Night Butterflies
- Misty
- Oct 7, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 28
Do you ever feel like your contributions get overlooked sometimes? You're not alone.
Today we will talk about some very big contributors to pollination!
Moths! They take over the night shift so pollination can get done round the clock! These underappreciated heroes may not be as bright and colorful as their daytime butterfly friends, but that doesn't mean they don't do as good a job in the pollination department. In reality, there are some very beautiful, very colorful, and very large, moths!
There are over 160,000 different species of moths total worldwide, compared to butterflies, who only have around 17,500 species. There are almost 11,000 species of moths just in the United States!
A moths life cycle is very similar to that of a butterfly. But they start as an egg, they hatch as a caterpillar, they make a cocoon - which is very similar to a chrysalis, and they emerge as a moth, then spend the night flying around getting nectar from flowers and pollinating. Some moths even migrate, just like butterflies. There are some species of moths that even come out during the daytime.
Most moths are classified into 1 of these 5 families listed below. Arctiidae : 10,000 species of moths belong to this family worldwide. Often referred to as tiger moths because their primary coloring are bright reds and yellows. Geometridae : 15,000 species of moths belong to this family worldwide. You may better know their larval form as "inch worms" this is the second largest family of moths. Noctuidae : 25,000 species of moths belong to this family worldwide, the largest family, by far. Underwing Moths, cutworms and fruitworms all belong to this group. Saturniidae : The largest moths belong to this family. Approximately 1000 species worldwide. The Luna moth, cecropia, royal or regal moth as well as many others are categorized here. Sphingidae : This family also contains approximately 1000 species worldwide. Still being fairly large, they are generally recognized by their streamlined wings and robust bodies.
If we are being honest most moths aren't "pretty" in the sense that you would oooh and aaaah over them. But their monotone markings and patterns, can be pretty, you just have to look a little harder.
The atlas moth is the largest moth in the world, it has a wingspan of over 11 inches and is found in Asia. Nepticulid moths are the tiniest moths in the world, their wingspan is just .1 inch, known as leaf miners. The average moths wingspan is about 1 inch.
If you look at it by the numbers. Moths outnumber butterflies over 9 to 1 worldwide. So, more pollination comes from moths than butterflies, by far. This army of pollinators is largely forgotten, but utterly necessary for our survival. These amazing little creatures definitely deserve a place at the forefront of any pollinator list!
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