While butterflies are the "flowers of the air" that get all the rave reviews, their moth cousins often receive nothing more than a cursory glance or a swat with a rolled-up paper. But moths are actually the original trendsetters, appearing on earth roughly 190 million years ago, whereas arriviste butterflies came onto the scene just 56 million years ago. Both belong to the order Lepidoptera, meaning butterflies are essentially moths that work the day shift. Since we humans are programmed for daytime sight, the nocturnal habits of moths make them easy to overlook.

 

The numbers are also heavily in the moths' favor: there are over 160,000 known moth species compared to a puny 17,500 butterflies. Although many moths are tiny and so camouflaged that they’re almost impossible to perceive, our local area is home to some true eye-poppers, like the Giant Polyphemus moth—a silk moth named after the Cyclops because of its massive, startling eyespots.  Another showstopper is the Cecropia moth, with a wingspan of 5-6” and elegant, colorful wings. During the day, it’s easy to spot Hummingbird Clearwing sphinx moths, which zip, zoom and hover like hummingbirds. The first time I spotted one, I excitedly believed it to be a baby hummingbird–until I noticed it had six legs.

 

Moths are survivors because they hide during the day and are active after hours when fewer creatures are searching for food. Moths and their caterpillars are important pollinators and a primary food source for the vast majority of our birds. You can take two easy steps to protect our moth populations: turn off your outdoor lights and plant the native plants that host moth caterpillars. Trees such as oak, plum, birch, cherry and willow host hundreds of species of caterpillars. Perennials such as goldenrod, Joe-Pye Weed, and leadplant host caterpillars and are valuable nectar sources, too.