The Insects are Scant
This past week at least 1.9" of blessed rain fell on the CB. So now there are a few more insects around. But the insects are still scant or scanty. That’s why, for lack of any other source of invertebrate entertainment, I have lately been fooling around with the moths. Like that beautiful moth that was in the utility room last week is an example. By the way, I may have made one of my rare mistakes, blaming that beautiful moth for the Turk’s Cap depredations. It may be this one instead, or too. Oh my Goddess, what if this is the same kind as that other one? Mercy, this one is identifiable to species as Melipotis indomita possibly. I caught this one in my trusty butterfly net. Then I put it inside an inverted wine glass. After a few days the wine glass began to run out of Oxygen. The paucity of Oxygen eventually calmed the moth down. Only then could I safely take its picture. Actually, moths, just like grasses, should not be neglected by the average naturalist. Yes. Just because moths are seemingly nasty, does that imply they are actually any nastier in their personal habits than say, butterflies? Course not. Like you never see moths standing on a turd with their proboscis stuck up to their necks in the turd. Butterflies do that behavior all the time.
I think moths get a bad rap because, just like the Mexican sycamore, the moth’s hairy scales are apt to easily come off much like the duff on those sycamore leaves. Then too, moths are nocturnal which is always a sign of friendship with Natas, or at the least, witches. Also, a moth is apt to come to a light and make a nuisance of itself. Then too, moth caterpillars are generally a plague on the vegetation, guzzling up everything in sight. Many moths are personally unattractive. Some are sneaky. Yet in spite of, or because of these obviously negative traits, the average naturalist should realize that ignoring moths entirely may be impossible.
All righty. Back on 6/19/2007 this is how the banana feeder looked. Obviously, that gray moth could also be the one eating my Turk's Cap.
posted by ray pistrum at Sunday, July 05, 2009
2 Comments:
The Peterson Field Guide on Eastern Moths says Melipotis indomita eats Mesquite.
TPLR
That's interesting. I don't have much mesquite. Just very little ones that get mowed. Course there are mesquites in the neighborhood. But these moths do seem to hang out in the Turk's cap and Ruellia drummondii. It is true though, that I never catch any caterpillars in the act. More research may be called for.
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