Author Topic: food plants for nightflying moths (Read 4001 times)

Fleecewife · « **on:** July 08, 2015, 12:21:55 am »

A bit like the nectar plants for bees thread. Does anyone know which are good flowers to grow for moths? Would it be the same flowers as the butterflies and bees visit in the day, or are there flowers which smell only at night, or whose colours are more visible after dark? Moths close-up are absolutely fascinating, and there are more varieties than a normal person could possibly learn.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** July 08, 2015, 12:35:24 am »

I've just answered my own question, pretty much. Have a look at this link for an excellent list of appropriate plants for moths, and their caterpillars:

http://www.mothscount.org/text/64/nectar_plants.html

A lot are indeed the same as for butterflies, and grass-eating caterpillars are mentioned too - think of the vast numbers of little moths which rise up when you walk in your growing hay in the evening, clearly leaving loads of eggs, or having just hatched out.

I have just about all the plants mentioned somewhere on the smallholding, so I'm delighted at that. I must get the grandchildren to help do a moth count, later in the year when you don't have to wait til midnight for it to get dark.

devonlady · « **Reply #2 on:** July 08, 2015, 09:01:20 am »

I love to walk through my land at dusk, sometimes you seem to be walking through a carpet of moths especially the large white ones with a deep orange underside. I haven't a clue to their real name but we always called them "ghost moths"
I also love to see the bats swooping and turning like swallows to catch them.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #3 on:** July 10, 2015, 05:48:55 pm »

Lovely image

We don't seem to have many moths at the moment, maybe it's been too wet. The big pale ones were around for a bit but none here this week. There were some daylight flying moths in the hayfield today.

Louise Gaunt · « **Reply #4 on:** July 10, 2015, 05:56:22 pm »

We get the most beautiful tiger moths in our garden. One landed on my green hen poo bucket last week - I think,it was a scarlet tiger moth or might have been a cream spot one.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #5 on:** July 10, 2015, 07:03:42 pm »

Tiger moths are stunning

When I was at my elder son's one day, in his sheltered garden, we saw a moth like a humming bird, hovering at the flowers with a long proboscis.
I got a pic of a puss moth (think that's what it's called - white and woolly) on my door curtain. If I can persuade Mr F to post it for me here I can share it.
For me the substantial moths tend to be in the garden or veg patch, and the ones out and about are smaller and delicate.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #6 on:** July 11, 2015, 12:02:31 am »

This evening I thought there were a couple of small bats outside my window. I went outside, where the night air was filled with a wonderful smell of honeysuckle. The 'bats' were in fact Elephant Hawk Moths, which have about a 70mm wingspan, and are pink. I have seen these before, but not where I live now, and I have never seen the caterpillar, which has four big 'eyes' marked near it's front end. I could hear the wings whirring before I could see the moths. According to various sources, one of their favourite plants for nectar is honeysuckle, which is wonderful just now.

Louise Gaunt · « **Reply #7 on:** July 11, 2015, 07:38:44 am »

wow, that is really cool!

Fleecewife · « **Reply #8 on:** July 25, 2015, 07:03:16 pm »

Has anyone seen any more good moths? The only one I've seen but haven't identified, is dark charcoal grey with an orange triangle when it opens its wings. Very nice.

I've concluded that moths are perfectly happy feeding on the same flowers as butterflies do, although they seem to need different plants to lay their eggs on.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #9 on:** August 07, 2015, 03:25:59 pm »

Quote from: Fleecewife on July 25, 2015, 07:03:16 pm

Has anyone seen any more good moths? The only one I've seen but haven't identified, is dark charcoal grey with an orange triangle when it opens its wings. Very nice.

Sounds like a Red Underwing - lives in barns and woodpiles during the day. The earlier one mentioned could be a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. I beieve it was the Victorians that differentiated moths from butterflies based on not their nocturnal habits but their antennae. We have a world expert living locally and he's already identified over 300 varieties around here and expects to get to 400 within the year.