| Enjoy Moths at Night When They Pollinate Flowers |
Master gardener Maureen Gilmer, host of Weekend Gardening, shares her knowledge on noctural pollination.
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By Maureen Gilmer
Feb. 4, 2008 — Everyone loves a butterfly, but few are as enchanted with the lowly moth. Yet these muted insects lost in the shadows may have more smarts. Eons ago they quit the daytime and found it safer to chase flowers after dark. We often overlook moths in wildlife gardens because we're indoors when they're out and about. But if you've ever been blessed with seeing a giant hummingbird moth in a brunfelsia or the yucca moth flitting amidst the night blooming candles, you'll discover just how unique these insects can be. There are a whole group of plants, many of them nightshades, that are pollinated by moths. You can zero in on moth-pollinated plants by their common names. They often contain words that refer to a time of day. For example, evening primrose and morning glories open during these transitional times when moths may visit. Another tip is the unique qualities of these flowers. They lure moth pollinators specifically with their form, scent and color. Many sun-brilliant colors such as red turn black as soon as the sun sets. White, cream and pale-yellow flowers are the last to fade at dusk. These may even become luminescent under moonlight, like reflectors on a car. The reason moths are drawn to a flame or a light bulb also lures them to these highly reflective flowers. Moth-pollinated flowers can be far more heavily scented than many daytime blooms. It's because they need to lure the pollinator from a long way off in this murky nocturnal world. Some moth flowers can smell rather musky because they've evolved a scent much like the sex pheromone of the moth. The scent may also be sweet, advertising a nectar reward deep inside the flower. Moth-pollinated flowers often feature trumpet-shaped blossoms. Moths hover to feed and send their proboscis deep into the flower just like a hummingbird to reach the nectar. The tongue of the hawk moth (Manduca rustica) can be up to four inches long. It is uniquely adapted to feeding on sacred datura, a wayside weed with huge white, six-inch trumpet flowers. For those who love to spend summer evenings in the garden, moth flowers ensure plenty of activity. When such flowers are close to windows you can also enjoy them from indoors. These flowers are essential to creating a multi-dimensional habitat garden that celebrates natural diversity. Evening Primrose — The genus Oenothera includes many North American native wildflowers with a direct link to locally native moth species. Brunfelsia — Known in Victorian times as yesterday, today and tomorrow due to its dark-, medium- and light-purple flowers, this is a highly fragrant tropical coveted at dusk by moths. Yucca — A group of New World plants with great spires of white flowers that maintain the most famous moth pollination relationship in the natural world. Heliotrope — With a scent often compared to that of cloves or fresh cookies, these unique old-fashioned bedding plants are famous moth and butterfly lures. Woodbine Honeysuckle — A European species that has naturalized in the eastern United States. Four-o'clock — Known botanically as Mirabilis jalapa, this Peruvian native opens around four in the afternoon to entice nighttime pollinators. Nicotiana — A nightshade related to tobacco, this richly perfumed plant lures night pollinators with a wide array of hybrid colors. All of these are nectar plants that feed the adult moth, but don't forget that these insects experience metamorphosis. They hatch out of eggs as hungry caterpillar larvae that feed on plants, many of them our most vexing agricultural pests. I discovered this the hard way when the hawkmoths lured by my tropical angel's trumpet laid eggs among its leaves. Then to my surprise, finger-size larvae ate the entire plant just a few weeks later. (Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and host of Weekend Gardening. E-mail her at mo@moplants.com. For more information, visit: www.moplants.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.) | Get DIY On Your TV. Just follow the instructions to see if DIY Network is available through your cable or satellite provider. |
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