 species of butterflies have been named in
the U.S. compared to over 14,000 moths. In fact a large number
of moths remain unidentified and named. It’s ironic that so many
stars that are light years away from our planet have been named,
but we still haven’t identified all moth species on our planet.
A brief look at this fascinating group of insects, the moths,
reveals many interesting facts. The world’s fastest flying
insect is one of the hawk moths, also referred to as the sphinx
moth because of its great speed and the manner in which the
caterpillars rear up and somewhat resemble the famous statue,
the Sphinx. The hawk moth that many gardeners know particularly
well in the larval stage, and frequently despise, is the tomato
hornworm that feasts on the foliage of tomatoes and potatoes.
The adult is called the five-spotted hawk moth.
The gorgeous cecropia moth is North America’s largest insect,
at least of the more common species. Its colorful larvae are up
to four inches in length. Fortunately the caterpillars are no
problem due to the great variety of host plants upon which they
feed. Included are apple trees, ashes, beeches, birches, elms,
maples, poplars, white oaks and willows.
Earlier this past spring I photographed a small exceedingly
hairy whitish moth clinging to one of the front windows. Even
the antennae of this little creature, which up to now I’ve not
been able to identify, were hairy. Generally moths have hairy
bodies that help retain internal body temperature necessary for
flight.
Bear in mind that most, but not all, moths are creatures of
the night that don’t have the radiant energy of the sun at their
disposal for heating up their bodies as do the day-flying
butterflies. Moths that are night fliers are known to heat up
their flight muscles by simply vibrating their wings. These past
few very warm humid nights have been letter perfect for the night
fliers.
Some of the many moths that fly during the day include those
very tiny white moths that so often land on the undersides of
plant leaves. Others are the fairly common Virginia ctenucha
(te-NEW-ka), hummingbird clearwing, eight-spotted forester, and
the spear-marked black, one of my favorites. Hardly a week goes
by without someone informing us that a very unusual hummingbird
is feeding on the nectar of some of their garden flowers.
Invariably it turns out to be one of the day-flying clearwing
hummingbird moths.
A favorite of many people is the soft green-colored luna moth
with its long tail-like hind wings. Surprisingly it is born
without a mouth and never eats or drinks during its short life
span which may be little more than a week or two, just enough to
mate and lay eggs.
The antennae of moths are either feather-like as on the
cecropia, or hair-like as on the little spear-marked black. The
wider feathery antennae of the males are beneficial for detecting
the pheromones released into the air by the females. These
pheromones can be detected by the male moths, naturally with help
from the wind, from as much as five miles away from the females.
Moths are great mimics and may appear like bird droppings,
tree bark, twigs or leaves, thereby blending in so well with
their surroundings that they become highly nondescript and are
difficult to see. A few weeks ago I came upon a sharp-angled
carpet moth quietly resting upon our east deck in the early
morning sunshine. How beautifully its mottled colors blended
with the rustic cedar wood of the deck planks.
Hang up an old white bed sheet on a clothesline and shine a
bright white light at it for a few hours after dark. You’ll be
amazed at the number and variety of moths that will be attracted
to this highly visible target.
Another strong attractant for some of those moths not
attracted to white light is an easily-made mixture of rotten
bananas, dark molasses and stale beer. Allow the mixture to age
for a few days and then, using an old paint brush, smear patches
of this concoction onto the trunks of several trees in your yard.
Periodically over a period of a few hours, visit the trees after
dark and shine a bright light on them to see what treasures in
the form of moths await your pleasure. You will be amazed at the
winged beauty enriching your backyard during the nighttime
hours!
You may be amazed at the strange beauty of the many moths
that enrich your back yard during the night. This is a virginia ctenucha moth.
The sharp-angled carpet moth is a common visitor in Northeast Wisconsin.
This column appeared in the Door County Advocate
on 07/12/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.
