The mystery of moth variants is interesting
Kristine Oksenholt | Victoria County Master Gardener
Jul 20, 2024
Feather-edged Petrophia. (John Hogan)
July is National Moth Month, so it is time to take a look at this interesting creature. The history of the moth shows that they appeared before the butterflies did but are from the same biological group called Lepidoptera.
Almost all moths show up at night unlike butterflies which show up in the day. The positive aspect is that moths are better pollinators than bees. The negative aspect is that there are some destructive moths.
There are so many types of moths. Some are very short lived while others have a much longer life. Many moths are ordinary in appearance while others are beautiful. Moths have unique features but some have a lack of important features. It is hard to believe that moths have such distinctive differences from one another.
Moths have been around for millions of years as evidenced by fossils that were discovered dating back to the Triassic period. It is believed that moths came into being about 200 to 250 million years ago when the first dinosaurs appeared.
The insect Order Lepidoptera contains 160,000 species of moths worldwide compared to 17,500 species of butterflies. The United States has more than 11,000 species of moths.
Moths are active at night and scientists think that moths use the moon’s light to fly. Electric lights seem to make them appear confused and lost. In spite of this, moths do find their way around to pollinate during the night.
The reason moths are good pollinators is that they have hairy bodies which pick up pollen every time they land on a flower. Moths tend to pollinate flowers with fragrant scents which attract them and white flowers which are more visible to them at night.
Some destructive moths are the Case Making Clothes moth and the Webbing Clothes moth which can eat clothes or fabric. It is actually the larvae of these two moths, the Tinea pellionella and the Tinea bisselliella, that do the damage. They attack animal fibers such as wool, silk, feathers, felt and leather.
The Pantry Moth larvae attacks grains, flours, pasta, spices and bread. There are some moth caterpillars like the Black Cutworm and the Diamondback Moth that create damage to crops.
Some moths are very unusual. The Snowberry Clearwing moth looks like a hummingbird and pollinates during the day.
The Luna moth doesn’t have a mouth or digestive system and has a lifespan of 7 days. The nutrition it received during its larval stage keeps it alive for that tiny window of time. It mates and lays eggs and then it starves to death.
The longest living moth is the Gynaephora groenlandica or Arctic Woolly Bear moth which lives for 7 years. It has a very slow caterpillar life cycle.
The adult Death’s-head Hawk-moth makes a squeaking sound that mimics the bees and gives off a pheromone scent that mimics the hive’s odor. Once in the hive, it sucks out the honey with its proboscis.
The Texas Wasp moth has evolved to resemble the paper wasp to protect itself.
The Atlas moth is the largest moth in the world. The females can have over a 62 square inch wingspan.
The Winter moth female has such tiny wings that it cannot fly.
The Uropyia meticulodina moth has wings that curl up and resemble a dead leaf.
The moth has many adaptations and variations. It can look like a hummingbird, a wasp or a brown leaf. It can have a short life or tiny wings. It can have a long life or giant wings. The moth species is incredibly mysterious.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County.
REFERENCES
Go Mothing gardens.duke.edu
Lovely Lopidoptera: Pollinating Butterflies and Moths pollinators.org
Moths/ Smithsonian Institution si.edu
Oldest butterfly fossils ever discovered dw.com
7 moths that make butterflies look boring blog.nwf.org