Mompha eloisella was probably attracted to the many Oenothera biennis plants nearby.
This is Mompha eloisella (Red-streaked Mompha), a tiny moth with beautiful satiny white wings speckled with symmetrically placed dark brown spots on the head, thorax, and wings, and red diagonal lines on the wing tips. The patterning of the wing tips resembles a face, but who or what will notice something that small and possibly be deterred by it? Or maybe that’s what the markings are for at all.
Mompha eloisella is in the family Momphidae, which worldwide contains at least 115 species. In North America, there are 45 species just in the genus Mompha and probably many more yet to be discovered and described. All are tiny and have unique patterns, often colorful, on their wings. The larvae of most Mompha species feed on plants in the Onagraceae (evening primrose family) as stem, flower, or fruit borers or as leaf miners. Mompha eloisella larvae are stem borers in evening primrose (Oenothera spp.). This one may have been attracted to the small stand of Oenothera biennis growing in my garden.
Mompha eloisella is widespread in the US, but available range maps show it as not present in Minnesota. Now we know it does occur in Minnesota, with this first sighting more than 120 miles north of a previous sighting in Wisconsin.
This isn’t the first Mompha moth I’ve seen here. There are four other species, all very tiny and beautifully patterned. The small size of these moths makes them easy to miss and difficult to photograph, but with a little effort and patience, they can be found and sometimes photographed clearly. Of course, not all of my Mompha photos are clear, but clear enough. They seem skittish, which also makes photographing them a challenge.
To attract more Mompha moths, I have planted Oenothera biennis, Epilobium angustifolium (fireweed), and let the weedy annual Epilobium coloratum (willow-herb) have a place in my flower garden. Not only are these plants food for Mompha moth larvae, but their flowers, sweet with nectar, are food sources for bees, small and large, and even hummingbirds. After blooming, the plants continue to benefit wildlife. A few days ago, I saw an eastern goldfinch in my flower garden feeding on the small seeds of evening primrose.
Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) fruit which is favored by catbirds and vireos among others.
The birds are preparing for their annual fall migration. With the long journey ahead of them they will need plenty of food resources high in calories and protein. Bird feeding stations with plenty of sunflower seeds are one source of high energy/high protein foods but there are other sources and they literally grow on trees.
By late August where I live most of the soft and juicy fruits like raspberry (Rubus strigosus), blackberry (R. allegheniensis), and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides and V. angustifolium) are done although there are still some dewberries (R. pubescens) and creeping blackberries (R. setosus) in the woods. At this time arrow-woods (Viburnum dentatum and V. rafinesquianum), Canada elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), and pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) are coming into fruit.
Many fruits are sweet with sugars but some are rich in fats or lipids. Avocados and olives are familiar examples. Studies on dark fruited viburnums have found that they are rich in lipids. By dry weight southern arrow-wood (Viburnum dentatum) is 41.3% fats (that’s a lot of energy) and 2.6% protein. These numbers are similar in some but not all dark-fruited viburnums. Lipid content is correlated with seed shape and pigmentation. Blue fruits with round seeds have higher lipid content. Black fruits with flat seeds have lower lipid contents. Red fruits with flat seeds are low in lipids while red fruits with round seeds have a bit more. The lipids produce the blue iridescence in the fruit which is attractive to birds and are a nice benefit for hungry birds.
Southern arrow-wood does well in moderately fertile soils that do not dry out too rapidly. Mine receive full sun for about eight hours a day.
Southern arrow-wood (Viburnum dentatum) laden with fruit.Southern arrow-wood (Viburnum dentatum)
Does the dark-colored fruit of pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia, shown at the top of the page) have a high lipid content? So far I have not found any information on the fruits themselves although some species of dogwood have lipid-rich seeds. I’ve observed evening grosbeaks eating the seeds. Pagoda dogwood is a small tree-like species common in the understory of hardwood forests with rich soil and small enough for a garden.
Canadian elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) bushes growing near my house are beginning to mature fruit. I’ve never been able to eat more than a few elderberries in all the years it has been here as the birds eat the fruit as soon as it ripens. Its red-fruited relative called red elderberry (S. pubens) blooms earlier in April and matures thick clusters of soft red berries that are eaten by robins and catbirds. Both elderberry species thrive in rich most soil near the edges of forested areas.
Canadian elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
The arrow-wood, pagoda dogwood, and elderberry fruits will soon be gone usually by September 10th. But some other fruiting trees and shrubs will be ripe around that time. These include gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa), nannyberry (Viburnum lentago), hawthorns (Crataegus spp.), and mountain ash (Sorbus spp,). These shrubs will do well in any rich moist soil in full sun to partial shade.
To help out birds that remain in the winter I have planted small-fruited crabapple trees in different places. Robins, ruffed grouse, and sometimes pileated woodpeckers will eat the smaller fruited crab apples like Malus sargentii while blue jays and other birds go after the larger fruited varieties like Dolgo Crab or any feral apple for that matter. The fruits become softer after a few freezes and in years of heavy fruit set some apples will remain on the trees as late as March.
Other fruit-bearing shrubs with winter persistent fruit are highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) and winterberry (Ilex verticillata). When first ripe the fruits on these bushes are not eaten by birds but after freezing and thawing some birds will eat them. Highbush cranberry and winterberry prefer rich moist soils and can be found naturally in wetlands. They will do well, though, in any good garden soil in full sun to part shade.
Viburnum opulus var. americanumCrab apple (Malus sargentii)Ilex verticillata
Wild sunflowers and weeds like pigweed are also food sources for migrating birds and I’ll be covering these in a future post.
Viburnum tinus Fruits Use Lipids to Produce Metallic Blue Structural Color (Rox Middleton, Miranda Sinnott-Armstrong, Yu Ogawa,Gianni Jacucci, Edwige Moyroud, Paula J.Rudall, Chrissie Prychid, Maria Conejero, Beverley J.Glover, Michael J.Donoghue, Silvia Vignolini). Current Biology. Volume 30, Issue 19, 5 October 2020, Pages 3804-3810.e2
Fatty Acid Composition of Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) (Agata Antoniewska, Jan Brindza, Svitlana Klymenko, Olga Shelepova). 5th International Scientific Conference Agrobiodiversity for Improving the Nutrition, Health, Quality of Life and Spiritual Human Development, Nitra, Slovakia. November 2021.
A view from LeVeaux Mountain looking north into the fog above the sugar maple forest.
LeVeaux Mountain is a part of the Sawtooth Mountains in northeastern Minnesota and located in Cook County. It rises about 1,586 feet above sea level and 986 feet above Lake Superior. On its south side it overlooks Lake Superior. On LeVeaux Mountain’s north are spectacular views of a forest including a stand of ancient sugar maple. To the east is the Onion River named after all the wild leeks that grow in the sugar maple forests. To the west are miles of thick forest and swamps.
Part of the Superior Hiking Trail spur loop on LeVeaux Mountain.
A section of the Superior Hiking Trail goes by LeVeaux Mountain with a small spur loop on the west side that makes accessing the mountain possible. Most of the land that includes the mountain is part of the Superior National Forest and so anyone can walk off the trail without violating private property laws. However, the terrain is rugged and steep cliffs and talus slopes ring much of the mountain making casual hiking dangerous. I don’t recommend it for people unfamiliar with hiking in roadless or trail-less places. You could get seriously hurt.
Loose rocks, trees, and soil slowly slide down the north face of LeVeaux Mountain.
I’ve hiked off trail on and around LeVeaux Mountain several times but I’ve gone prepared (including studying maps and aerial photos well beforehand) and dressed in suitable clothing not the shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers I often see on some day hikers using the trail. Such treks have been rewarding and physically challenging but that’s what I was seeking.
The Onion River which flows along the eastern side of LeVeaux Mountain.
Just the thought of these tart red berries makes my mouth water. These are fruits of small cranberry (Vacciniumoxycoccos) and not to be confused with the ones in the grocery stores, which are cultivars of large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Both species grow in wet habitats with deep peat soils. Vaccinium macrocarpon is only native to North America, but Vacciniumoxycoccos has a circumboreal distribution. Outside of North America, Vacciniumoxycoccos is cultivated to some extent.
I’ve found small cranberry in intermediate fens, poor fens, and raised bogs. They seem to fruit best in full sun. Sometimes they will make a few berries under the shade of tamaracks and black spruce. This group is growing in an open poor fen with lots of peat moss and cottongrass and no trees. There were thousands of berries to pick, but they were a little past their prime after a recent hard frost. I don’t know what wild animals and birds might feed on them. Perhaps ruffed grouse or bears do. I saw bear tracks in the fen and ruffed grouse along its edge in the low-growing shrubs, but no sign that the berries had been eaten.
Not Very Far Away 