Montgomery Parks

It’s a wrap! Thank you for celebrating #NationalMothWeek with us. Some highlights: 1. Moths have needs for their homes, too, just like us! Thank an oak tree for the prime real estate it provides for moths and butterflies. Be a “moth developer” by planting some native plants that flower at night. 2. Moths love UV light, maybe a little too much! It helps the males find the females, but our lights blind them. Turn off outdoor lights and/or close your blinds at night to help moths find the UV they seek. 3. Afraid of the dark? No biggie, Montgomery County has got you! Hit up Project Porchlight to swap out your outdoor lightbulbs for free! They bring out yellow/red LEDs that attract way fewer insects. 4. Moths are dark and mysterious...as in we don’t know much about them! Do science a solid by counting them with a camera and sharing the photos on iNaturalist. Add the label “Moth” and all such photos this week will be sent to scientists behind National Moth Week! Want to learn more about moths? Check out National Moth Week here: https://lnkd.in/e3ZPyQ2J Finally, we’d like to extend a big thank you to Park Naturalist II, Lucila Fernandez at Meadowside Nature Center for putting together all the posts and graphics to celebrate #NationalMothWeek at Montgomery Parks! Thank you, Lucila!

Still thirsty? So are our moths! Some adult moths feed on nectar, and many of these do so at night. Many of the plants we think of as being pollinated by bees and butterflies during the day need to *also* be pollinated at night. The pollinating power of both daytime and nighttime animals increases the chances these plants can reproduce. If you have a balcony, porch, or a yard, offer a “moth menu” of moon garden plants! Moon gardens feature native plants that flower or shine at night. They are beautiful for us and nighttime animals, like moths, who look for white, silver, sweet, and soft plants to feed from and rest in. An easy way to get started is to plant in containers. Try one of these moth-friendly native plants: -Little bluestem -Wild phlox -Wild stonecrop -American alumroot Look out for our next series of Native Plant Sales, coming this fall, to add native plants moths will love to your garden. #NationalMothWeek National Moth Week

The Montgomery Parks Activation (Events) Team is seeking two (2) enthusiastic, passionate, and highly motivated people to join our Parks Activation team as the Senior & Principal Events Specialists. These team members will be responsible for developing, implementing, and managing signature, regional, and local events throughout parks in Montgomery County. Apply by 8/2: https://lnkd.in/e4kYJUwv

Happy #FloraAndFaunaFriday! Did you know the Red-winged Blackbird is not just a common sight, but one of North America’s most striking avian residents? Their early, tumbling songs mark the joyful return of spring across wetlands and countryside landscapes. Found on cattails and on telephone wires, these glossy-black males boast scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches that they proudly display (or hide!) depending on their mood. Meanwhile, a females sport a subtle, streaky brown plumage resembling a large, dark sparrow. In the breeding season, you can spot them in cattail marshes or listen for their unique calls. Come winter, keep an eye out for them among mixed blackbird flocks—don’t miss the streaky females blending in like sparrows! Red-winged Blackbirds might even visit your yard for mixed grains and seeds, especially during migration! In the fall and winter, spread some on the ground to attract these delightful creatures. Next time you’re out exploring nature, listen for their cheerful tunes and keep your eyes out for these boldly colored beauties! For more interesting facts about the Red-winged Blackbird, check out: https://lnkd.in/eTcffyeN Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

It’s been a long, hot day and it’s time to kick back and crack open a can of fizzy drink. Moths might enjoy some of that, too! Cheers to yourself and moths for #NationalMothWeek by mixing up a little mothy cocktail. This concoction can be used to attract moths to a specific location so you can view a bunch of cool species up close. Using bait like this is one of a few DIY methods for “mothing,” the habit of looking for moths for enjoyment and discovery! Mothing Cocktail For this recipe, you’ll need: - Container with a lid - One piece of fruit - A dash of beer - Paint brush - Flashlight - Camera Steps: 1. Place the fruit inside the container. 2. Add a dash of beer. 3. Cover the container and let it sit on the counter for a few days. https://lnkd.in/dr2GKECv your mothing location. 5. Just an hour before dusk, take a paint brush and paint it onto tree trunks. 6. Chill out for a bit (maybe with your own cocktail) and have your camera ready! 7. Use your flashlight to see who’s come to the tree. 8. Take photos of what you find! DIY mothing is one way scientists are filling a gap of information on moths. It turns out we know very little about them, however photos people take from mothing encounters are helping scientists collect more information and deepen our understanding of these majestic animals. Pictured: Goldenrod flower moth, a frequent visitor of Montgomery Co. flowers. Not all moths feed as adults, but this one enjoys nectar from a wide variety of goldenrods and asters, pollinating them in the process of taking a sip! Learn more about National Moth Week: https://lnkd.in/e3ZPyQ2J

Moths get lit too but for them it has a totally different meaning! Male moths are super attracted to UV light. This is handy for the female moths, as their wings are brilliantly adorned with UV colors. While we can’t see it with our eyes, the male moths can, and it draws them closer. Meanwhile, the females sit and wait for a suitor to spot them and come over check them out. This works out great in a totally natural environment, but artificial light from our lightbulbs at night changes the game for them. The question of “Why are moths drawn to light bulbs?” is still being studied, but one prevailing theory suggests the UV that lightbulbs emit is the reason. While almost all bulbs produce some UV, some emit less than others. It turns out that yellow- or orange-colored LEDs attract fewer moths, and insects in general. These light bulbs still illuminate what we need to see, while not blinding male moths with UV. These bulbs are also kinder on our wallets. Want to help moths keep their rizz, and avoid the frizz from a hot lightbulb? Project Porchlight from Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection has got you! Swap your outdoor lights for FREE with insect-friendly and more cost-effective LEDs. Visit: https://lnkd.in/eA9idnYM to learn more. #NationalMothWeek

We are seeking a Tree Worker/Climber to be a part of our tree crew performing tree maintenance work on parkland across Montgomery County. This position provides opportunities to be a part of an innovative team of tree climbers and arborists and advance a career in the field of urban forestry through education, training and on the job experience. Apply by 7/29: https://lnkd.in/dTcwXacF

One easy way to help moths in your neighborhood is to simply count them. How? Take photos of them and post them to iNaturalist, an online database where everyday people around the world post photos of plants and wildlife. Scientists use this database to get an idea of the number of moths and what kinds can be found in distinct places, like Montgomery County. Did you know there are over 160,000 species of moth in the world with 11,000 of those existing in the United States? Start counting moths and learn more about how you can participate in #NationalMothWeek here: https://lnkd.in/e3ZPyQ2J

Turns out moths are choosy! Like butterflies, moths have host plants too. Their caterpillars (baby moths) need to be born on or near certain plants. The leaves give them shelter and food to eat. The adults need places to hide when they are at rest, and some need nectar from flowers. While each type of the 1,321 moths in Montgomery County has unique needs, there are some commonalities in the things they look for in their wild homes. Among those are oak trees! Oaks are a very important tree for many moths and butterflies. 436 types of caterpillars are found on white and black oak alone! Anywhere you live in Montgomery County, you have a moth habitat near you! Go outside to flitter like a moth, whether in your neighborhood or your local Montgomery Park. Then, comment with your “moth review” below. Happy #NationalMothWeek! To learn more about moths and how you can support them, visit: https://lnkd.in/e3ZPyQ2J

Our celebration of #NationalMothWeek continues! Which moth are you? All these moths are vibing in the sky this summer, each up to their own thing. Are you showing up for your hot moth summer, or hampering down in this heat? Fun facts! Rosy maple moths are active at night, but they still need a way to camouflage out of sight from their predators. Their colors both signal its toxicity at night and help it hide among the fruits of maple trees during the day. Hummingbird clearwing moths flitter about during the day looking for as much nectar as they can find. They mimic hummingbirds and do so a little too well—they beat their wings 75x per second. The rosy-throated hummingbird, on the other hand, beats at 10 to 80x per second. The agreeable tiger moth is one of the tiger moths whose caterpillar’s hair doesn’t sting *that* bad, hence its name. Nonetheless, it can irritate the skin, so it’s best to just look, and not touch! The wings of the luna moth have long “tails.” These spin in the sky while they fly. Bats use a form of sound detection called echolocation to hunt prey like luna moths. The bat makes a sound, listens for those sounds to bounce back to their ears, and then can figure out where in space the moth is. The luna moth’s spinning tails make these sounds bounce back in odd ways, causing the bat’s echolocation to be a lot less reliable! Feeling threatened? Simply play dead, like the salt marsh moths. They will stop and drop. If that doesn’t work, they will push out a stinky odor from their thorax and then use their wings to waft the stink in the threat’s general direction. Eastern tent caterpillars are the babies of a moth! Many moth caterpillars create silk out of special proteins in their saliva and spin it as one long thread with their mouthparts. Tent caterpillars use their silk to build large “tents” in cherry and crabapple trees. They spend the cold nights of the early spring here nestled with 100s of their siblings. Which moth do you identify the most with? Comment below! Learn more about #NationalMothWeek here: https://lnkd.in/e3ZPyQ2J