Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-04-02
DEsERET
1--WE

----------- EVE
large dustybrown kind distinguished by
four eye-spots. one on each wing. They
have pcctinated antennae, resembling
features.
one OF ours feeds on the real pines
those with leaves In punches Polephc-
mus. our largest moth, Is a silk CO.
coon spinner, Il rich brown with eyes on
the wings and pinkish stripe near the
border. Their larvae are all either
green or brown In color and most of
them have red tubercles on the front
portion of the body A checkered black
and white group, known as Buck moths
on sheep moths, are found mostly in
the southern part of tho state. They
live on oak-brush and greasewood. They
come out early in the spring. The eggs
in all the species named thus far are
almost globular. smooth, and green or
brown, The royal moths are of large
size and with those previously mem.
toned, comprise the largest known
kinds The larvae have long horns and
arc of formidable appearance. One
kind is called the hickory horned devil.
THE LICHEN MOTHS.
The lichen moths feed entirely on
the llchens. They are small gray or
spotted, and rather inconspicuoua.
Wherever you find ichens you are
can be kept till they hatch into very
pretty moths, found mostly in the west.
THE TIGER MOTHS.
The arctuids or tiger moths have
hairy larvae called wooly bears. These
hairy caterpillers, mainly red, black or
white are common on our sidewalks
In fall. Only moths ever come from
these ''woolly bears" never butterflies.
They are seen hurrying along as II very
intent upon getting somewhere. The
tiger moths have variable patterns on
the wings. We have brown and also
white kinds.
THE NOCTU1DS.
The largest group of medium-sized
moths we have, are called noctuids, or
night moths. From the shape of marks
on the wings, one group is known as
the daggers; another, the darts; an
other the autographs. One or the
last named occurs commonly on cab
bage. The common corn-ear worm Is
one OF these larvae. IL is one of tho
most destructive species; being the
cotton boil worm and the tomato worm.
The eggs are laid on the silk of the
corn and the larvae after Matching live
within the husk on the ear till they
cut their way out to pupate in the
ground.
All Vi llt GulNOllnS DtlbllS III hh'o
group. They feed on variety OF
plants, some even climbing trees. The
daggers always feed on trees; the darts.
on ground plants; the autographs. on
garden plants of various species The
army worm of the sugar beet belongs
here 1t eats almost anything.
Measuring worms are familiar OBJ
jects They are the larvae of angle
winged or sawtoothed winged moths.
They are walking geometers because
they lack some of the prolegs or sucker
feet at the rear end of the body; and
with the true legs on the front end,
they can travel only by looping. The
clear winged moths include the peach
tree borers. They somewhat resemble
wasps, and are often called wasp
moths. The moth lays its eggs on the
bark of the tree.
DIFFER FROM BUTTERFLIES.
BY general consent, all scale winged
or lepidopterous insects that are not
butterflies are called moths. The conf
mon distinction Is that all of the
lepidoptera that have dubbed antennae
are butterflies; and that those without
dubbed antennae are moths. There
are, however some insects that seem
TO form connecting links between the
two groups, and in these the distinction
does not always hold. The moths are
usually morning anu evening HlelS' Inc
butterflies. day fliers.
The moth begins as an egg. which
matches into caterpillar, or larvae;
the latter, after shedding its skin. or
moulting, a few times, is transformed
into a pupa, which may be either naked
or covered with silk, forming a cocoon.
From the cocoon four winged, six
footed insect finally energies. This Is
the moth. several kinds of which are
familiar 10 nearly every person. Their
antennae are of almost every shape.
except that they are not dubbed. They
may be filiform or threadlike, fusiform
or spindle shaped, dilate or swollen to-
ward the tip; rarely simple, that is
without lateral projections. The shaft
is usually set with hair-like projections
on the side of the joints (ciliate): or
with bristle- shaped projections (setose);
or with bristles arranged i'm clusters
Qascinculate); or with tooth-like pro-
jectlons Cdentate and seIT'ate); or with
projections resembling little combs
(pectinnate); or resembling feathers
(plumose); or with knots (nodose); or
curved and bent tsinnate).