Ohio has several thousand species of moths

On Apr 16, 2022

“Leonard Messel” hybrid magnolia blooming recently in Wooster.

The early magnolias that showed some nascent cold injury in the buds earlier began emerging this past week, and for the most part it turns out they escaped significant injury and bloomed in clear ivory whites and delicate pinks, many with delightful aromas.

One of my favorite sweet-smelling magnolias, the Loebner hybrid cultivar “Leonard Messel” bloomed beauteously. Likewise, star magnolias pointedly bloomed throughout the area. Many later-blooming magnolia types await the progression of warming spring weather.

One thing I learned of “Leonard Messel” and of star magnolias is they do not serve well as cut twigs in water indoors. I set lovely vases of these beauties in my office one day and the next they were discolored and wilted. Unless there is a technique I missed, I will have to be content to enjoying them in situ in the landscape.

I did learn how to best enjoy Lenten rose (hellebore) flowers in water: Set individual flowers in cups of water and look down or through the clear glass to enjoy the blooms that are often hard to see clearly in the garden due to their drooping nature.

Helleborus blooms from Secrest Arboretum in a water display.

Spring is busting out all over now. Last weekend spring beauty wildflowers were just emerging in Wooster Memorial Park, but take a look now as the forest floor is accelerating its green carpet as toothworts and trout lilies arrive.

I am in New York City this week, and it is predictably ahead of Northeast Ohio: Forsythias are in full fledge and early camellias, more tolerant of the Big Apple than our colder clime here, are glorious with their cheerful open blooms and glossy green leaves. There are over 30,000 camellia types so I will not venture a guess as to which ones I see blooming in Brooklyn. Cherries, early rhododendrons, and tulips also began their reign in New York City — and further south in Ohio — earlier this week.

Camellia blooming in Brooklyn, New York, this past week.

Moths of Ohio

I recently gave a talk at a gardeners’ fair in Newark, Ohio, but the highlight of the event was a presentation on “Moths of Ohio” by botanist, wildlife biologist and photographer Jim McCormac, who worked for over 30 years at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Books he has written include “Birds of Ohio” and “Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage.” Moths are among his latest passions and will soon be his latest book.

Channeling McCormac’s talk, let’s talk moths.

One way of looking at it is that caterpillars (larvae of butterflies and moths; order Lepidoptera) are “the largest group of herbivores in Ohio,” profoundly important ecologically. As an example, McCormac noted one study of the red-eyed vireo bird (Vireo olivaceous) that eats over 30 million caterpillars per day in Michigan alone.

There are several thousand species of moths in Ohio, both natives and non-natives. McCormac noted there are over 110 species on ferns alone, most of them “specialists.” This is an important notation, as the caterpillar world includes both specialists, limited to one species or a few species or groups of plants, and generalists that feed on many plants. The intimate involvement of specialist insects with their hosts has huge implications, for example, if one is an important pollinator: Loss of one species greatly affects survival of another.

The exact number of moth species functioning in Ohio is unknown, especially considering the microlepidoptera, smaller than their cousins and underreported in terms of total number of species. Moths outnumber butterflies by possibly a factor of 20.

McCormac does much of his moth photography at night, since nocturnal activity is one of the ways many moths and their caterpillar larvae try to avoid their enemies.

Another way is camouflage and mimicry, evolutionary developments that favored some insects that look like dead leaves (brown owlet moth) to cause predator indifference or that look like deadly snakes to scare predators away. Check out the hickory horned devil (the biggest Ohio moth and arguably the most ferocious-looking) sometime.

Another example of how moths try to hedge their bets is by reproductive strategies. McCormac calls the production of 750 eggs at one time by the salt marsh moth an example of “carpet bombing reproduction.” No wonder, since over 99% of caterpillars never make it to adulthood.

Natural chemical warfare is also common with species that contain cardiac glycosides and various alkaloids and terpenes unappreciated by predators.

Back to those hickory horned devils and other monsters. If you want to fast-forward your fascination with moths, consider this one: It is the larva of the regal moth (Citheronia regalis). The moth is attractive but nothing dramatic, but the caterpillar is spectacularly ominous-looking, blue-green in color, with orange and black spine-like projections. And the size: 5-6 inches long, about the size of a hot dog or a hot dog bun. Yumm. Enough to concern the discerning bird, who moves on, but probably not to the walnut sphinx caterpillar (Amorpha juglandis), which falls to the ground upright and lets out a screech — menacing to foraging birds.

There are more species of insects than any other type of organism on Earth. As ecologist Thomas Eisner has quipped: “Insects won’t inherit the Earth; they own it now.” Read his book “For Love of Insects.”

Oh, one last thing: How do moths differ from butterflies? They are both in the Lepidoptera (scaly wings) Order, have caterpillars for larvae and are genetically related, but they have a number of differences. Antennae of butterflies are usually slender, of moths, typically feathery. Moths may live far longer. Moths often have duller color, not as important for mate selection due to their more nocturnal lifestyle. Butterflies are exothermic, needing an external energy source such as the sun, while moth species create some of their own heat by fluttering their wings. And so on.

Secrest Arboretum OSU Extension schools

Check out the Secrest Arboretum, secrest.osu.edu, for more information on programs, including the annual Plant Discovery Day plant sale on May 14.

We also are resuming our day-long schools, and May 19 will bring a discussion of “A Plant Spectrum,” on native woody plants and the flip side, problem invasives. Enjoy talks by Paul Snyder of Secrest, Kathy Smith of the OSU Woodland Steward Program, and yours truly, speaking about the nature of the pervasiveness of invasiveness. Also highlighted will be a plant walk, a plant quiz (with prizes), refreshments and lunch. Cost: $40. Registration information is available on the Secrest website.