Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Moths are positively phototactic, which means they are attracted to light - porch light, your headlights or your campfire. While there is no definitive explanation for this phenomenon, there are some interesting theories.

Some types of moths are known to migrate, and it is possible they get the navigational clues from the night sky. A moth’s up-down orientation might depend in part on the brightness of the sky relative to the ground.

Some scientists suggest that moths use the moon as a primary reference point and have the ability to adjust their flight paths as the Earth’s rotation causes the moon to move across the sky.

Thus a moth’s attraction to an artificial light or to a fire could be related to orientation, and lead to disorientation — the moth was not “expecting” to actually get to “the moon” (the light source) or to be able to fly above it, so confusion results.

Source: Howstuffworks “Why are moths attracted to light?”. Retrieved on 2 July 2008, from Howstuffworks website: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/question675.htm

You can also listen to the audio clip, “Why are moths attracted to flame?”, at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12903572, where Dr. May Berenbaum (http://www.life.uiuc.edu/entomology/faculty/berenbaum.html) was interviewed by the National Public Radio station.

Here are some recommended library books on moths:

The life cycle of a moth by JoAnn Early Macken; reading consultant, Susan Nations.
Publisher: Milwaukee, WI : Weekly Reader Early Learning Library, 2006
Series Title: Things with wings
Call No.: J P 595.78 MAC

Moths by Fran Howard
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2005
Series Title: Pebble plus. Bugs, bugs, bugs!
Call No.: J P 595.78 HOW

Night science for kids : exploring the world after dark by Terry Krautwurst
Publisher: New York : Lark Books, 2005, c2003
Summary: “Provides ideas and activities for discovering what changes in the world after dark, including the arrival of moths and owls, fog, and the stars.”
Call No.: J 591.5 KRA

Where did the butterfly get its name? : questions and answers about butterflies and moths by Melvin and Gilda Berger ; illustrated by Higgins Bond
Publisher: New York : Scholastic Reference, c2002
Series Title: Scholastic question and answer series
Summary: “Presents information about the physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, and life cycle of butterflies and moths in question-and-answer format.”
Call No.: J 595.78 BER

All websites were last accessed on 2 July 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use. All book summaries were taken from the book descriptions. All images were extracted from www.amazon.com, www.scholastic.com and www.bn.com.

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Originally answered by Ms Noriahni Binte Ismail
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Posted by Ms Elizabeth Lee
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

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