Humming bumblebees, bees laden with pollen and dragonflies in the garden pond: day-active insects are welcome guests in our green spaces, and we are happy to take care of them with dwellings and special plantings. But did you know that around 80 percent of butterflies are nocturnal and are very important for plant pollination? We would like to dedicate the following article to these animals.
Dovetails like to suckle on phlox and co.
Nocturnal butterfly beauties
Moths are mainly active at dusk or at night. They use the protection of darkness, as there are significantly fewer predators and food competitors around at this time.
In contrast to the attractively colored butterflies, their wings appear rather inconspicuous, as they can hide better from enemies during the day. In addition, colorful wings are of no use to them at night, as they are used to attract a partner. The females of the moths therefore make do with sex attractants, which the males can detect from great distances.
Many revelers feed on rotting fruit, which abounds in the green spaces in midsummer. If you want to observe the animals, you can attract the insects with wine, which you thicken with a little sugar and spread on tree trunks.
The most common moths in our gardens
| butterfly | description |
|---|---|
| Peppered Moth | Very narrow, white wings with black markings. The coloring of the wings is reminiscent of the bark of the birch. |
| Esparette widow | Diurnal moth with high-contrast wing coloring with red spots, which gave the ram the popular name "blood droplets". Gather in large numbers on single, prominent plants towards evening. |
| frost moth | On the road until the end of December. Frost moth females have no wings, only short stubs, while the males have normal wings. |
| gamma owl | This night owl is found almost everywhere. The moth can even often be observed on balcony plants and in urban green spaces. |
| peacock moth | One of the most beautiful and largest moths. While the males are diurnal, the females only fly at night. The Lesser Peacock Moth is mainly found in open areas. |
| lovelybear | One of the few moths that you can also observe during the day. The wings are strikingly colored. You can discover this butterfly in open and damp forest areas. |
| dovetail | This nimble moth can be found wherever there are nectar-rich forage plants, such as lucerne or clover. They often feast on balcony plants such as fuchsias, petunias or phlox. The gray-brown upper surface of the forewings and the orange-brown hindwings, which are darkly colored at the outer edge, are characteristic. |
Attract moths to the garden
Night owls are attracted to fluorescent or highly scented plant species. The flower color is predominantly white, yellow, violet or reddish, as these tones reflect the invisible, short-wave light.
If you want to give moths a home, you should plant the following plants in your garden:
- evening primrose
- night violet
- White Campion
- flame flower
- sedum
- honeysuckle
- mulleins
- soapwort
- borage
tips
Don't just think about nectar plants, but also about the food base of the caterpillars. Make room for thistle species, wild carrots, fennel and stinging nettles, and do a lot to protect the moths, which are becoming increasingly rare.