When is a beetle....?

  When is a beetle not a beetle?  The answer is simple....when it is a moth!  While out in the garden the other day, I noticed about a bazillion insects crawling about the chive blossoms.  One insect looked a lot like a beetle.  In fact, folks often think the insect is a beetle until they see it take flight.  The Ailanthus Webworm Moth does resemble a beetle.  It is long, slender and has long antennae.  It looks just like some fancy flower beetle but, like I said earlier, it is a moth. 

  This webworm moth rolls its wings tightly around its body when it is crawling around or resting.  This action does make it appear to be a beetle and not a moth.  The moth is actually a gorgeous thing!  It is bright orange and has rows of  white dots that are edged with bluish black.   The moth is active during the daytime hours and seems to prefer white flowers (hence my garlic chives!).  The only problem with such a pretty little moth is that it lays lots of eggs that hatch into caterpillars.  Like all caterpillars they eat leaves.  In my garden, this is not a problem as I am willing to share a few leaves so I can admire the beauty of the adults.  The real problem is in the way people view things.  The caterpillars spin a large, thick web in the tops of trees.  There, they while away the hours chewing leaves and growing.  The web protects them from predators but it is that web that is their downfall.  People see the web as a eyesore and tend to destroy it and all of the caterpillars therein.  

  The pretty little moth worked the chives in the garden and went unharmed by me.  I do not have a problem with Mother Nature and her workings.  For the most part,  my place is a sanctuary for critters of any sort. (I draw the line with a few, however! Termites...when they eat my house!  Roaches....when inside! Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers...when they hatch by the millions...literally!  Fruit flies...when I cannot get them to stay out of the kitchen during canning season!  Mosquitoes and gnats...when my blood is their supper!  Fleas and ticks...same reason!)  Most other critters are more than welcome!