My interest in moths came indirectly through gardening. When I started a garden in August 2011, there were no thoughts of insects, or needing to be concerned with them. But my focus quickly turned to them about a month later, after finding chewed leaves. At first, I only looked at the tops of the leaves, but when I turned them over, a found the culprits. Mysterious green “worms”.
With no knowledge or background to go by, I got online and starting plugging in various search terms, mostly in a blind and “in the dark” mode. But I quickly started finding images under Google that lined up with what I saw, and the term “cabbage looper” repeatedly came up.
Having an organic approach to gardening, I found a solution in Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), a natural and biological agent free of chemicals. After applying the spray, I went back and looked further into what cabbage loopers are. I saw they are the caterpillar, or larva, or youth, stage of the Cabbage Looper Moth. It would be many months before I would actually see the adult, but it got me thinking about moths and caterpillars. Several more rounds of spraying the plants were needed to keep them away.
The next month, in October, another caterpillar showed up. This time it was a larger one, with diagonal stripes and a horned “tail”, busily devouring the tomato plants. Going back online, I found it to be one of the various hornworm caterpillars, of the Sphinx Moth family. This time, handpicking was all that was necessary to remove them and keep them off.
Before the year was over, there was one more moth to cause problems in the garden. In December, the attention went back to the zucchini plants, and a new caterpillar with a dark green banded line down the back. By now, I was getting good at identifying the “worms”. It was a melonworm, from a moth with a fancy scientific name of Diaphania hyalinata. Again, the Bt worked well.
With the start of 2012, I began a constant lookout for all moths. At first, it was mostly to be proactive and keep troublemakers away. But then I found myself becoming interested in the various “guests” that would show up at the house, mostly at night. It was interesting identifying them, and noting the variety of sizes, patterns, and shapes. Oftentimes, only one new one would show up per night, almost as though they had it planned out, and were taking turns.
Some of the early caterpillars that were encountered were later put in jars and fed, so the elusive adults could be seen. I wanted to see with my own eyes what the moths really looked like. Slowly, cabbage and soybean looper moths, and the melonworm moth emerged to be seen. That approach has been needed occasionally since to confirm the specific species.
With a new year and new season of gardening, the “hungry youths” have shifted to new creatures. Though cabbage loopers still appear, both Velvet and Yellow-Striped armyworms (caterpillars) have made themselves known and highly visible. I've found that most moths encountered though - roughly 95% - do not cause any problems at all. So they are observed, photographed, and left alone.
It’s amazing and fascinating to become aware of the insect world. Not just moths, but ensign wasps, cucumber beetles, mayflies, leaf-footed bugs, milkweed assassin bugs, lady bugs, various sawflies, and many others. Their variety can easily overshadow our own, if one takes the time to pay attention to them, and marvel at their existence.
Insects are all too often ignored by us “big creatures”, but nonetheless live lives not very different from our own. They start out small and grow, seek out and eat food, find shelter, mate, live in groups and on their own, etc. Their size should not reduce their significance on this planet. In fact, there is a lot to be admired about them. No bills to pay, no political arguing and bickering, no need to worry about money, and all while spending most of their time in the great outdoors. Not a bad life!
No comments:
Post a Comment