Moth(er) of Gifts
Eyed Paectes. Bailey’s Pinion. Grapevine Epimenis. Virginia Ctenucha. Isn’t this a great list of names? All year, day by day, I’ve torn a page from the 365-day calendar that was a Christmas gift from my brother. The topic? Moths.
Before this, I would have said a moth is a moth is a moth. But I feel changed by 2021's daily glimpse into that world, if only because I am driven to wonder, “who came up with all these crazy names?!” Given their predilection for naming things, and for their insistent study of arcane topics, I suspect the Brits. (I can say that; it is my heritage.)
Credit: Meg Adams, whose Twitter feed included the following: “Perhaps my most controversial comic to date...BUTTERFLIES ARE OVERRATED AND MOTHS ARE THE BEST. THERE I SAID IT.” She is apparently biased.
The calendar limits its information to the name (well, both names: common and scientific) with an illustration one day, and a paragraph of information the next which typically only tells me where they overwinter, when they tend to fly, and a bit about their caterpillars. To be truthful, either the illustrations are substandard, or a lot of moths just look a lot like each other! I mean, c’mon–they’re moths!
...and then I got more curious. Isn’t this what lifelong learning is all about? So I went to the almighty internet and found a few tidbits I hope you will enjoy.
Maybe it is intuitive, but we all probably agree: moths usually lose the popularity contest with butterflies. This is probably for a few reasons. Butterflies tend to be much showier, with bright colors and patterns. Moths are (usually) much more understated and muted. They are also more elusive, since they tend to fly at night and are harder to see as they whirl around outdoor light fixtures in the summer.
One of the spiffiest feature differences are their antennae, which on moths can be truly lovely. Whereas butterfly antennae are long and smooth with a bump at the end, moth antennae are fuzzy and feathery. The other cue as to which is what is that butterflies rest with their wings folded (unless they are sunbathing), whereas moths tend to leave their wings down, or sometimes tented over their bodies.
Moths change from caterpillar to their adult form by spending time in moth cocoons that are soft silken cases that they spin around themselves, versus the hard, smooth cases (chrysalis) of butterflies. Once they are adults, moths are helpful pollinators, benefitting both wild plants and many food crops. They are also fodder for bats and birds (and even people in some parts of the world). Many adult moths don’t eat at all. All they have on their mind is procreation...and a male moth (it is said)) can smell a female from more than seven miles away! [Source: livescience.com/21933-moth-week-facts.html, accessed August 19, 2021]
As with nearly all creatures, moths offer symbolism and meaning. According to worldbirds.com/moth-symbolism (accessed August 28, 2021), moths symbolize both resurrection and transformation, and represent tremendous change while also seeking the light. “Thus,” it said, “moth spiritual meaning is to trust the changes that are happening and that freedom and liberation are around the corner.” On the other had, there’s this: “A moth omen also indicates one’s habit of falling for things or people that are beyond one’s reach. Just as a moth seeks light and warmth of a candle and even gets burned in the process, one may be trying too hard to win the love of someone beyond their reach and getting burnt or damaged in the process.” Stand warned!
Some curmudgeons only want to talk about the damage moths can do, especially to knitwear. It is admittedly a bummer to pull your favorite cashmere cardigan out in the fall, only to find it “moth-eaten.” Moths love to lay their eggs in dark, undisturbed places...like your closet. But don’t blame the moths! Blame their larvae. That’s the stage in the moth’s life cycle when the critters devour protein-based fibers, especially those put away with food or perspiration on them, so wash those clothes before storing.(Some moth larvae have a carpet-based food preference, by the way.) But not every moth is a clothes- or carpet-eating monster, so don’t blame them all. Here is a good link for information about getting rid of unwanted moth housemates: mothprevention.com/blogs/the-art-of-prevention/how-do-i-get-rid-of-clothes-moth-larvae-the-facts
Moths and butterflies share the insect Order of Lepidoptera. Our friends at the Smithsonian say that moths far out number butterflies, with 160,000 in the world compared with 17,500 species of butterflies. Wow! Here are some more cool moth species names: Scripted Habrosyne. Northern Pearly-Eye. Pandorus Sphinx. In the United States, there are about 11,000 moth species, which means that my brother could potentially give me 365-day moth calendars for a long, long time. Oh, dear...
These are Royal Walnut moths... pretty, right? Photo credit: David Moskowitz
To read more about my past adventures with butterflies, take a look at A Spell-binding Transformation, where I experienced the Grand Rapids (MI) Frederick Meijer Gardens annual “Butterflies Are Blooming” event.
