Micro-moths

I've become a bit of a micro-moth fanatic. Why? Well, there are several reasons. Because they are so often overlooked. Because of the variety and beauty of these miniscule leps. Because of the technical challenges of getting good images. In fact, photographing micro-moths has greatly improved my macro photography. My usual routine is to capture the moth in a vial, cool it in the refrigerator, and take it's photo while it's cold. It's good to keep in mind that the smaller the moth the quicker it warms up and the sooner it flies away; I've missed many photographs because of this.

As the name suggest, these are small moths. While the division between macro- and micro- moths is arbitrary, a separation based more upon magnitude than taxonomy. Even so, there are several families of moths that fall entirely into the category of micro-moth. The three largest families being Tortricidae, Pyralidae, and Crambidae. Most of the moths in these families range in size from 7 to 15 mm in length.

A wonderful introduction to the main families is provided by the British guide Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland by Phil Sterling and Mark Parsons. The most useful guide to the species of eastern North America is the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie (easily my most thumbed-through guide book). Online resources such as Moth Photographers Group and Bugguide.net are extremely useful as well.

The micro-moth photographed today, a Red-banded Leafroller Moth, was caught in my moth trap two nights ago. A member of the Tortricid moths, its hosts are thought to include apple, cherry, grape, and spruce, a rather wide variety of trees and shrubs.

Posted on April 27, 2017 02:42 AM by scottking