By Brian Stanley
For the Bugle
Residents who wanted to learn more about moths recently gathered at the Plainfield Library.
“Butterflies are certainly pretty, but moths are the quieter, darker side of the insect world and some of them are just beautiful,” said Judi Deszcz, a master gardener, naturalist and composter.
Deszcz gave a presentation as part of Plainfield’s Green Village series that tied in with National Moth Week, which starts July 20.
Moths and butterflies belong to the same biological order, though moths are predominantly nocturnal.
Though many moths have dull colors, the Sphinx Moth and Snowberry Hummingbird Moth are vibrant enough to be mistaken for a butterfly or bumblebee.
“There are about 1,850 species of moths in Illinois, more than 10 times the diversity of butterflies,” Deszcz noted. “Some are pollinators (that can help gardeners), some are pests.”
Some moths are wingless and some are aquatic. Moths as a species have been around for 200 million years (Butterflies are about 40 million years old), but you shouldn’t get too attached to the individual ones found in your backyard. Most moths live for two weeks and focus only on reproduction – some won’t even stop for meals because they don’t have mouths.
Unfortunately, some of those that do can cause damage to trees and plants, though birds and bats are natural predators of moths. Bug zappers remain an effective way to remove moths for people seeking to get rid of pests, but there are still many theories why they’re so attracted to light.
The moth population is most active during the next few weeks and specimens can be easily observed by just setting up a light bulb and a white sheet. Moth numbers peak before 1 a.m. and they prefer warm, windless, humid and cloudy nights.
The Plainfield Library was recently involved two significant moth sightings, according to Deszcz. A bright green Luna Moth was found on library property, while another patron needed help identifying one he’d photographed in his yard. It turned out to be a Black Witch Moth, which hadn’t been seen in northern Illinois for 15 years.
“They have a 7-inch wingspan, one of the largest for moths in North America,” Deszcz said. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime sighting.”
Deszcz feels it’s unlikely many more Black Witch Moths will venture this far north, but hopes gardeners and naturalists who are interested will find ways to share what they find.
“Scientists depend on people to say where they see things. That one reason we want to promote interest in moths among citizen scientists,” she said.