Moths pick up pollen on their legs and wings when they visit flowers and deposit pollen (accidentally) on subsequent floral visits. With the populations of all the sphinx moths affected by this agricultural practice there are fewer sphinx moths that pollinate rare plants, like the famous Queen-of-the-night cactus or the sacred Datura, which live in northern Mexico and along the border in the desert southwest. Since some hawk moths are minor crop pests, aerial application of pesticides to protect crops sometimes affects their numbers. The caterpillars (larvae) of hawk moths are the familiar green hornworms or tobacco worms, familiar to gardeners who plant tomatoes. After his death, hawk moths with tongues long enough to sip of the nectar produced by the star orchids were discovered on the island of Madagascar. Darwin was ridiculed by other scientists of his day for predicting that these orchids would be pollinated by hawk moths. Charles Darwin knew of the star orchids ( Angraecum spp.) from Madagascar that had nectar spurs over a foot in length. Hawk moths have the world’s longest tongues of any other moth or butterfly (some up to 14 inches long). These flowers are highly fragrant with long floral tubes concealing pools of thin but abundant nectar. They are especially fond of Datura (Jimpson weeds), Mirabilis (Four O’clocks), and Peniocereus (Queen-of-the-night cactus) blossoms. Hawk moths are experts at finding sweet-smelling flowers after dark. Some can briefly fly backwards or dart away. They are fast flyers and often highly aerobatic. These magnificent animals have long narrow wings and thick bodies. Some of the largest moths in the world belong to the hawk moth or Sphingid family within the order Lepidoptera (the animal order that includes butterflies and moths). Planting moonlight or a fragrance garden is a sure way to enjoy not only these wonderful blossoms, but also their nocturnal pollinators, especially the giant hawk moths. All have interesting stories to tell if we will only take the time to stop, look, listen and smell the hidden world of moths and their flowers. Moths represent a biological storehouse of interesting, dramatic, and unusual behaviors, some with roles as pollinators, and others as food for other animals. They get little respect, except from the relatively few scientists and naturalists who are passionate about their study and who study moths and their ways. Do you remember the monsters under your bed? Unfortunately, we usually vilify moths because of their association with the dark of night and our innate fear of darkness and things that go bump in the night. Most moths work the night shift, unlike their “respectable cousins” the butterflies, which are out during the daytime, and glorified in prose, poetry, and art. Perhaps you notice their handiwork when you find small holes in a woolen garment stored in your closet or you find your tomato plants consumed by a hungry tomato hornworm. They usually go unnoticed, except when flying erratically around your porch light, a streetlight, or other source of light during the darkness of night. Moths live in a wide variety of habitats around the world.
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