Notice a Lot of Moths at Your Place? You’re Not Alone

First, there were a ton of those helicopter seeds from maple trees across southeast Minnesota this spring. But have you noticed an abundance of those black moths around your house lately? 

If so, you're not alone. For about the last month, my wife and I have noticed a lot of these dark brown moths in various places in our backyard. They seemed especially prevalent in the rafters of our deck, and in both corners of our yard near our fence.

So what's the deal with all the moths? Well, according to the University of Minnesota Extension, those moths we're seeing across Minnesota these days are most likely the Hypena scabra, or green cloverworm moth.

The site says, "These moths have a wingspan of about an inch to almost an inch and a half. When at rest, they often hold their wings in a delta shape, although this varies as wings are also held closer together. Their forewings are narrow and are generally dark brown or grayish with a wavy pattern of white.The hind wings are broad and dark colored."

And while there may be a lot of them this year, they apparently won't cause any damage to your garden or plants-- they're only a nuisance. The explains, "Fortunately, green cloverworms are not a pest in urban areas. While they feed on a wide variety of plants, they are not known to be a pest on landscape or garden plants. The moths are nothing more than a nuisance; just ignore them and wait for them to go away on their own."

Well, that's comforting. It's good to know they're not doing actual damage, but I'm wondering why there are so many out there in our neck of the woods this year. The site only says there are, in fact, a lot of them this year, saying, "Green cloverworm moths can have two generations in a year and can be seen throughout the growing season. This year, their numbers have been particularly high, especially now during late summer."  Hmm. But why are there such particularly high numbers this year? Must be one of those mysteries of nature, I guess.

One thing that's not a mystery, though, is the fact that they won't survive our Minnesota winter. And, we all know that's not too far off. So, on an upcoming cold winter day, when you're wishing you could go outside for more than a few minutes without getting frostbite, fondly think back to those days in late August and September when, instead of complaining about the cold, we were complaining about all those moths.