National Moth Week is Coming!

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener



Polyphemus Moth - Antheraea polyphemus

National Moth Week is July 19 through 27, 2014.

Why celebrate moths? 

• Moths are among the most diverse and successful organisms on earth.
• Scientists estimate there are 150,000 to more than 500,000 moth species.
• Their colors and patterns are either dazzling or so cryptic that they define camouflage. Shapes and sizes span the gamut from as small as a pinhead to as large as an adult’s hand.
• Most moths are nocturnal, and need to be sought at night to be seen – others fly like butterflies during the day.

Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) Picture Credit Jen Wetzel

Check out previous posts on moths.

Imperial Moth
What is THAT? Cercropia Moth Caterpillar
Waiting for GOoD mOTh
Polyphemus Moth
Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar
Clear Wing Hummingbird Moth
White Lined Sphinx Moth
Tobacco and Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar

Cercropia Moth Caterpillar (Carol Kagan)

Cercropia Moth - largest in N. America

Better yet, go outside after dusk and look for some.

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

Not a night person? You can try to see a hummingbird moth during the day. Check out all the places hummingbirds and bees would go for nectar such as butterfly bush, phlox and bee balm.

Fun site for the hummingbird moth: Hummingbirdmoth.com

More information on moths

National Moth Week 2013
Extension Master Gardener: Almost Wordless Wednesday- National Moth Week 7/19-7/27

Thanks to Ray E. for several of the previous posts.

Waiting for GoODmOTh

Waiting for GoODmOTh
by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener of Franklin County

 

National Moth Week, huh?

What's crawling on my coneflower? The caterpillar of a Common Eupithecia moth of the Geometridae family. It moves like an inch-worm (also the Geometridae family) and has tiny brown triangles on its back.

Their larvae mostly eat the seeds and flowers of aster, clover, coneflower, hoptree, juniper, wild black cherry, and willow and not the foliage as many caterpillars do.

Eupithecia is a large group of moths that can be found all around the world, and more species are being found on a fairly common basis. The genus comes from the family Geometridae, and there are hundreds of described species. The common name for the species is sometimes known as pug.

One of the common Eupithecia moths

Today I saw a hummingbird moth at my butterfly bush. Amazing. Not my picture on this one.

Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris diffinis)

There are several moths called hummingbird moths. The one I saw looked like a bee or a hummingbird. This one is a Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris diffinis).

These are found throughout the U.S. Unlike most moths, these moths fly during the daylight. Their favorite food is coral honeysuckle (preferred egg-laying spot) and butterfly bush. Their larvae feed on honeysuckle, viburnum, hawthorn, snowberry, cherry, and plum.

Larvae of the Hemaris diffinis

You still have 3-4 days to go out and find at least one moth or moth larvae. Turn the computer off and go outside.

For more information

National Moth Week-MG Blog
Cirrus Image: Better pictures of the Eupithecia caterpillar
Hummingbird Moth: Stay on the entry page for a fun look at discovering this moth

It looks like a hummingbird, sounds like a hummingbird, and acts like a hummingbird. . .

. . . surely it must be a hummingbird?

I was new to gardening and was amazed by these hummingbirds as they danced from flower to flower.  They hover themselves in front of a flower while they unfurled their long tongues to sip nectar...just like a hummingbird.  Why they even make a "hum"...just  like a hummingbird.  But why do they have antennae?  Alas,  I was soon to find out it was not a hummingbird at all, but a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth, a gardener's pollinating friend. 

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth 

According to the US Forest Service, these day-flying moths are widespread in North America. In the Old World, there are several species of hummingbird moths. Some of these species are closely related and all belong to the same genus, Hemaris. The British prefer to call them Bee Hawk-Moths. There are four species of hummingbird moths in North America. The most familiar ones are the Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) and the Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe). They are both widespread throughout North America, with the former perhaps being more abundant in the west and the latter in the east. Like the majority of moths and butterflies, the adult hummingbird moths feed on nectar from a variety of flowers, but their larvae need more specific food plants, such as several species of honeysuckle, dogbane, or some members of the rose family such as hawthorn, cherries, and plums.

Clearwing attempting to get that last drop of nectar

The adults may start flying in early spring, when the bluebells (Mer- tensia) are still blooming; but you will have a better chance to see them when they are most active, in the summer when the bee balms are in bloom. If you have phlox (Phlox), beebalm (Monarda), honeysuckle (Lonicera) or verbena (Verbena) you are also likely to see these wonderful insects visiting these flowers.