A FLORAL MOTH-TRAP

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2138, 30 May 1889, Page 2

A FLORAL MOTH-TRAP

Messrs Adams and Sons have forwarded to us some specimens of white tubular fl >wers with moths entrapped m them* The plant whioh prodaoes these flowers would be a boon to orohardlats. and should be grown by them to aid m reduolng the number of oaterpUUrs which, In some seasons, are very lojarlous to frait trees; Their correspondent, Mr Field, of Wange* do), writes as follows; — "I send some bloitoms of the curious moth-oatohlng plant to whioh I drew attention a year ov two ago. It is a ollmblng plant, and the blossoms are very sweet-scented, partloularly at night. The moths plunge their trunks into the nectaries of the flower to get the hooey, and being unable to withdraw them are held prisoners till they die. At thin season, there are very few moths to be caught, bat m summer and antnmn hundreds are cap toted eveiy night on e»oh plant, so that m the motn* ing there they are flattering their wings In their efforts to escape. The little fin* tails foqnd out my plant this summe?, and visited them for their breakfast every morning, so that the oaptured moths get mostly eaten by mid-day. The plant begins to bloom early m November* »pd oontinuei to do no until the sharp fro|ti come at the end of winter." The plant If a half-hardy evergreen olimber^ from Baeoos Ay res, andnarasd Aranja alb* » or. phvelabtbua Its popolws nama ia the white bladder flower. ("Lyttelton TJxbh' 1 )