University Park to Honor Route 1’s Forgotten Pollinators Saturday
University Park will take time on Saturday to honor Route 1’s forgotten pollinators: moths.
The town is holding a special “mothing” night at the University Park Pollinator Meadow, a restored habitat for bees and butterflies on Adelphi Road across from the Hyattsville public library.
Volunteers will be on hand from 8:30 to 10 p.m. with flashlights to help identify various local moths.
While moth people think of moths as the common gray ones that can be found hiding in old clothes, Maryland is home to some quite striking moths, including lime-green Luna moths, the Polyphemus moth named for the large eye-like patterns on its wings and even the giant Cecropia moth, which has the largest wingspan of any North American moth.
Moths play a crucial role in pollination, as some flowers only release their fragrance at night, when bees and butterflies are not available.
Just for clarification, not all moths are pollinators. The big silk moths you picture and mention — Polyphemus, Luna — NEVER visit flowers of any kind because, well, THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE ANY MOUTHPARTS as adults. They couldn’t eat pollen or nectar if they wanted to.