Moths as Pollinators

Moths evolved to deal with flowers. Their long, tube-like tongues are just right for sipping nectar from long-necked blossoms. Nectar is practically the only food of adult moths, thus a strong partnership with flowers developed. We are familiar with butterflies pollinating flowers, but easily forget about moths. Actually, butterflies are a specialized type of moths, or, more properly they are all Lepidoptera.

Then, it is important to learn more about the role of moths in pollination. Here are a few articles that deal with this subject.

Yellow-collared scape moth on turtlehead

Black-and-yellow lichen moth, a little known pollinator
Crambid snout moths
Gardening for Honorary Butterflies: Mint Moths
Hummingbird Moths. Where do they go in Winter?
Inch worms: more little known pollinators
Little known moth pollinators: seed casebearers and flower moths
Metalmark moths. More little known pollinators
Noctuids, another family of little known pollinators
Plume Moths. More Little Known Pollinators
Pollinators, the Night Shift
Yellow-collared scape moth
The Yucca Moth and the Yucca
Zygaenidae, more little known pollinators

Geometrid caterpillar, or inchworm (Eupithecia) on sunflower

Other Articles on Moths and other Lepidoptera:

Bugs in the Garden. Hornworm: Friend or Foe? Friend and Foe
Caterpillars are for the Birds
Food for wildlife
Gardening for Honorary Butterflies (Mint Moths)
Pollinators in Winter: Fritillaries

Hummingbird moth on Monarda

Hummingbird Moth
Hawk Moths
Ailanthus Web-worm Moth
Yellow-collared Scape Moth
Carnivorous Lepidoptera. In Bugguide.net
Projectile Frassing. In Flickr
Pollinators in second shift: moths. Dave's Garden
Pollination by Nocturnal Lepidoptera and Effects of Light Pollution: a Review

Videos

Moving frass around

Leaf roller silk spinning

Nectaring corn-earworm moth

Beginners Guide to Pollinators and Other Flower Visitors

List of articles 

© Beatriz Moisset. 2012

Plume Moths: More Little Known Pollinators

Himmelman's Plume Moth

The plume moths or Pterophoridae get their name because of their feathery wings. Their aspect is quite unusual for a moth. The wings are narrow and fringed by bristles. When resting they spread their wings looking like the letter T. Their wing span ranges from ½ to 2 ½ inches. Most have a pattern of broken colors, tan and white or brown and white. The legs also present bristles. The combination of these colors and their shape makes them look like a piece of dry grass. Probably this helps them to escape predators' notice. They are easily missed by this photographer although in plain view. You may have seen one resting on your window screen where they are easier to notice

There are about 150 species in North America; most are hard to tell apart. A very common one is the Himmelman's Plume Moth or Geina tenuidactylus.

They are seen at flowers frequently, so they may be pollinators; although I don't know of any studies about it. More is known of their role as pests of some ornamentals and as biological control to keep in check some introduced invasive plants

Himmelman's Plume Moth

Moths as Pollinators
List of articles
Beginners Guide to Pollinators and Other Flower Visitors

© Beatriz Moisset. 2012