MOTH FACTS

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Kingdom: Animalia 
Phylum: Arthropoda 
Class: Insecta 
Order: Lepidoptera

Almond moth: larva, pupa and adult

1.  There are many more species of moths than butterflies. 
Moths make up 90 percent of the Lepidoptera order, whilst butterflies make up only 10 per cent. 

2.  There are four steps in becoming a moth
These are egg, larvae (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. Caterpillars shed their skin as they grow, then form a cocoon and change into a moth. This process is called metamorphosis, which comes from the Latin words for "changing shape."

Moth caterpillars spin a silk cocoon. Once a cocoon is spun, the caterpillar turns into a mushy soup during metamorphosis.

3.  Small is beautiful

Tiger moths

The smallest known moths are from the pygmy moth family (Nepticulidae) with wingspans as small as 2 mm. 

4.  Not all moths are petite
The world's largest moth is the Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) which has a wingspan as large as 30 cms. 

5. They have scales
The powder that rubs off when you touch a moth's wing is actually tiny scales.  Thousands of tiny scales and hairs cover moth’s wings. The moth sheds these scales throughout its lifetime. Scales on moths are much larger than on butterflies, giving a more dense and dusty appearance.

6. Many adult moths don't eat
Some species of moths don’t have mouth parts, proboscis, for eating when an adult. They rely on their fat reserves stored during the larval stage. 

Comet moth

The adult Luna moth (Actias luna) lives for only a week, emerging from their cocoon only to mate and lay eggs. 

7. Moths are expert sniffers
Although they lack noses they detect odour molecules using their feathery antennae.  
Male giant silkworm moths (Antheraea polyphemus) have elaborate, feather-shaped antennae with hair like scent receptors that allow them to detect a single molecule of a female moth's sex hormone from 7 miles (11 kilometres) away.

8. Moths navigate by the stars in the sky.
Most moths are nocturnal but seem to be attracted to light. They navigate by using the moon as a point of reference and so can easily get confused by other light sources such as outdoor lights.

Hummingbird Hawk moth

9. Moths often mimic other animals
Many moths are day fliers and will mimic bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. To avoid being eaten, some moths have evolved to look like less palatable insects, such as wasps, tarantulas and the praying mantis. Some moths even mimic bird droppings. Tiger moths (Arctia caja) produce ultrasonic clicking sounds that effectively jam bat sonar, inhibiting the bat's ability to find them.

10.  There are a lot of them!
Scientists have identified some 200,000 species of moths world wide and suspect there may be as many as five times that amount.

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUTTERFLY AND A MOTH?

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You spot a pretty, flapping insect in your garden during the day and assume it is a butterfly, not a moth.  Moths are smaller and more drab, coming out only at night. Right?

Monarch butterfly

Not exactly. Not all moths come out at night. There are some colourful daytime moths that appear similar in appearance to butterflies.  Nor are all moths drab in appearance; there are some very colourful moths out there too. And size is not a good indication either, as both moths and butterflies vary considerably in scale.

Moths and butterflies belong to the order Lepidoptera, meaning scale winged.  Butterflies comprise of the subfamilies Papilionoidea (true butterflies), Hesperioidea (skippers) and Hedyloidea (moth-butterflies). All the many other families within the Lepidoptera are referred to as moths.

The distinction between butterflies and moths is becoming blurred as new species are being discovered. Although butterflies and moths have a lot in common there are some key differences that can help you to recognise them. Although, of course, there are always exceptions to these rules.

Hemlock Hooper moth

Antennae
One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth is to look at the antennae. A moth’s antennae are feathery or saw-edged. A butterfly’s antennae are club-shaped with a long shaft and a bulb at the end.

Wings
Moths are typically smaller with drab-colour wings in order to camouflage them against predators. Butterflies are typically larger and have more colourful patterns on their wings.

Both butterflies and moths have scales on their wings, which come off when handled. 

However, the scales on moths are larger, giving a more dense and dusty appearance.

Moths tend to rest their wings to the sides of their body so that they lie flat or in a tent-like fashion that hides the abdomen. Butterflies fold their wings vertically up over their backs 

when they are perched, although they occasionally open them flat in order to bask for short periods.

Atlas moth

Unlike butterflies, moths have a frenulum which is a wing-coupling device. Frenulums join the fore wing to the hind wing, so the wings can work in unison during flight.

Body structure
Moths have stouter and hairy, furry looking bodies as they need to conserve heat during the night.  Butterflies are able to absorb solar radiation and so have smoother, slender bodies.

Behaviour
Butterflies are primarily diurnal, flying in the daytime, whilst moths are generally nocturnal, flying at night.  However, there are some moths that fly in the daytime, and there are butterflies that fly at dawn and dusk.

The buck moth (Hemileuca maia) flies in the day time. The Green-banded Urania (Urania leilus) is a colourful day flying moth from Peru. Castniid moths (Castnioidea) are found in the neotropics, Indonesia, and Australia which exhibits many of the characteristics of butterflies such as brightly colour wings, clubbed antenna and day flying.

Purple Emperor butterfly

Cocoon/Chrysalis
Butterflies and moths undergo a complete metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar and from chrysalis/cocoon to adult.  They go through a intermediate stage between caterpillar and adult called pupa.

Cocoons and chrysalis are protective coverings for the pupa. A moth makes a cocoon, which is wrapped in a silk covering. A butterfly makes a chrysalis, which is hard, smooth and has no silk covering.

However, notable exceptions include Hawk moths which pupate in an underground chrysalis. Gypsy moths sometimes form a butterfly-style pupae, hanging on twigs or tree bark.


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HOW TO GROW TOMATOES FROM SEED

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Tomatoes are very simple plants to grow, and with a little encouragement can provide fantastic fruits.  Home-grown tomatoes differ entirely in flavour from the shop bought tomatoes, which can be bland and watery.  

The advantage of growing your own tomatoes is that you can select the variety you want, rather than the few varieties on offer in the supermarket. So whether you want tomatoes to cook a pasta sauce with, serve in a salad or to garnish your sandwich, there is a great variety available for you to use.

For tomatoes grown outside try a recommended variety such as 'Gardeners Delight', 'Sungold', 'Money Maker' or 'Sweet 100'.  If you are short of space, dwarf varieties like 'Tumbler' can be grown in a flower pot or hanging basket. For greenhouse tomatoes try trusted varieties such as 'Santa', 'Matador', 'Sungold', 'Money Maker' or 'Supersteak'.

You can grow tomato plants outside successfully from seed, either collected by yourself from tomatoes or using shop bought packet tomato seeds.

To give the best yield of tomato crop during the season you can give your plants a head start by sowing seedlings indoors or in a heated greenhouse around mid march. They will need to be protected from frost, and temperatures at night should not fall below 10 degrees Celsius.

Sow your tomato seeds in seed trays using John Innes 'Seed and Cutting' compost. Space your seeds evenly across the tray and then cover then with the compost to a depth of 2 cm and lightly water.

Place in a well lit place and keep the seeds moist until they germinate, usually between 3 and 5 days. The seedlings will require high levels of light, around 12-16 hours of sunlight a day. A south facing window sill or shelf in glass house is ideal, although they will require the seed tray to be turned round daily to prevent the seedlings from permanently leaning.

Seedlings are at risk from fungal rots due to the damp conditions, so good ventilation is important. Monitor the compost for dryness, adding a little water from below.  Be careful not to over water which can spread water borne fungal diseases such as damping off.

The tomato seedlings are ready to plant out when the risk of frost is over and the young plants when they are about 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) tall and the flowers of the first truss are just beginning to open.

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GROWING TOMATOES

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Tomato plants are ready to plant out when the risk of frost is over and the young plants when they are about 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) tall and the flowers of the first truss are just beginning to open.

Prepare a rich, free draining soil, incorporating organic compost or well-rotted farm yard manure. Plant the seedlings in a deep hole, so that the soil line is up to the first set of leaves. This will encourage a stronger root network to establish underground, resulting in healthier plants.

Tomatoes love a rich, free-draining soil. If planting outside prepare the soil for planting by digging in plenty of organic matter during the winter.  Rake in a general purpose fertiliser just prior to planting.  If you have used the border previously for growing tomatoes then it is wise to change the soil or sterilise it before using it for tomatoes again as this will help to avoid soil pests and root diseases becoming a problem.

Position your tomato plants in a sunny location, avoiding sheltered areas.  Avoid planting close to potato crops as these plants are closely related and diseases such as blight can be spread easily between the two.

Plant at 45cm spacing between the plants in rows 75 cm apart.  Plant in a deep hole up the the first set of leaves to encourage roots to grow along the underground stems, resulting in a more vigorous and stronger plant. If planting into a grow bag then plant no more than two plants per bag.  Back fill with soil and water thoroughly.

Depending on variety, your tomatoes may  require support to prevent them from toppling over so use pea sticks or short twigs for this purpose. Cordon varieties of tomatoes will need their side shoots (the shoots between the stem and the leaf stalk) removing. Bush varieties will remain low and will not need their side shoots removing.

Ensure you water well during dry periods or after flowering to achieve maximum fruit development and crop production. Water little and often for best results. Tomato plants growing in a pot or grobag will require a lot more watering and care then plants that are planted in the border. 

Tomatoes plants are very hungry and require regular feeding to maintain a healthy plant. Feed with a general liquid feed until the first truss is formed, then switch to a high potash tomato fertiliser once per week to encourage more flowers and fruit.

Regularly remove competing weeds and mulch under the plants in June. Tomatoes are ready for harvesting from early summer to autumn, depending on variety. 

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HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TOMATOES ARE RIPE TO PICK?

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After all your hard work in the garden planting and tending to your tomato plants, the end goal is finally in sight - fruits!  But how do you know when the tomatoes are ripe, and when you can pick the fruits to produce the maximum amount of tomatoes without affecting the vigour of the plant? 

With so many varieties of tomatoes available, this is not always a simple answer. However, there are a few guidelines that can help indicate when the tomatoes are ready to be picked which will help you to successfully harvest your crop.

1. Climate
Pick your tomatoes during the summer, and certainly before the first frost of the season. The weather during the season will affect the time your tomatoes are ripe. Sunnier weather will cause your tomatoes to ripen earlier, although they may be more orange in colour than red.

Tomatoes are generally ready to harvest 50-100 days after germination, depending on variety. Pick your tomatoes regularly to prevent over-ripening on the vine, every 2 days during the peak growing season.

2. Colour change
Ripe tomatoes will often change colour to red (or with some varieties orange, yellow, pink and purple), but this can be hard to detect with some varieties.  Deepening colour is a very good indicator that the tomato is ripe. Check the bottom of the tomato for a change in colour as this will ripen first.

Look for a change in the skin surface too.  A ripe tomato will change from a dull, matt appearance to a glossy, shiny one.

3. Firmness
The tomato should give slightly when it is pressed. If it is hard it requires more time to ripen. Ensure there are no soft spots on the tomato as this is likely to lead to bruising, followed by rot.  Remove any soft tomatoes from the vine.

4. Smell
A ripe tomato will smell sweet and earthy at the stem.  This is also an indication of strong flavour within the tomato. 

5. Early harvesting
Don’t forget, tomatoes can be harvested when they are still green and allowed to ripen off the vine.

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LADYBIRDS

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Ladybirds are small, brightly coloured beetles, often seen on green plants in large numbers eating their way through colonies of greenfly. They are also referred to as ladybugs in some parts of the world, but the term ladybird is preferred by entomologists as they are not true bugs. They are seen as good neighbours by gardeners and farmers, and are often actively encouraged to aid pest control.

Ladybirds are small insects ranging from 1-10 mm long and come in a wide range of bright colours and patterns. These patterns, usually black or orange or yellow, are known as warning colouration because they warn enemies of the insects unpleasant taste. If attacked, a ladybird defends itself by reflex bleeding, oozing blood from its leg joints. This blood contains unpleasant substance called coccinelline, which repels ants and most birds.

Ladybirds tend to be abundant in the temperate climate of Europe and North America, although they are found in most parts of the world. There are 88 species of ladybirds in central and northern Europe, and 43 species in Britain alone. Most European ladybirds are found in their largest numbers in habitats that have been changed by man, such as forestry plantation, neglected gardens, waste areas full of weeds and nettle-beds. This is because their primary source of food, aphids, habit these areas.

Most ladybirds feed almost exclusively on aphids (also known as greenfly of black fly). Aphids are slow-moving and defenceless insects found feeding on many garden plants and trees. Ladybird larvae have a huge appetite and eat more aphids than the adult insects, up to 40 aphids a day. If the supply of aphids runs low then they will start to eat other, smaller ladybird larvae.

Ladybirds have a lifespan of approximately 2 years. The whole lifecycle of the ladybirds takes from four to seven weeks, so several generations can be produced in one summer. Most ladybirds mate in the spring of summer. The female lays a cluster of between 3-300 eggs (depending on species). These are laid in batches, usually as near as possible to colonies of aphids. Typically the eggs hatch in five to eight days and pupate 10-15 days, usually in quite an exposed spot.

Ladybirds can be found at any time of year, but they are cold blooded and hibernate in winter. The best way to find a ladybird is to wait for their active period during the warmer months and look for plants which aphids commonly feed on such as roses, sherry trees and broad bean plants. A close inspection of these may reveal clusters of orange ladybird eggs. In the British isles the most common larger species of ladybird, the seven spot coccinella 7-punctata, often hibernates in the open, fully exposed to view.

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LADYBIRD FACTS

Click here for the 'Seeds of Eaden' seed shop

Ladybirds are small, brightly coloured beetles, often seen on green plants in large numbers eating their way through colonies of greenfly. They are also referred to as ladybugs in some parts of the world, but the term ladybird is preferred by entomologists as they are not true bugs. They are seen as good neighbours by gardeners and farmers, and are often actively encouraged to aid pest control.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Superfamily: Cucujoidea
Family: Coccinellidae

1. Not all Ladybirds have spots.
The paramysia oblonguttata is stripped.

2. Not all ladybirds are red
Colouration varies, usually bright shades of red, orange or yellow and black.

3. One species of ladybird can have many different appearances.
The two spot ladybird can be red with two to six spots, or completely black.

4. 'Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children all gone'.
The above nursery rhyme ', dates from the time that hop fields were set alight at the end of the season, killing off the ladybird
larvae.

5. Ladybird larvae eat more aphids than adult ladybirds.
A single ladybird larva was observed in cavity eating 90 adult and 3000 larval insects during its larval phase.

6. Not all ladybirds eat aphids
Ladybirds primary food source is aphids. However, a few species from south Africa are entirely vegetarian.

7. Ladybirds hibernate during the winter.
Ladybirds are cold blooded and so hibernate during the winter. In the British isles the most common larger species of ladybird, the seven spot coccinella 7-punctata, often hibernates in the open, fully exposed to view.

8. Ladybirds farms have previously been introduced to control pests.
The Australian Ladybird species Rhodalia cardinalis saved the citrus industry in California from the cottony cushion scale
bug.

9. Ladybirds have an unpleasant taste to ward off enemies
If attacked, a ladybird defends itself by reflex bleeding, oozing blood from its leg joints. This blood contains unpleasant substance called coccinelline, which repels ants and most birds.

10. There are 88 species of ladybirds in central and northern Europe.
Ladybirds tend to be abundant in the temperate climate of Europe and North America, although they are found in most parts
of the world. There are 43 species in Britain alone.


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