Tag: Moth
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Top 10 Backyard Ecology Podcast Episodes: October 1, 2022 – October 1, 2023
We review the top 10 Backyard Ecology podcast episodes published between Oct. 1, 2022 and Oct. 1, 2023 based on the number of downloads.
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Moths: Unsung Heroes of Pollination and Beyond
in PodcastDid you know that there are approximately 10 times more moth species worldwide than there are butterfly species? Or that without moths we would have fewer songbirds, less genetic diversity in many of our native plants, and lower harvests of many popular fruits? Or that creating better moth habitats around our homes also benefits our…
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Top 10 Most Popular Backyard Ecology Articles: Thanksgiving 2021 – Thanksgiving 2022
The new year is only a few days away. As I said in last week’s podcast episode, this is traditionally a time for looking back over the last year and looking forward to the new year. We’ve been following that tradition in the Backyard Ecology world, both with our content and behind the scenes as…
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Recent Nature-related Discoveries in My Yard and Community – August and September 2022
I absolutely love fall! The temperatures are much nicer. The fields are a riot of color – lots of bright yellow, of course, but also purples, whites, pinks, oranges, and scattered other colors. Goldfinches are everywhere. And then there are all the butterflies, bees, wasps, and other “bugs” busily going about their business on the…
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Tall Ironweed: A Beautiful Source of Fall Nectar and Pollen
Ironweeds are perennial, native wildflowers that produce beautiful, purple blooms about the time the goldenrods start to light up the fields. There are approximately 15 different species of ironweeds (Vernonia spp.) in the eastern U.S. with more out west. The most widespread species in the eastern U.S. is tall ironweed or giant ironweed (Vernonia gigantea…
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Buttonbush: A summer extravaganza for pollinators
Introduction Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is a deciduous shrub native to the eastern half of North America. It can be found growing naturally along creeks, ponds, lakes, and other fairly wet areas. Buttonbush can also be grown as a native ornamental in mostly sunny areas where the soil is on the moist side of medium to…
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Bumblebee moth: The moth that looks like a hummingbird and a bumble bee had a baby
Have you ever caught a quick glimpse of a tiny “hummingbird” hovering around a flower? Then realized that not only was it too small, but it also wasn’t the right colors and wasn’t producing the characteristic hum. Perhaps it looked like a hummingbird and a bumblebee had a baby. Don’t worry. You aren’t going crazy…
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Woolly Worms or Woolly Bears: Winter Weather Forecasters?
Overview Woolly worms, also known as woolly bears, may be our most familiar and well-recognized moth caterpillar. Every fall we see them steadily marching across driveways and streets in search of a place to spend the winter. And every year, predictions are made about what the upcoming winter is going to be like based on…
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Reconnecting with the Natural World at Night
in PodcastIt is so easy to come home at the end of a long day, eat supper, and then just sink into the couch to veg out for a bit or keep ourselves busy with household activities that need to be done. I’ll be honest, I’m as guilty as the next person of falling into that…
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Giant Leopard Moth: Cousins of the Much-Loved Wooly Worm
The giant leopard moth (Hypercompe scribonia) can be found throughout most of the eastern United States. It is a beautiful moth that is fairly easy to observe. Giant leopard moths also have some surprising characteristics that make them fun to learn about. What does it look like? Adult Adults are medium sized moths. The males…
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Cranefly Orchid: A cryptic native orchid
Take a walk in the woods in the late winter or early spring and you may find a single, green, oval leaf lying among the fallen tree leaves. I often find single leaves scattered here and there, but you can occasionally find small patches. The leaves are around 3 inches in length and kind of…
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Moths in the Winter with Shelby Fulton
in PodcastHi, Everyone! In today’s episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast we are talking with Shelby Fulton who is a terrestrial biologist with the Kentucky Nature Preserves. Our conversation focuses on moths and how they survive the winter. We also talk about how diverse moths are and ways to observe them during the winter. The number…
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Possumhaw: A deciduous holly
Possumhaw (Ilex decidua) has many common names including deciduous holly, swamp holly, and prairie holly. It is also sometimes called winterberry, but be aware that “winterberry” is more commonly used in reference to Ilex verticillata, which is also a deciduous holly. To make things more complicated, Ilex verticillata is sometimes called “deciduous holly,” even though…
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2 Million Blossoms and Dr. Kirsten Traynor
in PodcastHi Everyone! On today’s episode of Backyard Ecology we talk with Dr. Kirsten Traynor, a research associate at Arizona State University and the editor of 2 Million Blossoms, a quarterly magazine dedicated to protecting our pollinators. Our conversation takes a curvy, twisty path that covers multiple different topics including what led her to start the…
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Announcing the Backyard Ecology Podcast
Over the last few months, I’ve been researching and working on a new project. Today I’m super excited to announce that I am launching a Backyard Ecology podcast! For those who might be wondering, a podcast is kind of like an audio version of a blog. I started listening to podcasts about a year and…
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Nature-related Discoveries in My Yard and Community – October 2020
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the cooler, less humid weather, the distinctive fall smell in the early morning, the beautiful fall flowers, the busy actions of the butterflies and bees as they prepare for whatever winter looks like for them, and the transition from our summer bird species to our winter…
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Introducing the Backyard Ecology podcast
in PodcastMany people believe that nature is only “out there” – in national parks, other large chunks of pristine land, or some far-off exotic place. For a long time, I did too. But the truth is that nature is everywhere and there are still plenty of discoveries to be made about the common species inhabiting our…
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Upcoming Virtual Class: Providing Winter Habitat for Butterflies and Native Bees
On Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m. CT / 8:00 p.m. ET, I will be teaching a class on providing winter habitat for butterflies and native bees. Pollinator gardening information often focuses on providing lots of flowers for butterflies and bees to use during the growing season. Very little, if any, time is spent talking about…
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Thoroughworts and bonesets – Some of the white flowers of fall
Thoroughworts and bonesets (Eupatorium sp.) are common fall wildflowers throughout much of the eastern U.S. They are often found growing in fields and other open areas. Their flat-topped clusters of bright white flowers can contrast beautifully with the bright yellow goldenrods or the deep purple ironweeds that often grow in similar habitats. Like the goldenrods,…
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Try Mothing – Attracting and observing moths
While moths are often thought of as being drab and boring, they actually come in a wide range of colors and sizes. Some moths have pink and yellow stripes, others are snow white with black spots, others are pale green, others are yellow with giant orange eye spots, others are brown and red, and the…
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Luna Moth
The luna moth (Actias luna) can be found throughout much of the eastern half of the U.S. It is one of our larger native moths with a wingspan of approximately 4 – 4.5 inches, or about as wide as one and a half post-it notes from the widest point on one wing to the widest…
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Plant Flowers that Open at Different Times of the Day
When a flower opens, or at least when it produces nectar, is often timed with when its natural pollinators are active. For example, squash flowers open very early in the day and close by the middle of the day. That is because the native pollinator for squash, pumpkins, and gourds is the squash bee which…
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Common Evening Primrose
The common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is a native wildflower in most of the U.S. It is found naturally in sunny fields, roadsides, prairies, and disturbed areas. Common evening primrose can also be grown in the garden as a native wildflower. It is a biennial, meaning that it lives for two years and only blooms…
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Container Gardens for Pollinators
Many people live in apartments or other locations where they aren’t able to plant large flower beds or gardens. Their gardening efforts may be restricted to a few containers on a small patio. I talk to people all the time who want to do something for the pollinators, but don’t feel like it is an…
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Provide Winter Habitat for Butterflies and Moths
If you are like me, winter is not typically when you think about providing habitat for butterflies and moths. In fact, until I started researching and learning about pollinators, I never even thought about how butterflies and moths survive the winter. I knew monarchs migrated, but didn’t have a clue about our other species. I…
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Grey-headed Coneflower
The grey-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) is a perennial wildflower native to most of the eastern U.S. It grows naturally in dry prairies and barrens. Grey-headed coneflowers have also become a favorite addition to prairie restoration areas, pollinator plantings, and wildflower gardens. Another common name for the grey-headed coneflower is the yellow coneflower. Grey-headed coneflowers can…
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Lance-Leaf Coreopsis
Lance-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) is native to most of the continental U.S. It is one of eight species of coreopsis native to Kentucky and is the species that is the most common. Other names for lance-leaf coreopsis include tickseed and sand coreopsis. The name tickseed comes from the fact that its dark brown seeds resemble…
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Black Locusts
Black locusts (Robinia pseudoacacia) are tall trees native to the Appalachian region and parts of the Ozarks, but they have been widely planted across the U.S. and in parts of Canada. They have even been imported to other parts of the world where they are often planted as ornamentals. Black locusts grow very quickly but…
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Butterfly Milkweed
Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of several milkweed species native to Kentucky and the eastern U.S. It is a perennial and relatively easy to identify because it is our only orange milkweed. Unlike other milkweed species, this one lacks the characteristic milky sap. Butterfly milkweed can grow up to three feet tall and have…
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Plant in Mass to Attract Pollinators
Pollinators are more attracted to clumps of the same type of flower, than to individual flowers. One, it’s easier to see the clumps from a distance as the pollinator is flying around. Two, it is more efficient for the pollinator to work a clump of flowers than to have to fly any distance between each…
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Coralberry
Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) is a deciduous shrub that is native to most of the eastern half of the U.S. It typically grows 2-4 feet tall and is most commonly found in semi-open woods. Coralberry blooms during the summer, but the flowers are not very showy and are often overlooked. It produces pinkish to purplish berries…
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Saddleback caterpillars
I almost had a really bad experience on Sunday. The baby ducks aren’t babies any more. They have learned to fly and while we’ve caught the drakes and trimmed their flight feathers, we haven’t been able to catch the hens yet. They are too fast and can fly too well. Saturday, a couple of hens…
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How do butterflies and moths survive the winter?
According to the Journey North website, monarch migration peaked last week around the Great Lakes. That means it won’t be long before the migration peaks in Kentucky. The monarch butterfly’s migration to and from Mexico each year is a familiar story. But what happens to all of our other butterflies and moths? How do they…