No Thanksgiving moths

November 25, 2014  •  Leave a Comment

Winter mothsWinter moths

I've been looking for the moths represented by the two at the top and middle of the image for a couple of weeks now, and in the last day or so, they finally put in an appearance. These are known as Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata), and they're a terribly invasive species that came to us from Europe, probably by way of Nova Scotia. (I don't yet know what the moth at the bottom of the photo is, but I'm looking for its identity.) When they hatch in the spring, the caterpillars can absolutely denude stands of hardwoods, oaks and maples in particular, but the adults, which start to appear around Thanksgiving time, are completely harmless. They're fascinating in a way, since they're amazingly cold-tolerant—a surprising ability in so frail-looking an insect—and can fly in temperatures well below freezing. Most nights until as late as the New Year, they'll be found resting in groups of a dozen or more by the back porch lights. With any luck, not too many of the eggs they're about to lay will make it through the winter. The fewer O. brumata caterpillars that hatch at the beginning of the growing season, the better.


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