| Capital entomologists tried to count moths An unusual fashion show took place in Moscow on Wednesday night. In the natural park "Valley of the Skhodnya River in Kurkino" moths demonstrated their beauty. As the head of the department of scientific research and environmental monitoring of the park, Oleg Tolstenkov, told a Vremya Novostey correspondent, the purpose of this action is not only aesthetic, but also scientific. “We tried to carry out a kind of inventory in our park, because it was founded only last year and we are not yet familiar with all its inhabitants,” he explained.
In order to better see the color of the moths, on Tuesday evening a large white screen and a powerful spotlight were installed in the depths of the park, into the light of which the butterflies were supposed to flock. The unusual event lasted from nine in the evening until three in the morning. It is at this time that night beauties are most active. They were also caught using odorous baits soaked in honey. Entomologists placed sweet traps throughout the park. At first, however, the event went smoothly. Apparently, due to the vagaries of the weather, the night beauties did not want to come out into the light en masse - the spotlight attracted more and more blood-sucking insects, which were not of any scientific interest, but were annoying the researchers.
However, entomologists were still satisfied with the results. After all, yesterday they managed to count 69 species, many of which are on the verge of extinction. It should be noted that most entomologists are confident that at least 120 species of these creatures live in Kurkino. In general, more than 200 species of moths live in Moscow. Entomological scientists also hoped to identify new, rare, endangered species of winged insects listed in the Red Book of Moscow. And if you believe Mr. Tolstenkov, they succeeded. "We discovered six new species," he said.
It should be noted that the beauty contest itself among moths is a rather uninteresting spectacle. The color of the night owls is inconspicuous and, unlike their daytime relatives, is not rich in colors and consists mainly of gray and brown shades. According to Mr. Tolstenkov, they need this for daytime sleep. “During the day, moths sleep mainly on the bark of trees, which is why their color matches the bark so that they are not noticeable,” he said. Only rare representatives of the nocturnal world of insects can show off their beauty. In particular, August scoops under the general name “order ribbons”. These are bright butterflies, whose multi-colored lower wings seem to be tied with black ribbons. Some of them, such as the “bride,” have a wingspan of more than ten centimeters. And “adultery”, listed in the Red Book of Moscow, has an unconventional bright red color. Anna ShPAK |
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